Mitropa Cup

The Mitropa Cup, officially called Coupe de l'Europe Centrale, Mitteleuropäischer Pokal or Central European Cup, was one of the first international major European football cups for club sides. It was conducted among the successor states of the former Austria-Hungary. After World War II in 1951 a replacement tournament named Zentropa Cup was held, but just for one season, the Mitropa Cup name was revived, and again in 1958 the name of the tournament changed to Danube Cup but only for one season. The tournament was discontinued after 1992.

The most successful club is Vasas with six titles.

History

This "International" competition for football clubs was founded in 1897 in Vienna. The Challenge Cup was invented by John Gramlick Sr., a co-founder of the Vienna Cricket and Football-Club. In this cup competition all clubs of the Austro-Hungarian Empire that normally would not meet could take part, though actually almost only clubs from the Empire's three major cities Vienna, Budapest and Prague participated. The Challenge Cup was carried out until the year 1911 and is today seen as the predecessor to the Mitropa Cup and consequently the European Cup and Champions League. The last winner of the cup was Wiener Sport-Club, one of the oldest and most traditional football clubs of Austria where the cup still remains.

The idea of a European cup competition was shaped after World War I which brought the defeat and collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The centre of this idea were the Central European countries that, at this time, were still leading in continental football. In the early 1920s they introduced professional leagues, the first continental countries to do so. Austria started in 1924, followed by Czechoslovakia in 1925 and Hungary in 1926. In order to strengthen the dominance of these countries in European football and to financially support the professional clubs, the introduction of the Mitropa Cup was decided at a meeting in Venice on 17 July, following the initiative of the head of the Austrian Football Association (ÖFB), Hugo Meisl.Mitropa Cup History – Ref: IFFHS.de Moreover, the creation of a European Cup for national teams – that unlike the Challenge Cup and the Mitropa Cup would not be annual – was also part of the agreement. The first matches were played on 14 August 1927. The competition was between the top professional teams of Central Europe.

Initially two teams each from Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia entered, competing in a knock-out competition. The countries involved could either send their respective league winners and runners-up, or league winners and cup winners to take part. The first winners were the Czech side, AC Sparta Prague. In 1929 Italian teams replaced the Yugoslavian ones. The competition was expanded to four teams from each of the competing countries in 1934. Other countries were invited to participate – Switzerland in 1936, and Romania, Switzerland and Yugoslavia in 1937. Austria was withdrawn from the competition following the Anschluss in 1938. In 1939, prior to the start of World War II, the cup involved only eight teams (two each from Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Italy and one each from Romania and Yugoslavia). The level of the competing nations is clearly shown by Italy's two World Cup titles (1934 & 1938), Czechoslovakia's (1934) and Hungary's (1938) World Cup final, and Austria's (1934) and Yugoslavia's (1930) semi-finals. Of the eleven different national teams that reached the semi-finals of the first three World Cups, five were nations that participated in the Mitropa Cup.

A tournament was started in 1940, but abandoned before the final match due to World War II. Again, only eight teams competed, three each from Hungary and Yugoslavia and two from Romania. Hungarian Ferencváros and Romanian Rapid (which had won on lots after three draws) qualified for the final, but did not meet because the northern part of Transylvania (lost shortly after World War I) was ceded to Hungary from Romania.

