Central European International Cup
Founded | 1927 |
---|---|
Abolished | 1960 |
Region | Central Europe & South Europe (UEFA) |
Number of teams | 5 (1927–1953) 6 (1955–1960) |
Last champions | Czechoslovakia (1st title) |
Most successful team(s) | Italy (2 titles) |
The European International Cup of Nations was an international football competition held by certain national teams from Central Europe & South Europe between 1927 and 1960.[1] There were competitions for professional and amateur teams. Participating nations were: Italy, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Switzerland, Poland, Romania, and (in the final competition) Yugoslavia. Poland and Romania only competed in the amateur competition.
Played as a league on a home and away basis, it was contested six times and each single tournament usually took more than two years to complete. The last two tournaments lasted five years. It was discontinued in 1960, when the European Football Championship started. Winners of the competition included the Austrian Wunderteam of the early 1930s, the Italy team that also won two World Cups in the 1930s, the Golden Team of Hungary and the Czechoslovakia team that later finished as World Cup runners up in 1962.
Trophy
The trophy of the early competitions was named Švehla Cup after Antonín Švehla, the prime minister of Czechoslovakia, who donated it. After the Second World War the new trophy was known as the Dr. Gerö Cup in honour of Josef Gerö, a director of the Austrian Football Association and former match referee.
History
The competition was conceived by the Austrian football pioneer Hugo Meisl, regarded by some as one of the fathers of European football. Meisl was also behind the launch of the Mitropa Cup, a knockout competition for club teams from the same countries which also began in 1927. He also managed Austria during the Wunderteam era of the 1930s and led them to victory in the 1931-32 competition.
The first tournament played between 1927 and 1930 had been won by an Italy team inspired by Giuseppe Meazza. Meazza and Italy also won the 1933-35 competition. This time the team was coached by Vittorio Pozzo and either side of winning this competition they also won two World Cups in 1934 and 1938. The fourth tournament which began in 1936 was eventually abandoned due to the Anschluss Crisis and because of the Second World War, while a fifth tournament was not held until 1948. This tournament marked the advent of the Golden Team of Hungary, coached by Gusztáv Sebes and featuring Ferenc Puskás, Zoltán Czibor, Sándor Kocsis, Nándor Hidegkuti, József Bozsik and Gyula Grosics. They claimed the trophy after a 3–0 win over Italy in Rome in 1953.
Most successful teams
Country | Winners | Runners-up | Third place |
---|---|---|---|
Italy | 2 (1927–30 & 1933–35)
|
1 (1931-32)
|
–
|
Austria | 1 (1931–32)
|
2 (1927–30 & 1933–35)
|
2 (1948-53 & 1955-60)
|
Czechoslovakia | 1 (1955–60)
|
2 (1927-30 & 1948-53)
|
–
|
Hungary | 1 (1948–53)
|
1 (1955-1960)
|
2 (1931-32 & 1933-35)
|
Switzerland | –
|
–
|
–
|
Final placings
Years | Classification | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Winner | Points | Runner-up | Points | Third place | Points | |
1927–1930 | Italy | 11 | Czechoslovakia and Austria | 10 | ||
1931–1932 | Austria | 11 | Italy | 9 | Hungary | 8 |
1933–1935 | Italy | 11 | Austria | 9 | Hungary | 9 |
1936–1938 | Tournament was interrupted due to Anschluss 12 March 1938. | |||||
1948–1953 | Hungary | 11 | Czechoslovakia | 9 | Austria | 9 |
1955–1960 | Czechoslovakia | 16 | Hungary | 15 | Austria | 11 |
Years | Classification (Amateur Competition) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Winner | Points | Runner-up | Points | Third place | Points | |
1929–1930 | Poland | 7 | Hungary (A) | 6 | Austria (A) | 6 |
1933–1934 | Romania | 9 | Hungary (A) | 6 | Czechoslovakia (A) | 5 |
Topscorers per tournament
Years | Top Scorers | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Goals | Striker | National team | Ref. | |||
1927–1930 | 6 goals | Julio Libonatti Gino Rossetti Ferenc Hirzer |
Italy Italy Hungary |
[2] | ||
1931–1932 | 8 goals | István Avar André Abegglen |
Hungary Switzerland |
[3] | ||
1933–1935 | 7 goals | Leopold Kielholz György Sárosi |
Switzerland Hungary |
[4] | ||
1936–1938 | 10 goals | György Sárosi | Hungary | [5] | ||
