Explanations, definitions and notes
Barbados Barbados, the easternmost island of the Lesser Antilles, was discovered by Spain in 1519 and became a British colony in 1625, which it would remain for over three hundred years. The tiny island nation in the Atlantic Ocean has a mainly black and mixed population (negros and mulattos), an area of 431 square kilometres, a humid tropical climate and exports sugar, rum and seafood products. The British introduced football in Barbados as early as 1900. In addition to military teams, many clubs were founded as well. In 1910 the British founded the "Barbados Amateur Football Association", which in 1925 was renamed "Barbados Football Association" (BFA). Starting in 1910, the British also organised a cup competition, which was played as in England and during its first years was won by Rovers FC Kensington. The BFA was not granted FIFA membership until 1968, when the Colonial Era came to an end.
The Belgian cup competition was instituted by Prince Albert (later King Albert I) during the 1907/08 season, but only province teams were eligible to play in this "Coupe des Provinces Belges". Playing before 1,500 spectators in Mechelen on May 28, 1908, West Vlaanderen beat Antwerpen (6:2) in the final, not least thanks to three goals by Robert De Veen. During the next cup competition, the cup holders beat Brabant (4:0) in the quarter-finals but were disqualified by the Belgian FA over irregularities. Thus Brabant reached the final on May 13, 1909, where they lost to Antwerpen (2:5). The "Coupe des Provinces Belges" was not held during the 1909/10 season because no matches were played after the national league championship dragged on until mid-June. For the next season, the three required fixtures were to be played from June 4-18, 1911, but then Belgium was hit by a record heat wave which caused the cup competition to be cancelled. Thereafter the rules were changed, to the effect that instead of province teams, club sides from all divisions would henceforth be eligible to play. The competition also was renamed "Coupe de Belgique".
The "Dansk Boldspil Union" (DBU) and the "Københavns Boldspil Union" (KBU) had been discussing the possibility of a cup competition since the beginning of the 20th century. In the end, the DBU left it for the KBU to implement the idea. The KBU was the strongest regional association at the time, and also more powerful than the DBU, whose influence only began to increase gradually after Denmark started playing full "A" international in 1908. The KBU had been holding a "Pokalturneringen" since 1909/10, but this cup competition did not have many participants. Only clubs from the Danish top division and a few other selected strong teams were eligible. Although this cup competition already had been quite popular during the 1910's, not all Danish clubs were admitted to it. This championship was played until 1953, and won most often by: Boldklubben af 1893 København (1910, 1915, 1918, 1922, 1926, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1934, 1939, 1941, 1953)
Boldklubben af 1893 København (1910): Back, f. l. t. r. (players only) Oluf Kinck Petersen, Holger Prytz, Ove Bülov-Petersen, Jacob Tanneberg; Front, f. l. t. r. Viggo Malmquist, Alf Olsen, Harald Hansen, Emil Jørgensen, Victor Klein, Axel Thufasson, Einar Madsen. Foto: IFFHS Soon, other provinces also held their regional cup competition: first 1915 LFBU (Lolland-Falster), then 1920 FBU (Fyn), 1924 JBU (Jylland), 1927 BBU (Bornholm) and 1949 SBU (Sjælland). The most cup wins under the various DBU provincial associations were: The DBU first held a national cup competition during the 1940 season. It was called "Danmarkspokalturneringen" and was contested by 48 teams. Kjøbenhavns Boldklub (KB) won the final (2:0) against Akademisk Boldklub København (AB). Due to World War II, however, this competition was not continued until 1954, when DBU treasurer Leo Dannin brought it back.
In India, different regions still held their own competitions during the 1910's. The best known of these was the "IFA Challenge Shield", which was held every year but only admitted native teams in and around Calcutta (now Kolkata) as well as British military teams stationed in the area. At the time, the "Indian Football Association" (IFA) was responsible for this region only and had no national authority or powers. Other organisations were in charge of the other regions of India. At the begnning of the 20th century, the "IFA Challenge Shield" was won by two British military teams – Royal Irish Rifles (1901) and 93rd Highlanders (1902) – before they were won by FC Calcutta (1903, 1904, 1906) and FC Gordons (1908, 1909, 1910). In 1907 the title was won again by a military team, L.I. Highland. During the 1910's and 1920's, except for AC Mohun Bogan (1911) and FC Calcutta (1915, 1922, 1923, 1924), the cup competition was won exclusively by British military teams. These were: Royal Irish Rifles (1912, 1913), King's Owen Regiment (1914), 2nd North Staffords (1916), 1st-10th Middlesex (1917), Training Reserves Bn. No. 7 (1918), 1st Bn. Brecknockshire (1919), 1st Bn. Black Watch (1920), 3rd Bn. Worcestershire (1921), 2nd Bn. Royal Scots Fusiliers (1925), 2nd Bn. Sherwood Foresters (1926, 1927, 1928), 2nd Bn. The Royal Ulster Rifles (1929) and 2nd Bn. Seaforth Highlanders (1930).
