Anglo-Italian_League_Cup
Anglo-Italian League Cup
Football tournament
The Anglo-Italian League Cup (Italian: Coppa di Lega Italo-Inglese, also known as the Anglo-Italian League Cup Winners' Cup[1]) was a short-lived football competition between teams from England and Italy – an English cup-winning team (League Cup or FA Cup) and the Coppa Italia winner, playing each other over two legs. It was contested between 1969–71 and 1975–76.
| Founded | 1969; 55 years ago (1969) |
|---|---|
| Abolished | 1976; 48 years ago (1976) |
| Region |  England Italy |
| Last champions | Napoli (1st title) |
| Most successful club(s) | Swindon Town Bologna Tottenham Hotspur Fiorentina Napoli (1 title each) |
The competition was set up at the same time as the Anglo-Italian Cup in 1969.
The Football League Cup was changed in 1967 so the winner would be awarded a place in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.[2] But UEFA did not allow third-tier teams to compete in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup at that time.[3][4] When Queens Park Rangers won the 1967 League Cup final they were in the Third Division, as were Swindon Town when they won the 1969 League Cup.
The Anglo-Italian League Cup was organised as a way of compensating Swindon for the ruling that prevented them competing in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1969.[3] A two-legged match was organised with that year's Coppa Italia champions A.S. Roma. The first-leg was held at the Stadio Olimpico, with Roma winning 2–1,[5] but that deficit was overturned in the return leg at the County Ground, Swindon where Swindon won 4–0 making them champions with a 5–2 aggregate.[6]
In 1970, Coppa Italia winners Bologna defeated League Cup winners Manchester City with a 3–2 win on aggregate.[7] The 1971 competition was the last for a few years and League Cup winners Tottenham Hotspur defeated Coppa Italia winners Torino 3–0 on aggregate.[7]
It was briefly reinstated in 1975 (winners Fiorentina), this time between the FA Cup and Coppa Italia winners, but only lasted two seasons before being finally scrapped in 1976 (winners Napoli).
- Key
| Bold | Indicates the winner in two-legged finals |
| Year | Country | Home team | Score | Away team | Country | Venue | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | ITA |
Roma | 2–1 | Swindon Town | ENG |
Stadio Olimpico | Rome, Italy | [8] |
| ENG |
Swindon Town | 4–0 | Roma | ITA |
County Ground | Swindon, England | ||
| Swindon Town won 5–2 on aggregate | ||||||||
| 1970 | ITA |
Bologna | 1–0 | Manchester City | ENG |
Stadio Comunale | Bologna, Italy | [9] |
| ENG |
Manchester City | 2–2 | Bologna | ITA |
Maine Road | Manchester, England | ||
| Bologna won 3–2 on aggregate | ||||||||
| 1971 | ITA |
Torino | 0–1 | Tottenham Hotspur | ENG |
Stadio Comunale | Turin, Italy | [10] |
| ENG |
Tottenham Hotspur | 2–0 | Torino | ITA |
White Hart Lane | London, England | ||
| Tottenham Hotspur won 3–0 on aggregate | ||||||||
| 1972 | Not played | |||||||
| 1973 | ||||||||
| 1974 | ||||||||
| 1975 | ITA |
Fiorentina | 1–0 | West Ham United | ENG |
Stadio Artemio Franchi | Florence, Italy | [11] |
| ENG |
West Ham United | 0–1 | Fiorentina | ITA |
Upton Park | London, England | ||
| Fiorentina won 2–0 on aggregate | ||||||||
| 1976 | ENG |
Southampton | 1–0 | Napoli | ITA |
The Dell | Southampton, England | [12] |
| ITA |
Napoli | 4–0 | Southampton | ENG |
Stadio Artemio Franchi | Florence, Italy | ||
| Napoli won 4–1 on aggregate | ||||||||
- "Swindon Town Match Preview". Bristol Rovers F.C. 22 April 2008. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 30 August 2009.
- Murray, Scott (12 November 2008). "Why the League Cup still has its place in English football". The Guardian. London: Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
- Murray, Scott (26 June 2009). "The Joy of Six: Extinct football competitions". The Guardian. London: Guardian Media Group. Archived from the original on 29 June 2009. Retrieved 29 August 2009.
- Murphy, Alex (2 May 2009). "Mike Keen: Footballer who captained Third Division Queen's Park Rangers to League Cup victory in 1967". The Independent. London: Independent News & Media. Archived from the original on 2022-05-07. Retrieved 29 August 2009.
- King, Clive (28 August 1969). "Swindon make it tough for the Italians". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 29 August 2009.
- King, Clive (28 August 1969). "Swindon outplay Italians to win cup". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 29 August 2009.
- "Anglo-Italian League Cup". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 29 August 2009.
- "Anglo-Italian League Cup". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2009.
- "Anglo-Italian League Cup". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 6 October 2009. Retrieved 29 August 2009.
- "Anglo-Italian League Cup". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 29 August 2009.
- "Anglo-Italian League Cup". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 6 October 2009. Retrieved 29 August 2009.
- "Anglo-Italian League Cup". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 29 August 2009.