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1979 European Competition for Women's Football

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1979 European Competition for Women's Football
1979 Coppa Europa per Nazioni
Tournament details
Host countryItaly
Dates19–27 July
Teams12
Final positions
Champions Denmark (1st title)
Runners-up Italy
Third place Sweden
Fourth place England
Tournament statistics
Matches played16
Goals scored40 (2.5 per match)
← 1969 (unofficial)
1984 (official) →

The 1979 European Competition for Women's Football was a women's football tournament contested by European nations. It took place in Italy from 19 to 27 July 1979.

The tournament featured 12 teams, with games staged in Naples and Rimini. Considered unofficial because it was not run under the auspices of UEFA, it was a precursor to the UEFA Women's Championship. Denmark won the tournament, beating hosts Italy 2–0 in the final at Stadio San Paolo.

Tournament review

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Economically, the tournament was not a success:[1]

The 1979 Italian tournament is often cited as being financially disastrous, but it was not so for the participating teams. Rather, the hosts bore the costs, but the financial problems affected the organization of the competition.

In the late 1970s the issue of international tournaments for women's football teams was contentious. The international governing body International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) refused several requests to sanction independently organised tournaments, declaring that such matters "were only possible through the National Association and the Confederations." Writing in 2007, Jean Williams observed that "The fact that they had been busy not organising these events seems to have escaped [FIFA's] notice.[2] According to Williams, FIFA's bureaucratic suppression of women's football was becoming unsustainable: "By the 1970s it simply wasn't a viable option for FIFA to ignore women playing the game and hope that they would go away."[3]

The European Confederation, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), displayed little enthusiasm for women's football and were particularly hostile to Italy's independent women's football federation. Sue Lopez, a member of England's squad, contended that a lack of female representation in UEFA was a contributory factor:[4]

In 1971, UEFA had set up a committee for women's football, composed exclusively of male representatives, and by the time this committee folded in 1978 they had failed to organise any international competitions.

At a conference on 19 February 1980 UEFA resolved to launch its own competition for women's national teams.[5] The meeting minutes had registered the 1979 competition as a "cause for concern".[6]

Results

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First round

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The top team in each group advanced to the semi-finals.

Group A

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Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Italy 2 2 0 0 6 1 +5 4
 Norway 2 1 0 1 5 3 +2 2
 Northern Ireland 2 0 0 2 1 8 −7 0
Italy 4–0 Northern Ireland
Morace 15', 42'
Vignotto 33'
Golin 63'		 Report
Referee: Limini (Italy)
Northern Ireland 1–4 Norway
? Report Neilsen
Nyborg
Karlsen
Opseth
Attendance: 3,000
Italy 2–1 Norway
Golin 7'
Morace 68'		 Report Neilsen 55'
Attendance: 3,000
Referee: Beretta (Italy)

Group B

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Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 England 2 2 0 0 5 1 +4 4
 Finland 2 0 1 1 2 4 -2 1
 Switzerland 2 0 1 1 1 3 −2 1
England 3–1 Finland
?
?
? 		Report Kaasinen
Switzerland 1–1 Finland
Barmettler 51' Report Krummenacher 43' (o.g.)
England 2–0 Switzerland
?
? 		Report

Group C

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Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Denmark 2 2 0 0 5 1 +4 4
 France 2 0 1 1 1 3 -2 1
 Scotland 2 0 1 1 0 2 −2 1
Denmark 3–1 France
Niemann
Hindkjær 50'
Holst 		DBU Report (in Danish)
Report (in French)		 Farrugia 25'
Attendance: 500[8]
France 0–0 Scotland
Report (in French)
Attendance: 650
Denmark 2–0 Scotland
Hindkjær DBU Report (in Danish)
Stadio Comunale, Riccione

Group D

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Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Sweden 2 1 1 0 4 1 +3 3
 Netherlands 2 1 1 0 3 1 +2 3
 Wales 2 0 0 2 0 5 −5 0
Sweden 3–0 Wales
Ödlund
Sintorn
Lindqvist 		Report
Wales 0–2 Netherlands
Report De Bakker 40'
Timmer 60' (pen.)
Sweden 1–1 Netherlands
Sintorn 2' Report De Bakker 21'

Knockout stage

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Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
25 July – Naples
 
 
 Italy3
 
28 July – Naples
 
 England1
 
 Denmark2
 
25 July – Rimini
 
 Italy0
 
 Denmark1
 
 
 Sweden0
 
Third place
 
 
27 July – Naples
 
 
 Sweden (pen.)0 (4)
 
 
 England 0 (3)

Semi-finals

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Italy 3–1 England
Vignotto 11', 65'
Musumeci 70'		 FIGC Report (in Italian) Curl 49'
Denmark 1–0 Sweden
Niemann 25' DBU Report (in Danish)
Attendance: 1,000

Third place match

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Sweden 0–0 England
Report
Penalties
4 – 3

Final

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After a goalless first half, Denmark took the lead 10 minutes into the second period through 18–year–old striker Lone Smidt Hansen (who later became Lone Smidt Nielsen through marriage).[10] Inge Hindkjær secured Denmark's victory with her fourth goal of the tournament, four minutes from full-time.[11] After the tournament, the Danish Football Association (DBU) were subject to media criticism for their failure to properly develop women's football.

Denmark 2–0 Italy
Smidt Nielsen 51'
Hindkjær 76'		 FIGC Report (in Italian)
DBU Report (in Danish)
Attendance: 15,000
Referee: Pancani (Italy)

Winner

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 European Competition for Women's Football
1979 winners 

Denmark
First title

Notes

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  1. ^ Erik Garin's tournament page at Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation says Italy won this match 4–1.
  2. ^ The Italian Football Federation report says this game took place in Benevento. The Football Association of Norway report says Naples.
  3. ^ The Swedish Football Association list of matches says this game took place in Naples. Sue Lopez's book Women on the Ball suggests nearby Scafati.

References

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  1. ^ Williams 2007, p. 31
  2. ^ Williams 2007, p. 10
  3. ^ Williams 2007, p. 14
  4. ^ Lopez 1997, p. 99
  5. ^ "2013 Uefa Women's Competitions" (PDF). UEFA. August 2013. p. 4. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  6. ^ Williams 2007, p. 30
  7. ^ Garin, Erik (30 April 2006). "Switzerland - International Matches Women 1970-2003". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
  8. ^ "France 1-3 Danemark" (in French). French Football Federation. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
  9. ^ "Sveriges motståndare 1973-2011" (in Swedish). Swedish Football Association. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
  10. ^ Bruun, Peter (2 June 2005). "Progress delights great Dane". UEFA. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
  11. ^ "Danmark - Italien 2 - 0". Danish Football Association. Retrieved 26 August 2012.

Bibliography

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