The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, sometimes referred to as the European Fairs Cup, Fairs Cities' Cup, or simply as the Fairs Cup, was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971. It is often considered the predecessor to the UEFA Cup. The competition was the idea of FIFA vice-president and executive committee member Ernst Thommen, Italian Football Federation president and FIFA executive committee member Ottorino Barassi, and the English Football Association general secretary, Stanley Rous, who later became an executive committee member and vice-president of UEFA (1958–1961) and president of FIFA (1961–1974). As the name suggests, the competition was set up to promote international trade fairs. Friendly games were regularly held between teams from cities holding trade fairs and it was from these games that the competition evolved. The competition was initially only open to teams from cities that hosted trade fairs and where these teams finished in their national league had no relevance. Early competitions also featured a one city, one team rule.
Sándor Péter Kocsis was a Hungarian footballer who played for Ferencváros TC, Budapest Honvéd, Young Fellows Zürich, FC Barcelona and Hungary as a striker. During the 1950s, along with Ferenc Puskás, Zoltán Czibor, József Bozsik and Nándor Hidegkuti, he was a member of the Mighty Magyars. After the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, he moved to Spain where he became a member of the FC Barcelona team of the late 1950s.
László Kubala was a Hungarian and Slovak professional footballer who also had Spanish citizenship. He played as a forward for Ferencváros, Slovan Bratislava, Barcelona, and Espanyol, among other clubs. Regarded as one of the best players in history, Kubala is considered a hero of FC Barcelona. A Hungarian national by birth, he also held Czechoslovak and Spanish citizenship, and played for the national teams of all three countries.
Antoni Ramallets Simón was a Spanish football goalkeeper and manager.
The fourth Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was played over the 1961–62 season. There were five representative teams for some major European cities, three of which lost out in the first round. The final was the first European final to be contested between two clubs from the same country, namely Spain. Valencia beat Barcelona 7–3 over two legs, and also reached the next two finals in the competition.
Zoltán Czibor was a Hungarian footballer who played for several Hungarian clubs, including Ferencváros and Budapest Honvéd, and the Hungary national team before joining CF Barcelona. Czibor played as a left-winger or striker and was notable for having a powerful shot, good pace and excellent ball control. During the 1950s he was part of the Magical Magyars, reaching the World Cup final with them in 1954. After the 1956 Hungarian Revolution he moved to Spain where he became a prominent member of the successful FC Barcelona team of the late 1950s. After three seasons at Barcelona, he joined their local rivals Español for the 1961–62 season. After brief spells at FC Basel, Austria Wien and Primo Hamilton FC, he retired as a professional footballer and returned to Hungary. He died there in 1997, aged 68.
The fifth Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was played over the 1962–63 season. There were five representative teams for some major European cities, four of which lost out in the first round. Valencia defeated Dinamo Zagreb over two legs to defend their title.
The thirteenth and final Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was played over the 1970–71 season. The competition was won by Leeds United for the second time, over two legs, in the final against Juventus. It was the first time the competition final had been won on the away goals rule. The competition was abolished and replaced the next season by the UEFA Cup. The Inter-Cities Fairs trophy was finally won in a play-off between the first and last competition winners: CF Barcelona and Leeds United, respectively.
Josep Maria Fusté Blanch was a Spanish footballer who played as a midfielder and who was captain of FC Barcelona during the 1960s and early 1970s. In 1964, together with Luis Suárez, Amancio Amaro, José Ángel Iribar and his FC Barcelona teammate, Chus Pereda, he helped Spain win the European Championship. He also played for CA Osasuna and Hércules CF. After retiring as a player he worked as a public relations executive for Codorniu, a Catalan sparkling wine company. He also served as president of the FC Barcelona veterans association and publicly supported Sixto Cambra, a Catalan nationalist, who stood against Josep Lluís Nuñez in the 1989 FC Barcelona presidential elections.
Domènec Balmanya i Perera, also referred to as Domingo Balmaña, was a former Spanish football midfielder and manager who spent most of his playing career at FC Barcelona. As a manager, he guided CF Barcelona to the a Copa del Generalísimo win in 1957 and to victory in the first ever Fairs Cup in 1958. He then had moderately successful spells at Valencia CF, Real Betis and CD Málaga before he guided Atlético Madrid to a La Liga title in 1966. He subsequently managed Spain between 1966 and 1968. After retiring as a coach he worked as a director of sport at both RCD Espanyol and FC Barcelona and as a director at a Catalan coaching school. He also worked as a radio commentator.
The 1961 European Cup final was held at the Wankdorf Stadium, Bern on 31 May 1961, and was contested by Portuguese side Benfica against Spanish side Barcelona. This was the first final not to include Real Madrid, who had won the previous five finals. Benfica lifted the trophy for the first time, beating Barcelona 3–2.
The 1963 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Final was the final of the fifth Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. It was played on 12 June and 26 June 1963 between Dinamo Zagreb of Yugoslavia and Valencia CF of Spain.
The 1960 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Final was an association football match played over two legs between Barcelona of Spain and Birmingham City of England. The first leg was played at St Andrew's, Birmingham, on 29 March 1960, and the second leg was played on 4 May at the Camp Nou, Barcelona. It was the final of the second edition of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, an invitational competition open to teams representing host cities of industrial trade fairs. Birmingham were the first English club side to appear in a European final. Barcelona had beaten the London XI in the inaugural final in 1958, having needed a replay to eliminate Birmingham in the semi-final.
The 1964 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Final was the final of the sixth Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and the first of two that were not played over two legs. It was played on 24 June 1964 between Real Zaragoza and Valencia of Spain. This marked the third consecutive appearance in the competition's final by Valencia, who entered the match as two-time defending Inter-Cities champions. However, Zaragoza won 2–1.
The 1966 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Final was the final of the eighth Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. It was played on 14 September and 21 September 1966 between Barcelona and Real Zaragoza of Spain. Barcelona won the tie 4–3 on aggregate.
The 1979–80 Copa del Rey was the 78th staging of the Spanish Cup, the annual domestic cup competition in the Spanish football. The tournament was attended by 226 teams from the main categories of Spanish football.
The 1982–83 Copa del Rey was the 81st staging of the Spanish Cup, the annual domestic football cup competition in Spain. The tournament was attended by 135 teams from the higher echelons of Spanish football.
The 1983–84 Copa del Rey was the 82nd staging of the Spanish Cup, the annual domestic football cup competition in Spain. The tournament was attended by 136 teams from the higher echelons of Spanish football.
The 1984–85 Copa del Rey was the 83rd staging of the Spanish Cup, the annual domestic football cup competition in Spain. The tournament was attended by 142 teams from the higher echelons of Spanish football.
Enric Ribelles Seró was a Spanish footballer who played as a midfielder.