1948–1953 | 10 goals | Ferenc Puskás | Hungary | [6] | ||
1955–1960 | 7 goals | Lajos Tichy | Hungary | [7] |
All-time top goalscorers
This section possibly contains original research. (June 2022) |
Rank | Name | Team | Goals | Tournaments |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | György Sárosi | Hungary | 17 | 1933-35(7) and 1936-38(10) |
2 | Ferenc Puskas | Hungary | 15 | 1948-53(10) and 1955-60(5) |
3 | André Abegglen | Switzerland | 12 | 1927-30(2), 1931-32(8), 1933-35(2) |
4 | František Svoboda | Czechoslovakia | 11 | 1927-30(5), 1931-32(5) and 1936-38(1) |
5 | István Avar | Hungary | 10 | 1931-32(8) and 1933-35(2) |
Géza Toldi | Hungary | 1927-30(1), 1931-32(2), 1933-35(2) and 1936-38(5) | ||
7 | Giuseppe Meazza | Italy | 8 | 1927-30(3), 1931-32(2), 1933-35(2) and 1936-38(1) |
Karl Zischek | Austria | 1931-32(3) and 1933-35(5) | ||
9 | Julio Libonatti | Italy | 7 | 1927-30(6) and 1931-32(1) |
Max Abegglen | Switzerland | 1927-30(5) and 1931-32(2) | ||
Josef Silný | Czechoslovakia | 1927-30(4) and 1931-32(3) | ||
Leopold Kielholz | Switzerland | 1933-35(7) | ||
Matthias Sindelar | Austria | 1931-32(4), 1936-38(3) | ||
Silvio Piola | Italy | 1933-35(2) and 1936-38(5) | ||
Ferenc Deák | Hungary | 1948-53(7) | ||
Lajos Tichy | Hungary | 1955-60(7) | ||
17 | Gino Rossetti | Italy | 6 | 1927-30(6) |
Ferenc Hirzer | Hungary | 1927-30(6) | ||
Anton Schall | Austria | 1927-30(1) and 1931-32(5) | ||
Oldřich Nejedlý | Czechoslovakia | 1931-32(1), 1933-35(4) and 1936-38(1) | ||
Josef Bican | Austria | 1933-35(5) and 1936-38(1) | ||
Antonín Puč | Czechoslovakia | 1927-30(3), 1931-32(1), 1933-35(1) and 1936-38(1) | ||
Sandor Kocsis | Hungary | 1948-53(2) and 1955-60(4) |
Most successful players
Giuseppe Meazza, Eraldo Monzeglio, Raimundo Orsi, Raffaele Costantino, Alfredo Pitto, Umberto Caligaris, Luigi Allemandi, Virginio Rosetta & Gianpiero Combi = Winners: 1927-30, 1933-35 & Runners-up: 1931-32
Hat-tricks
Since the first official tournament in 1927–30, 17 hat-tricks have been scored in over 100 matches of the 6 editions of the tournament. The first hat-trick was scored by Gino Rossetti of the Italy, playing against Czechoslovakia on 3 March 1929; and the last was by Lajos Tichy of Hungary, playing against Switzerland on 25 October 1959. The record number of hat-tricks in a single World Cup tournament is five, during the 1931-32. The only player to have scored two hat-tricks is István Avar, both in 1931. György Sárosi holds the record for most goals scored in a single Central European Cup match when he scored 7 for Hungary in an 8-3 win over Austria (6 of which came in the second-half). Hungary holds the record for most hat-tricks scored with 7 (the next closest are Czechoslovakia and Italy with 3). Switzerland holds the record for most hat-tricks conceded with 7 (the next closest is Austria with 4).
List
See also
- Mitropa Cup – the equivalent for club teams.
References
- ^ Leo Schidrowitz "Internationaler Cup", Vienna 1954
- ^ "Central European International Cup 1927-1930 goal scorers". eu-football.info. EU-Football. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Central European International Cup 1931-1932 goal scorers". eu-football.info. EU-Football. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Central European International Cup 1933-1935 goal scorers". eu-football.info. EU-Football. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Central European International Cup 1936-1938 goal scorers". eu-football.info. EU-Football. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Central European International Cup 1948-1953 goal scorers". eu-football.info. EU-Football. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Central European International Cup 1955-1960 goal scorers". eu-football.info. EU-Football. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
External links
- Central European International Cup
- International association football competitions hosted by Austria
- International association football competitions hosted by Czechoslovakia
- International association football competitions hosted by Hungary
- International association football competitions hosted by Italy
- International association football competitions hosted by Switzerland
- International association football competitions hosted by Yugoslavia