Mediterranean Cup
The Mediterranean Cup was an annual rugby league tournament that was held in Lebanon although it also has been held in France. It was contested by Lebanon, France, Serbia and Morocco with the competition first conceived as a qualifying tournament for the 2000 Rugby League World Cup, and in 1999 was contested by Lebanon, Morocco and Italy. As the 2000 World Cup was not financially successful the tournament was cancelled for a number of years.
The Mediterranean Cup was resurrected in 2002 as a one-off match between Lebanon and France. It was played at Tripoli International Stadium on November 2, 2002 in front of a crowd of 9,713. Lebanon defeated France 36-6. In 2003 and 2004, it was expanded to again become a four team tournament.
On 2 October 2005 it was announced that the 2005 tournament was cancelled. According to Lebanon Rugby League official Danny Kazandjian: "It is with a sense of profound disappointment that we have had to face harsh reality and cancel the Mediterranean Cup, just one day before our official launch press conference at the Searock Hotel in Raouché, Beirut, and just nine days before Lebanon was due to take on Serbia in the Olympic Stadium, Tripoli. The Lebanese rugby league feels extremely let down by certain parties."[1]
After a huge success with the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, the RLIF (with a profit of 5 million dollars) have deicided to bring back the Mediterranean Cup once again in 2009. With the success of France, Serbia and Lebanon, they will not be participating at the Mediterranean Cup in 2009 because both Serbia and Lebanon will be playeing in the 2009 European Cup and France will be playing in the 2009 Four Nations as both events will clash with the Mediterranean Cup. Morocco are currently regrouping the game in Morocco so they won't be playing either. The competition will involve developing nations which are Malta, Greece , Portugal and Italy. The 2009 Mediterranean Cup is set to be played in October in 2009 with the tournament to be hosted at Marconi Stadium in Sydney, Australia.
Mediterranean Cup summaries
| Year | Host | Winner | Final Score | Runner-up | Final venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | France |  Lebanon |
104–0 |  Morocco |
Stade Albert-Domec, Carcassonne |
| 2002 | Lebanon | Lebanon |
36–6 |  France |
International Olympic Stadium, Tripoli |
| 2003 | Lebanon | Lebanon |
26–18 | France |
International Olympic Stadium, Tripoli |
| 2004 | Lebanon | Lebanon |
42–14 | France |
International Olympic Stadium, Tripoli |
| 2009 | Australia | - | - | - | Unknown |
Sources
- Lebanon Rugby League (2005) "2005 Mediterranean Cup Cancelled" Lebanon Rugby League Official Site, October 7, 2005. Retrieved December 19, 2005.