Champions Finals SeasonCountryChampionsResultRunners-upCountry1927 Sparta Prague 6–2 Rapid Wien 1–21928 Ferencváros 7–1 Rapid Wien 3–51929 Újpest 5–1 Slavia Prague 2–21930 Rapid Wien 2–0 Sparta Prague 2–31931 First Vienna 3–2 Wiener AC 2–11932 Bologna align=center 1933 Austria Wien 1–2 Ambrosiana-Inter 3–11934 Bologna 2–3 Admira Wien 5–11935 Sparta Prague 1–2 Ferencváros 3–01936 Austria Wien 0–0 Sparta Prague 1–0 1937 Ferencváros 4–2 Lazio 5–41938 Slavia Prague 2–2 Ferencváros 2–01939 Újpest 4–1 Ferencváros 2–21940 N/A Rapid BucureștiFerencváros 1941–50 1951 Rapid Wien 3–2 Admira Wien 1952–54 1955 Vörös Lobogó 6–0 ÚDA Prague 2–11956 Vasas 3–3 Rapid Wien 1–19–21957 Vasas 4–0 Vojvodina 1–21958 Red Star Belgrade 4–1 Rudá Hvězda Brno 3–21959 Honvéd 4–3 MTK 2–21960 1961 Bologna 2–2 Slovan Nitra 3–0 1962 Vasas 5–1 Bologna 1–2 1963 MTK Budapest 2–1 Vasas 1–1 1964 Sparta Prague 0–0 Slovan Bratislava 2–0 1965 Vasas 1–0 Fiorentina 1966 Fiorentina 1–0 Jednota Trenčín 1966–67 Spartak Trnava 2–3 Újpesti Dózsa 3–1 1967–68 Red Star Belgrade 0–1 Spartak Trnava 4–11968–69 Inter Bratislava 4–1 Sklo Union Teplice 0–01969–70 Vasas 1–2 Inter Bratislava 4–1 1970–71 Čelik Zenica 3–1 Austria Salzburg 1971–72 Čelik Zenica 0–0 Fiorentina 1–01972–73 Tatabányai Bányász 2–1 Čelik Zenica 2–1 1973–74 Tatabányai Bányász 3–2 ZVL Zilina 2–01974–75 Wacker Innsbruck 3–1 Honvéd 2–1 1975–76 Wacker Innsbruck 3–1 Velež Mostar 3–1 1976–77 Vojvodina RR Vasas 1977–78 Partizan 1–0 Honvéd 1978–79 1979–80 Udinese RR Čelik Zenica 1980–81 Tatran Prešov RR Csepel SC 1981–82 Milan RR TJ Vítkovice 1982–83 Vasas RR ZVL Zilina 1983–84 SC Eisenstadt RR Prishtina 1984–85 Iskra Bugojno RR Atalanta 1985–86 Pisa 2–0 Debrecen 1986–87 Ascoli 1–0 Bohemians Prague 1987–88 Pisa 3–0 Váci Izzó 1988 Baník Ostrava 2–1 Bologna 2–11990 Bari 1–0 Genoa 1991 Torino 2–1 (a.e.t) Pisa 1992 Borac Banja Luka 1–1 (a.e.t) 5–3 (p) BVSC

Notes

Performances Note: The 1960 edition is not included in the list because it was won by a nation rather than club.

By club ClubWinnersRunner-upWinning seasonsRunners-up seasons Vasas 1956, 1957, 1962, 1965, 1970, 1983 1963, 1977 Bologna 1932, 1934, 1961 1962, 1988 Sparta Prague 1927, 1935, 1964 1930, 1936 Ferencváros 1928, 1937 1935, 1938, 1939, 1940 Rapid Wien 1930, 1951 1927, 1928, 1956 Čelik Zenica 1971, 1972 1973, 1980 MTK Budapest 1955, 1963 1959 Újpest 1929, 1939 1967 Pisa 1986, 1987–88 1991 Red Star Belgrade 1958, 1968 – Austria Wien 1933, 1936 – Wacker Innsbruck 1975, 1976 – Tatabányai Bányász 1973, 1974 – Budapest Honvéd 1959 1975, 1978 Fiorentina 1966 1965, 1972 Spartak Trnava 1967 1968 Inter Bratislava 1969 1970 Slavia Prague 1938 1929 Vojvodina 1977 1957 Borac Banja Luka 1992 – Iskra Bugojno 1985 – Partizan 1978 – Milan 1982 – Torino 1991 – Udinese 1980 – Ascoli 1987 – Bari 1990 – SC Eisenstadt 1984 – First Vienna 1931 – Baník Ostrava 1988 – Tatran Prešov 1981 – ZVL Zilina – 1974, 1983 SK Admira Wien – 1934, 1951 Wiener AC – 1931 Austria Salzburg – 1971 Ambrosiana Inter – 1933 Lazio – 1937 Atalanta – 1985 Genoa – 1990 ÚDA Prague – 1955 Slovan Nitra – 1961 Slovan Bratislava – 1964 Jednota Trenčín – 1966 Sklo Union Teplice – 1969 TJ Vítkovice – 1982 Bohemians Prague – 1987 Velež Mostar – 1976 Prishtina – 1984 Csepel SC – 1981 Debreceni MVSC – 1986 Váci Izzó – 1987–88 BVSC – 1992 Rapid București – 1940

