The Copa Latina
#4: Chapter One: Part Four
Like its predecessor, the Second World War changed the map of Europe and the course of football. In its simplest form, players had significant chunks of their careers taken away from them. Though they were less likely to see front-line action than in the First World War, there were still many who lost their lives. The impact was felt most devastatingly within the Jewish community, who had made such significant contributions to the development and subsequent ascent of Central European football. After spending six years in civil war, reconciliation, even in sport, would take time.
The most significant competition that grew up in the post-war, pre-European Cup period was the Copa Latina (Latin Cup), another regional affair. A request was made by the football associations of France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain to FIFA to create a tournament for clubs within these nations. There is little evidence of FIFA playing an active role in its functions, but it indicates the status FIFA had in overseeing European football.
The presence of the Italians was an indicator of their growing shift westwards post-war. After having been a major player in the Mitropa Cup golden-era of the 30s (and indeed that of Italy), Italian clubs were now contributing to another emerging football culture.
The Copa Latina was held during the summer, and was a simple four-team knock-out affair, with a blind draw to decide the fixtures. In addition to the annual event, there was a wider convoluted points system kept over the course of the four years, to determine the winning federation. The first season saw tragedy strike, as the favourites, Il Grande Torino, perished in the Superga air crash on their way back from a friendly in Lisbon, before the competition could begin. The team were still invited to take their place as the Champions of Italy, but the squad was clearly nowhere near the strength of Valentino Mazzola et al. Though the format differed, the tournament was a much closer relation to the subsequent European Cup, based not only on time but on the roll call of winners. Barcelona (1949 & 1952), Benfica (1950), Milan (1951 & 1956), Reims (1953), and last, but not least, Real Madrid (1955 & 1957) notably beating Reims in Paris in the ‘55 final. All five teams would compete in the European Cup Final by 1961. Benfica’s triumph in 1950 is worthy of further mention as it featured, a 146th minute winning goal. Benfica and Bordeaux had played out a 3-3 draw after extra-time. In the replay, Benfica scored a late equaliser in the 90th minute to force more extra time. 30 minutes came and went and the game carried on until in the 146th minute, Julinho, scored the winner for the Portuguese, coached by Englishman Ted Smith.
Despite the high-level of football that was on show, the competition faced criticism from an early stage, largely based on its timing, held as it was at the end of the season, in the hottest months of the year. Players, tired after a long season, struggled to bring the desired intensity in sweaty humid arenas. French newspaper Miroir Sport claimed in 1952, that ‘the real winner of the Latin Cup was fatigue’. There were also conflicts with the World Cup, this saw Italy send Lazio (4th place in Serie A) to the 1950 edition because of the number of Milan, Inter and Juventus players who had been called up to the Italian National Team. In 1954, such conflicts were avoided by cancelling the tournament altogether.
Ultimately, it would be the onset of the European Cup that would lead to its demise, although sadly the proposal for a true Latin Cup featuring the European countries plus Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, never came to pass.
However, despite the Latin zone being the growing future force in European football, it would be one game, in one of the original heartlands of the sport, that would light the blue touch paper for the creation of football’s greatest club competition. It was a match between the two teams that served as standard bearers of their respective schools: Wolverhampton Wanderers of England and Great Britain versus Honved of Hungary and Central Europe.