Unlike the rest of the world, in Norway the national cup competition has for a hundred years been officially referred to as Norwegian championship, and the yearly cup winners as "Norgesmester". Likewise, the Norwegian yearly league championship is not called national championship, but each league champion is officially listed and honoured as the cup winner. In the context of the European club competitions, the Norwegians have been following the usual international terminology for more than forty years. After a century, it would be high time that the "Norges Fotballforbund" (NFF, Norwegian FA) changed the names of its top two national competitions, which would only be logical. IFFHS consistently lists the "Norgesmesterskapet" as a cup competition, which is what it is. Since 1902, the Norwegian cup competition is held every year in a knockout system (English style), having stayed in abeyance only during 1941-1944. Ever since 1906, the royal family has been associated with the Cup final, at which they have always been the guests of honour. Only in 1940 was the royal box empty, as the royal family had fled to England. Reich commissioner Josef Terboven intended to use the royal box for himself and several prominent Nazis, but NFF general secretary Asbjørn Halvorsen (a former international who had long played for Hamburger SV) categorically refused. The German occupiers reluctantly complied, as otherwise there would have been no final. In 1941 the Nazis tried to introduce the Führer principle to the Norwegian sports organisation, to which Norwegian sportsmen reacted with a boycott which lasted several years. For the remainder of World War II, there were no more official sports events in Norway. It was a unique reaction to fascism in the world. As a result of this, the Nazis dissolved the Norwegian clubs and henceforth practised sports themselves in the empty stadia. Except for the NFF retroactively giving the Norwegian cup competition official status in 1905, until 1916 only the regional champions and the cup holder were eligible to play. From 1917 on, any number of teams from southern and central Norway could participate. The weaker club from the north held their own competition, although the reasons for this also had to do with travel as well as funds. Only since 1962 do clubs from northern Norway participate in the yearly cup competition. At first, the regulations of the Norwegian cup competition did not allow substitutions of players during a match except for the injured goalkeeper. From 1923 on, one injured player could, with the referee's approval, be substituted before the end of the first half-time. After World War II, the regulations regarding substitutions were brought in line with FIFA's. If a cup match ended in a draw, there were played twice 15 minutes extra time. If the match still remained drawn, it was replayed. In Norway, the season coincides with the calendar year.
By far the most developed football region in Russia during the 1910's was the one around St. Petersburg, where a cup competition was held every year without a break since 1908 – even during World War I. In the first final, on June 5, 1908, Nevski (St. Petersburg) beat local rivals Natsionalni (1:0). It was a practically all-British side, as one look at the line-up shows: E. V. Greenhalgh - D. Maxwell, G. Webb - I. Buchanan, A. Moreno, I. Filipps - Martins, A. Henderson, Fletcher, W. Small, D. Reaves. The next two cup competitions were won by Sport St. Petersburg – 2:1 Natsionalni St. Petersburg (1909), 2:1 FC Kolomyagi (1910) – who fielded only Russian players. A cup competition in and around Moscow would not be instituted until ten years later. During the 1st decade of the 20th century, football in the Ukrainian cities Odessa and Kiev was farther developed than in Moscow, although regional competitions were held there as well. It would be quite some time, however, before the sprawling Russian empire would be ready for a national cup competition.
