Mitropa Cup
| Founded | 1927 |
|---|---|
| Abolished | 1992 |
| Last champions |  Borac Banja Luka |
| Most successful club(s) |  Vasas SC(6 titles) |
The Mitropa Cup (officially "La Coupe de l'Europe Centrale") was the name of one of the most important international football competitions before the Second world war. It was held from 1927 to 1940 and from 1955 to 1992. The most successful club is Vasas SC from Hungary with six titles.
History
[change | change source]
The Mitropa Cup originated with the introduction of professionalism in Vienna in the 1924/25 season. To prevent the exodus of their own players, Czechoslovakia followed in 1925 and Hungary in 1926. Professional football placed a particularly heavy burden on smaller clubs. Bankruptcies were often the result. While larger clubs benefited from financially attractive friendly matches and tours, smaller clubs increasingly found themselves in financial troubles. [1]
It was necessary to develop new sources of funding. This led to the creation of a international cup competition , the Mitropa Cup . The cup reunited the best clubs from the successor states of the Austro-Hungarian Empire on the sporting front. The idea for this new competition arose from a collaboration between the Austrian national team captain Hugo Meisl, his counterparts in Czechoslovakia and Hungary, Karel Petru and Moritz Fischer, and Rapid Wien president Hans Fischer. The aim was to strengthen their financial position through ticket sales. Another aim was to improve the performance of the individual clubs through international matches.
In the summer of 1927, the new competition for club teams started in Venice. The creation of a European Cup for national teams was also part of the agreement. Among the first participating countries were Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Yugoslavia. It was replaced by Italy in 1929. Yugoslavia later came back. Switzerland in 1936 and Romania in 1937 followed. The qualification took place via domestic leagues and cup competitions.
Attendance sometimes reached 100,000 fans. The matches were characterized by their physicality. The writer Friedrich Torberg wrote, "A true Mitropa Cup match must be played to the end at the embassy." [2] Alongside international matches, these games were a highlight of the football season.
After the Second World War the tournament was revived 1951 for a single occasion as the Zentropa Cup. The tournament continued in 1955 under its original name. Due to the new post-war order and the European Cup, the tournament never reached its former glory. Until its stopp in 1992 there were only second- or third-division teams.
Finals 1927-1940
[change | change source][3] The 1940 competition was cancelled due to the outbreak of World War II.
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | AC Sparta Prague | SK Rapid Wien | 6-2/1ː2 |
| 1928 | Ferencvárosi TC | SK Rapid Wien | 7-1/3-5 |
| 1929 | Újpest FC | SK Slavia Prague | 5-1/2-2 |
| 1930 | SK Rapid Wien | AC Sparta Prague | 2-0/2-3 |
| 1931 | First Vienna FC | Wiener AC | 3-2/2-1 |
| 1932 | AGC Bologna [4] | First Vienna FC | 3-2/2-1 |
| 1933 | FK Austria Wien | AS Ambrosiana | 1-2/3-1 |
| 1934 | AGC Bologna | SK Admira Wien | 2-3/5-1 |
| 1935 | AC Sparta Prague | Ferencvárosi TC | 1-2/3-0 |
| 1936 | FK Austria Wien | AC Sparta Prague | 0-0/1-0 |
| 1937 | Ferencvárosi TC | SS Lazio Roma | 4-2/5-4 |
| 1938 [5] | SK Slavia Prague | Ferencvárosi TC | 2-2/2-0 |
| 1939 | Ferencvárosi TC | Újpest FC | 4-1/2-2 |
Finals 1955-1992
[change | change source]
- Notes
- ↑ The 1958 edition of Mitropa Cup was unofficial and only for this tournament was named Danube Cup.
Titles by country
[change | change source]| Country | Titles |
|---|---|
| Hungary | 16 |
 Italy | 11 |
 Czechoslovakia | 8 |
| Yugoslavia | |
 Austria | 7 |
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Geschichtewiki Wien (German)
- ↑ Friedrich Torberg: Die Tante Jolesch oder Der Untergang des Abendlandes in Anekdoten und Die Erben der Tante Jolesch. München 2008, S.493
- ↑ https://www.rsssf.org
- ↑ Bologna was declared the winner after defeating Vienna in the semi-final, following the disqualification of the other semi-final teams.
- ↑ Due to the occupation of Austria by Nazi Germany, no Austrian club participated.
- ↑ https://www.rsssf.org