Titles by country CountryTitles 16 11 8 7

Top scorers (1927–1940) By year

YearPlayerGoalsPlayedAverage1927 Josef Silný 5 6 0.831928 Jozsef Takács II 10 6 1.661929 István Avar 10 7 1.421930 Giuseppe Meazza 7 6 1.161931 Heinrich Hiltl 7 7 1.001932 Renato Cesarini 5 4 1.251933 Raimundo Orsi 5 4 1.25 František Kloz 4 1.25 Giuseppe Meazza 6 0.83 Matthias Sindelar 6 0.831934 Carlo Reguzzoni 10 8 1.281935 György Sárosi 9 8 1.121936 Giuseppe Meazza (3) 10 6 1.661937 György Sárosi 12 9 1.331938 Josef Bican 10 8 1.251939 Gyula Zsengellér 9 6 1.501940 György Sárosi (3) 6 2 3.00

All-time top scorers (1927–1940)

RankPlayerGoalsPlayedAverage1 György Sárosi 50 42 1.192 Giuseppe Meazza 29 27 1.073 Gyula Zsengellér 24 19 1.264 Matthias Sindelar 24 31 0.775 István Avar 19 24 0.79

Top scorers (1951–1992) By season SeasonPlayerClubGoals1951 Erich Probst Rapid Wien 51955 János Molnár Vörös Lobogó 9 Nándor Hidegkuti Vörös Lobogó 91956 Lajos Csordás Vasas 81957 Johann Riegler Rapid Wien 5 Dezső Bundzsák Vasas 51959 Lajos Tichy Budapest Honvéd 91960 Sulejman Rebac Velez Mostar 41961 Milan Dolinský Red Star Bratislava 7 Viliam Hrnčár Slovan Nitra 71962 Harald Nielsen Bologna 111963 Ferenc Machos Vasas 71964 Václav Mašek Sparta Prague 71965 Lajos Puskás Vasas 31966 Friedrich Rafreider Wiener Sport-Club 51966–67 Antal Dunai Újpest 91967–68 Vojin Lazarević Red Star Belgrade 51968–69 Pavel Stratil Sklo Union Teplice 71969–70 János Farkas Vasas 61970–71 Alojz Renić Čelik Zenica 51971–72 Luciano Chiarugi Fiorentina 51972–73 Alojz Renić (2) Čelik Zenica 41973–74 Mihai Kyomyuves FC Tatabánya 61974–75 Jaroslav Melichar Sklo Union Teplice 31975–76 Kurt Welzl FC Wacker Innsbruck 61976–77 Vasas 41977–78 Momčilo Vukotić Partizan 31979–80 Nerio Ulivieri Udinese 41980–81 László Lazsányi Csepel SC 31981–82 Jiří Šourek Vítkovice 3

Mitropa Super Cup Additionally, a "Mitropa Super Cup" was contested in 1989 between the winners of 1988 and 1989. Ostrava won the first leg 3–0 on 12 April 1989.

YearChampionResult Runner-up 1989 Baník Ostrava 3–0 Pisa 1–3

See also Latin Cup Balkans Cup

Notes

References