Sport St. Petersburg (1910): F. l. t. r. V. I. B. Kritsky, A. Kushel, P. Kurzner, A. Uversky, S. Kozhevnikov, A. Stieglitz, G. Nikitin, I. Udaltsov, E. Lapshin, P. Sorokin, I. Egorov. Foto: IFFHS Switzerland Since there was no national cup competition in Switzerland in 1909, the Zürich-based Anglo-American Ltd. instituted a such competition, and donated also a trophy. The organising committee, created for just that purpose, ruled that the tournament was to be played like the FA Cup in England. Furthermore, for financial reasons (travel expenses), Switzerland was divided into an eastern and a western region, the winners of which would contest the cup final at the Hardau-Sportplatz in Zürich every year. This division was not in place for the 1909/10 season yet, as FC Stella (Fribourg) was the only one of 16 clubs to come from western Switzerland. The number of participating clubs rose during the following seasons: 25 (1910/11), 22 (1911/12), 32 (1912/13). As of the 1913/14 season, this Anglo-American Cup (which never did have official status) was no longer played since there was no-one willing to organise it. Below are given the finals of this tournament. 26.6.1910 Replay: 9.7.1911 30.6.1912 30.6.1913
FC Young Boys Bern (1910-12): Back, f. l. t. r. Schmid, Ernst Maurer, Jakob Walter, Victor Adamina, Hans Funk, Brönimann, Bertschi, G. Gerster; Front, f. t. t. r. Kientsch, Lüthi, Friedrich. Foto: SFAV Since the Swiss FA (SFAV) still was not interested in a national cup competition, the Geneva-based company Och frères instituted the "Och Cup" and a trophy in 1920. This tournament only lasted two seasons, however, and never was held thereafter. During the first year, only three teams took part, but during the second year there were 48. In the end, this inofficial tournament ran foul of scheduling problems and a lack of a sufficiently tight organisation. Below the finals: 11.6.1921 6.8.1922 It was not until the meeting of the SFAV delegates on July 27/28, 1924, that Dr. Eugen Landolt, president of FC Baden, proposed a Swiss cup competition for clubs. Even though the motion was turned down by the Serie A clubs, a committee was set up to look into the matter. At the next meeting of the SFAV delegates, on June 27/28, 1925, it was decided unanimously to start a national cup competition. Modelled after the FA Cup, it was called "Swiss Cup" during the first few years. Since participation was mandatory for the clubs in the two top divisions, total 75 clubs entered, and on September 6, 1925, a preliminary round was played to reduce the number of clubs to 64.
After the "Český svaz footballový" (ČSF) was founded in 1901, Sport Klub Slavia (Prague) dominated football in Bohemia so completely that they soon found no serious opponents in the entire country and preferred friendlies with foreign clubs. Since these results were good, the "Red Stars" soon wree renowned throughout Europe. Due to their superiority, SK Slavia had little interest in Czech competitions, which was cause of permanent friction between them and the Czech FA (ČSF), which became affiliated with FIFA in 1906. During the 1905/06 season, the ČSF made a first attempt at holding a national competition. The cup competition was instituted and the proceeds donated to lung disease research. The organisers of this yearly contest were convinced that SK Slavia could not decline in view of these humane motives. Slavia, however, decided to support this fund otherwise, and having many foreign opponents to play against, opted not to participate in the national cup competition just yet. The "Pohár dobročinnosti" started in March 1906, and for the first three years was played in mini-leagues. The participating clubs were divided into four divisions according to performance, the winner of the weakest division being promoted to the next higher division, etc. The cup could only be won by the winner of the strongest mini-league. Most of the participating clubs were from Prague, which were far stronger than any from the other regions of Bohemia (Čechy). The first province teams to participate were from Kolín, Kladno, Pardubice and Plzeň. The elite team of SK Slavia did not participate during the first three years, but SK Slavia did sent a B (reserve) and a C (junior) team. When at the urging of Austria-Hungary, FIFA excluded the ČSF in the summer of 1908, this had the effect of considerably shortening SK Slavia Praha's match calendar, as the Czech clubs refused to join the Austrian FA (ÖFB, Österreichischer Fussballverband). Thus isolated, Slavia Praha now took part in the Czech cup competition, which from the 1908/09 season on was played in English format. This yearly tournament ended with the 1915/16 season, as the Austrian authorities forbade any further activities of the Czech FA (ČSF). Czechoslovakia, which emerged from the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian empire following World War I, did not hold either a Czech or a Czechoslovak cup competition until World War II. After Czechoslovakia was partitioned in 1939, the Czech part of the country was directly controlled by Nazi Germany under the name "Protektorat Böhmen & Mähren" [Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia]. Since starting with 1940, Germany did not permit Czech sportsmen to hold international events, this enforced isolation brought back the Czechcup competition.
