Latin Cup

Copa Latina
(Latin Cup)
The trophy awarded to champions
Organising body France FFF
Italy FIGC
Portugal FPF
Spain FEF
Founded 1949
Abolished 1957 (1957)
Region France
Italy
Portugal
Spain
Number of teams 4
Last champions Spain Real Madrid (1957)
Most successful club(s) Spain Barcelona
Italy Milan
Spain Real Madrid
(2 titles each)

The Latin Cup (French: Coupe Latine; Italian: Coppa Latina; Portuguese: Taça Latina or Copa Latina; Spanish: Copa Latina) was an international football tournament for club sides from the Latin European nations of France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. In 1949 the football federations came together and requested FIFA to launch the competition. European clubs could not afford hefty travel costs so competition was staged at the end of every season in a single host country. The competition featured two semi-finals, a third place play-off and a final.[1]

This competition is considered a predecessor of club tournaments in Europe, such as UEFA Champions League,[2] which first edition was held in 1955.

History

The tournament began in 1949 and was usually played between the league champions of each of the participating countries. Every four years, a ranking would be determined for the countries based on their sides' performances in the Latin Cup. The competition was last played for in 1957, two years after the introduction of the UEFA-sanctioned European Cup. Real Madrid played in and won both the European Cup and the Latin Cup in 1957.

Prior to the introduction of the European Cup, the Latin Cup was considered the most important cup for clubs in Europe, the longer-established Mitropa Cup having gone into decline after World War II. The Latin Cup has been described one of the forerunners "of the European Cup" by UEFA.[2]

According to Jules Rimet, 3rd President of FIFA, the Latin Cup was a competition created by FIFA at request of the four nations that contested it, but its regulation was made by a committee composed of members from the competing federations, and FIFA did not participate actively in its organisation.[3]

The Latin Cup was based on cycles of 4 years, being held in one country each year. The champion of each edition achieved the most points (4) to its Federation while teams placed 2th., 3rd. and 4th. received 3, 2 and 1 points respectively. Because of that, the Copa Latina was a Federation competition rather than a annual club competition. Moreover, the Federation which totalised the most points every four years received the trophy, while the champion club was given a smaller replica of it.[1]

The first edition was opened on June 20, 1949, with the Sporting CP v. Torino at Chamartín Stadium of Madrid. One month before 18 of Torino players had died at Superga air disaster. Barcelona would be the first champion of the tournament after beating Sporting 2–1 at the final.[1]

The second edition clashed with 1950 FIFA World Cup of Brazil so most of the players of league champions were called up by their respective national teams. Therefore, Lazio, the fourth of Serie A, participated in Copa Latina that year. Due to a fixture clash with the 1954 FIFA World Cup in Switzerland, no Latin Cup was held that year (the participants would have been Real Madrid, Sporting CP, Lille OSC and Inter Milan - the latter did not get another chance to enter).

After the first four editions played, the Spanish Federation won the first cycle totalising 12 points, 8 of them contributed by Barcelona and 4 by Atlético Madrid.[1]

Finals

All teams were champions of the preceding domestic season in each nation, except where it indicates, detailing their finishing position in respective leagues.

Year Final Third Place Venue City
Winner Score Runner-up Third place Score Fourth place
1949Spain Barcelona2–1Portugal Sporting CPItaly Torino5–3France Stade de ReimsEstadio ChamartínMadrid
1950Portugal Benfica
3–3 (a.e.t.)
France BordeauxSpain Atlético Madrid
2–1
Italy Lazio (4)Estádio NacionalOeiras
2–1 (a.e.t.)
1951Italy Milan5–0France Lille (2)Spain Atlético Madrid3–1Portugal Sporting CPSan SiroMilan
1952Spain Barcelona1–0France NiceItaly Juventus3–2Portugal Sporting CPParc des PrincesMilan
1953France Stade de Reims3–0Italy Milan (3)Portugal Sporting CP4–1Spain Valencia (2)Estádio NacionalOeiras
1954
(Not held)
1955Spain Real Madrid2–0France Stade de ReimsItaly Milan3–1Portugal Belenenses (2)Parc des PrincesParis
1956Italy Milan (2)3–1Spain Athletic BilbaoPortugal Benfica (2)2–1France NiceArena CivicaMilan
1957Spain Real Madrid1–0Portugal BenficaItaly Milan4–3France Saint-ÉtienneSantiago Bernabéu StadiumMadrid

Titles by club

Club Titles Winning years
Italy Milan21951, 1956
Spain Barcelona21949, 1952
Spain Real Madrid21955, 1957
Portugal Benfica11950
France Stade de Reims11953

Titles by country

Country Titles Winning years
Spain Spain41949, 1952, 1955, 1957
Italy Italy21951, 1956
France France11953
Portugal Portugal11950

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 La curiosa aventura de la Copa Latina by Alfredo Relaño on El País, 25 Sep 2016
  2. 1 2 Goals, not coal, for Kopa on UEFA website, 4 Feb 2011
  3. ↑ Rimet, Pierre (4 January 1951). Rodrigues Filho, Mário, ed. "Cartas de Paris - Das pirâmides do Egito ao colosso do Maracanã, com o Sr. Jules Rimet" [Letters from Paris - From the pyramids of Egypt to the colossus of Maracanã, with Mr. Jules Rimet]. Jornal dos Sports (in Portuguese) (6554). Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. p. 5. Retrieved 2 June 2017. A Taça Latina é uma competição criada pela F. I. F. A. a pedido dos quatro países que a disputam atualmente. Mas o Regulamento é feito por uma Comissão composta por membros das Federações concorrentes e de fato a F. I. F. A. não participa ativamente na organização
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