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 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. Initially, the competition was only open to cities that hosted trade fairs, and where the cities' clubs finished in their national league had no relevance. Early competitions also featured a "one city, one team" rule, with some teams selected from multiple clubs.
Sándor Péter Kocsis was a Hungarian footballer who played for Ferencvárosi 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 professional footballer. 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 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.
Ferdinand Daučík was a Slovak football player and manager. Daučík was the manager of several La Liga clubs, most notably Barcelona, Atlético Bilbao, Atlético Madrid and Real Zaragoza. During his career, he managed La Liga clubs in 488 matches, won three La Liga titles and won the Copa del Generalísimo on six occasions, including three La Liga/Copa doubles. He died in Alcalá de Henares.
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 1970–71 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was the 13th and final season of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, a European football competition for teams not qualified for the European Cup or the European Cup Winners' Cup. Back in 1969, UEFA determined this would be the final year of the Fairs Cup before taking over the organizational duties and evolving the competition into the UEFA Cup, which is now known as the UEFA Europa League.
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.
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 1981–82 Copa del Rey was the 80th staging of the Spanish Cup, the annual domestic cup competition in the Spanish football. The tournament was attended by 136 teams from the main categories of Spaniard 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.