After a seven-year break, the "American Cup" was held again during the 1905/06 season. This competition, organised by the likewise resurrected "American Football Association" (AFA), was dominated by teams from northern New Jersey, with teams from the Kearny-Harrison-Newark-Paterson area being particularly strong. The winner in 1907, Clarke AA from East Newark, was the successor of ONT Clarke Newark, which had won the first three seasons of this competition (1884/85 to 1886/87). The name could have been that of a national cup competition, but this was not the case (as already mentioned in the history covering the 19th century), nor was the AFA a national football association. In fact, only teams from the northeastern USA participated, especially from northern New Jersey and southern New England. The winners during the first two decades of the 20th century were: West Hudson Harrison (New Jersey) [1905/06, 1907/08, 1911/12], East Newark Clarke AA (New Jersey) [1906/07], Paterson True Blues (New Jersey) [1908/09, 1912/13], Tacony FC (Pennsylvania) [1909/10], Howard & Bullogh Pawtucket (Rhode Island) [1910/11], Bethlehem Steel (Pennsylvania) [1913/14, 1915/16, 1916/17, 1917/18, 1918/19], Scots-Americans Kearny (New Jersey) [1914/15] and Robbins Drydock Brooklyn (New York City) [1919/20, 1920/21].
Englishman John Gramlick, Sr., co-founder, board member and player of the "Cricketer" club, instituted a trophy in 1897 which was to be awarded to the winner of a yearly competition called the "Challenge Cup" which was open to all clubs in the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. Played British-style in knockout format, this competition contributed much to disseminating football in this part of Europe, although it was not played during some seasons. This cup competition was held until a league championship was set up in Austria (Hungary already had one since 1900). The first Austro-Hungarian competition kicked off almost three years to the day after the first official football match in Vienna on the Kuglerwiese in Heiligenstadt, where "Cricketer" beat "Vienna“ 4:0 on November 15, 1894. (The first official football match in Austria was played in Graz on March 18, 1894, between two teams from the Akademisch-Technischer Radfahrverein (ATRV) [Academic-Technical Cycling Club].) On November 15, 1897, "Cricketer" beat "Vienna" 3:2 on the Jesuitenwiese at the Prater park in Vienna. Although many publications describe this encounter as the final of the first "Challenge Cup", this is incorrect, as it only was the second match of the competition. The other semi-final was played on the previous day. The Vienna Cricket and Football Club was founded by Englishmen who were living and working in Vienna: W. Gandon from the gas works; John Gramlick, who owned a fittings & plumbing company; Edward Shires, a representative of Underwood typewriters; George Blackey, director of the construction company Clayton & Shuttleworth; Reverend William Henry Hechler [born Leopold Charles Moritz Amery] of the Church of England; Ernst C. Blyth of Stone & Blyth; and Harry Lowe, director of the Böhm factory which produced felt hat bodies (located at the Brillantengrund, Vienna). The club was popularly only called “Cricketer”. The First Vienna Football Club was founded on August 22, 1894, at the in "Zur schönen Ansicht" [Bellevue] by the Hohe Warte Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics (Vienna). This was followed by a hot debate over the designation "First", but in the end, the club from Döbling (a district of Vienna) won the right to use it because it had submitted the club statutes to the Vienna governor's office a few days earlier. The First Vienna FC was popularly called "Vienna". Its home ground was the "Krautacker" [cabbage patch] on the Kuglerwiese until the club moved to the Knaidlwiese on the Hohe Warte on May 31, 1896. There were many name changes during this time, many of them due to club mergers. Thus the Wiener Cyclisten-Club (WCC) was founded on February 24, 1883, and the Fussball- und Athletik-Klub Vorwärts in Vienna in 1898. In 1902 Deutsche Jungmannschaft Währing merged with "Vorwärts" (based in the Vienna district Hernals) to form a new club, the Deutscher Sportverein, which was renamed Wiener Sportvereinigung in 1903. Finally, WCC and Wiener Sportvereinigung merged early in 1907 to form the Wiener Sportclub, which often, though incorrectly, was abbreviated WSK instead of WSC. WSC brought forth all-rounder Karl Braunsteiner, the greatest talent in Austrian football before World War I. During the war, he was captured by the Russians at Przemyl and died of typhoid fever in 1916 while in captivity. More popular still was his team-mate Prof. Wilhelm Schmieger, who from 1901-1919 was both a player and a referee. "Willy" Schmieger then was a head of department with Wiener Sportclub for six years before becoming a legend as a radio football commentator. He died in 1950. Sportklub Rapid Wien was founded early in September 1898, then under the name 1. Wiener Arbeiter Fussball-Club. Its first ground was the meadow by the Radetzky army barracks on the Gablenzgasse, in the XVIth Vienna district. On January 8, 1899, the club was renamed SK Rapid Wien and, like "Vienna", soon was very popular. "Vienna" player M.D. Nicholson came to Vienna in 1897 as an employee of Cook & Son, having previously played for West Bromwich Albion in the English top league. In 1899, he and Geo Fuchs founded the "Komitee für die Veranstaltung von Fussballwettspielen" [committee for organising football tournaments], and in 1900 the "Österreichische Fussball-Union" [Austrian Football Union]. In October 1900 Nicholson left Vienna for professional reasons, but not before introducing goal nets, amongst other innovations. The FC Nicholson was later founded in his honour, but eventually was renamed FC Wien, a name under which it would become legend. By the turn of the century, every footballer in Vienna had to fear reprisals, and so many students (like the adult players) used pseudonyms to evade the wrath of teachers and school authorities. Wigs and fake beards were nothing unusual. In the statistics on the final stage of the yearly Challenge Cup, important pseudonyms are mentioned in the footnotes. During the first three seasons of this competition, only teams from Vienna participated, but gradually clubs from the entire monarchy joined in. At first, Austrians, Hungarians and Czechs played separate regional finals, whose winners then went on to the semi-finals of the competition proper. Below are given the statistics of this competition which spanned three national football associations, but politically was not an internationalcompetition. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Semi-finals: (14. & 15.11.1897) Wiener Rasenspiel-Club - Wiener FC 1898 0:5 Vienna Cricket and FC - First Vienna FC 3:2 Final: (21.11.1997) Vienna Cricket and FC - Wiener FC 1898 7:0 Vienna Cricket and FC: * * This was the entire team.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Semi-finals: (27.11 & 4.12.1898) First Vienna FC - Vienna Cricket and FC 1:0 Wiener AC Victoria - Wiener FC 1898 3:1 Final: (5.3.1899) First Vienna FC - Wiener AC Victoria 2:1 First Vienna FC: * * This was the entire team.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Semi-finals: (8. & 10.12.1899) Vienna Cricket and FC - Wiener AC 2:1 First Vienna FC - Wiener FC 1898 3:1 Final: (11.3.1900) First Vienna FC - Vienna Cricket and FC 2:0 1:0 Eipeldauer, First Vienna FC:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The competition was first played in a knockout format in two parallel regions: one in Vienna and one in Prague. The two "finals" of these regions doubled as the Monarchy semi-finals, given that Hungary still did not participate. In Vienna, "Cricketer" beat "Vienna" (2:1), and WAC beat the “1898er” [1898ers] (4:2) in the round before. Semi-finals: (21.10.1900 & 10.3.1901) SK Slavia Praha - ČAFC Vinohrady 13:1 Wiener AC - Vienna Cricket and FC 5:3 ČAFC: Český atletický a fotbalový club Final: (21.4.1901) Wiener AC - SK Slavia Praha 1:0 (1:0) 1:0 Taurer Wiener AC: SK Slavia Praha:
Wiener AC (1901): Bacl, f. l. t. r. Friedrich Dettelmaier, Karl Sokol, Philipp Nauss, Emil Wachuda, Pammer (secretary), Heinrich Haller, Dr. Steiner, Strauss, Josef Taurer; Front, f. l. t. r. Gustav Huber, Cornelius von Hoffmann, Johann Studnicka. Foto: IFFHS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- During this season, the clubs from Budapest joined the competition as a third region. The three regional finals: 9.3.1902 16.3.1902 27.4.1902 Semi-finals: (8.5.1902) Vienna Cricket and FC - SK Slavia Praha 3:3 * Bye: Budapester TC * Slavia did not appear for extra time and protested against Wagner being fielded for the match since he had not been a member of "Cricketer" for four weeks as was required. The cup committee, which consisted exclusively of "Cricketer" members, dismissed the protest and disqualified Slavia, who refused to participate in this competition any longer. In the match above, "Cricketer" scored a symbolical goal after the referee started extra time without any Slavia players being present on the pitch. Final: (19.5.1902) 1:0 unknown Vienna Cricket and FC: ** Budapesti TC: *** * He conducted the final after Budapesti Torna Club (BTC) had turned down three referees in succession. "Cricketer" player Rudolf Wagner also was an Austrian international and had done pioneer work in Budapest before. Thus BTC accepted him as referee, although the Viennese crowd mercilessly booed him for ruling “Cricketer” offside.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Only two clubs from Prague had entered. In Austria there were three rounds before the regional final, the last one seeing Graphia eliminated by "Cricketer" (0:2) and "1898er" by WAC (0:5). The three regional finals: 16.11.1902 AC Sparta Praha - ČAFC Vinohrady * 29.3.1903
Wiener AC - Ferencvárosi TC Budapest ** 5:1 Bye: * * Sparta did not meet AFC. By the rules of the tournament, the Prague club should have received a bye to the final.
Wiener AC - * * When neither Prague club travelled to Vienna for the final, WAC were declared the winners by default.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Once again the Prague clubs forfeited. Thus, the regional finals effectively comprised the Monarchy semi-finals. Semi-finals: (10.4.1904) Wiener AC - Vienna Cricketer and FC 7:0 unknown - unknown Final: Wiener AC - * * WAC won by opponent's forfeit when the Hungarian club did not appear. It is likely that the Hungarian regional final never was played.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Once again the Prague clubs forfeited. Thus, the regional finals effectively comprised the Monarchy semi-finals. Semi-finals: (11.4.1905) Wiener Sportvereinigung - Vienna Cricket and FC 3:2 MAC Budapest - MUE Budapest 3:0 MAC: Magyar Atlétikai Club Final: (24.4.1905) Wiener Sportvereinigung - MAC Budapest 2:1 Wiener Sportvereinigung:
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Czechs no longer participated in this championship. On the other hand, two clubs from Vienna qualified for the Monarchy semi-finals. Semi-finals: (6.12.1908) Ferencvárosi TC Budapest - First Vienna FC 3:0 (1:0) 1:0 (10.) Schlosser, Ferencvárosi TC: Bye: Wiener SC Final: (13.6.1909) Wiener SC - Ferencvárosi TC Budapest 1:2 (0:1) 0:1 (34.) Weisz, Ferencvárosi TC Budapest:
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Semi-finals: SK Rapid Wien - Wiener SC 1:3 Ferencvárosi TC Budapest - unknown Final: (23.9.1911) Wiener SC - Ferencvárosi TC Budapest 3:0 Wiener SC: * * Reserves were Alois Müller, Karl Beck and Karl Braunsteiner. The cup still belongs to Wiener Sportclub.
International club competitions The first decade of the 20th century saw an increasing number of friendly tournaments at the club level, which were played mostly at weekends and usually contested by four teams, of which one, two or three came from abroad. The best known club tournament on mainland Europe at the time was the "Tournoi International du Nord", which was contested by prominent clubs from France, Belgium and the Netherlands and was played in Tourcoing (France, near the Belgian border), where it had been held every year since the end of the 19th century. This yearly tournament was not official, however, clubs were not entitled to participate but did so upon invitation, and the tournament was organised privately by the clubs. Also, Belgian clubs more than any showed a great talent for organising private tournaments. In South America, the leading clubs in Buenos Aires and Montevideo had been contesting the "Copa Honor" every year since 1905. This trophy was donated by the liqueur company "Cusenier", and the final was always held in the Uruguayan capital, Montevideo. Each of the two metropoles held its own qualifiers, the winner going on to play the final against the other winner. The winner of the Buenos Aires qualifiers also received the "Premio Municipalidad de Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires city prize). Below are shown the finals during the first decade of the 20th century:
A further, bilateral competition was the "Copa Competencia", which had been contested every year since 1900 by the top clubs from Argentina and Uruguay. This was the most important international club competition in the world at the beginning of the 20th century. The first phase was played simultaneously in three separate regions, with the regions of greater Rosario, greater Buenos Aires and Uruguay determining their respective winners in a knockout system. In the second phase, the two finalists from Buenos Aires played away against the winners of Rosario and Uruguay. These were referred to as the "international semi-finals", although a semi-final match had an Argentine character. The two winners then went on to contest the "international final", which could be an all-Argentine affair. This match was played in Buenos Aires. The Argentines also presented their finalist or champion with a trophy known as the "Premio Jockey Club". On August 7, 1910, this great final remained drawn after extra time, and would have had to be replayed in Montevideo. One week later, when Uruguay played Argentina (3:1) for the "Copa Lipton", 8,000 spectators at the Campo del Parque Belvedere booed and shouted threats at the Argentine players. This caused a rift between the two national football associations. The rift spilled over to the clubs, and the final was never repeated, so there was no champion in 1910. Below are shown the finals from 1900 to 1910.
Alumni CA Buenos Aires (1906): Back, f. l. t. r. (players only) Carlos Brown, Jorge Brown, Alfredo Brown, Carlos Buchanan, Patricio Browne, Mariano Reyna (en civil), José Buruca "Laforia"; Front, f. l. t. r. Carlos Lett, Eliseo Brown, Andrés A. Mack, Ernesto A. Brown, Gottlob Weiss. Foto: IFFHS Translator: |
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