1970 Anglo-Italian Cup
Encyclopedia
The 1970 Anglo-Italian Cup was the inaugural Anglo-Italian Cup
competition. The European football competition was played between clubs from England and Italy and was founded by Gigi Peronace
in 1970, following the success of the Anglo-Italian League Cup
. The competition culminated in a final between Napoli and Swindon Town
. Swindon won the competition after leading in the final which was abandoned before full-time due to violence.
was changed in 1967 so that the winner would additionally receive a place in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
. However, when Queens Park Rangers won the final that year
, they were in the Third Division
and, at that time, UEFA
did not allow third-tier teams to compete in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. When another Third Division club, Swindon Town
, won the 1969 Football 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, and Swindon won a two-legged match against that year's Coppa Italia
champions A.S. Roma
. Following the popularity of that event, and as a way to generate income to pay players' wages during the extended close season caused by the 1970 FIFA World Cup
, the first Anglo-Italian Cup was inaugurated the following season.
, Middlesbrough
, West Bromwich Albion
, Sunderland and Wolverhampton Wanderers
, and six Italian teams: Napoli
, Juventus
, Roma
, Fiorentina
, Lazio
and Vicenza
. These teams were split into three groups consisting of two English and two Italian teams each. Each team played against the two teams in their group from the opposing nation. Matches were played home and away with the first legs played in England and the second legs played in Italy. Two points were awarded for a win, one point for a draw, and a point for each goal scored. The team with the highest number points from each nation then contested the final.
English teams
Swindon continued their spell of success with a comfortable victory to add to the 1969 League Cup and 1969 Anglo-Italian League Cup
.
The game was marred by disturbances from the Napoli fans, resulting in two separate pitch invasions until finally – under a barrage of missiles – the referee abandoned the match after 79 minutes.
Swindon Town were awarded the trophy by Signor Orfeo Pianelli, vice-president of the Italian Football Federation.
reported on the aftermath -
Anglo-Italian Cup
The Anglo-Italian Cup is a defunct European football competition that was played intermittently between 1970 and 1996 between clubs from England and Italy. Founded by Gigi Peronace in 1970, following the success of the Anglo-Italian League Cup, it was played as a professional tournament until 1973...
competition. The European football competition was played between clubs from England and Italy and was founded by Gigi Peronace
Gigi Peronace
Luigi "Gigi" Peronace was a Calabrian football agent doing business predominantly between English and Italian clubs. He has been described as the "first real agent in England"....
in 1970, following the success of the Anglo-Italian League Cup
Anglo-Italian League Cup
The Anglo-Italian League Cup was a short-lived football competition between clubs in England and Italy.-History:...
. The competition culminated in a final between Napoli and Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
. Swindon won the competition after leading in the final which was abandoned before full-time due to violence.
Background
The Football League CupFootball League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
was changed in 1967 so that the winner would additionally receive a place in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971. The competition was the idea of Swiss pools supremo Ernst Thommen, Ottorino Barassi from Italy, and the English Football Association general secretary Stanley Rous, all of whom later became senior officials...
. However, when Queens Park Rangers won the final that year
1967 Football League Cup Final
The 1967 Football League Cup Final took place on 4 March 1967 at Wembley Stadium. It was the seventh final and the first to be played at Wembley. It was contested between Queens Park Rangers of the Third Division and West Bromwich Albion of the First Division...
, they were in the Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
and, at that time, UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
did not allow third-tier teams to compete in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. When another Third Division club, Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
, won the 1969 Football League Cup
1969 Football League Cup Final
The 1969 Football League Cup Final took place on 15 March 1969 at Wembley Stadium. It was the ninth final and the third to be played at Wembley. It was contested between Arsenal and Swindon Town.-Pre-match:...
, the Anglo-Italian League Cup
Anglo-Italian League Cup
The Anglo-Italian League Cup was a short-lived football competition between clubs in England and Italy.-History:...
was organised as a way of compensating Swindon for the ruling that prevented them competing in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, and Swindon won a two-legged match against that year's Coppa Italia
Coppa Italia
The Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
champions A.S. Roma
A.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
. Following the popularity of that event, and as a way to generate income to pay players' wages during the extended close season caused by the 1970 FIFA World Cup
1970 FIFA World Cup
The 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup, was held in Mexico, from 31 May to 21 June. The 1970 tournament was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe. In a match-up of two-time World Cup champions, the final was won by...
, the first Anglo-Italian Cup was inaugurated the following season.
Format
For the competition there were six English teams: Swindon Town, Sheffield WednesdaySheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
, Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
, West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
, Sunderland and Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
, and six Italian teams: Napoli
S.S.C. Napoli
Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli, commonly referred to as Napoli, is a professional Italian football club based in Naples and founded in 1926. The club has spent most of its history in Serie A, where it currently plays its 2011–12 season....
, Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
, Roma
A.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
, Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
, Lazio
S.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
and Vicenza
Vicenza Calcio
Vicenza Calcio is an Italian football club based in Vicenza, Veneto. The club was formed in 1902 and currently plays in Italy's Serie B, having spent the entire 1960s and a large part of the 1990s in Serie A...
. These teams were split into three groups consisting of two English and two Italian teams each. Each team played against the two teams in their group from the opposing nation. Matches were played home and away with the first legs played in England and the second legs played in Italy. Two points were awarded for a win, one point for a draw, and a point for each goal scored. The team with the highest number points from each nation then contested the final.
Group stage
| Group |  Kingdom of England |
 Italy |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday F.C. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the... Swindon Town Swindon Town F.C. Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011... |
S.S.C. Napoli S.S.C. Napoli Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli, commonly referred to as Napoli, is a professional Italian football club based in Naples and founded in 1926. The club has spent most of its history in Serie A, where it currently plays its 2011–12 season.... Juventus Juventus F.C. Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont... |
| 2 | Middlesbrough Middlesbrough F.C. Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889... West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion F.C. West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands... |
Lanerossi Vicenza Calcio Vicenza Calcio is an Italian football club based in Vicenza, Veneto. The club was formed in 1902 and currently plays in Italy's Serie B, having spent the entire 1960s and a large part of the 1990s in Serie A... A.S. Roma A.S. Roma Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s... |
| 3 | Sunderland Sunderland A.F.C. Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League... Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at... |
ACF Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A... S.S. Lazio S.S. Lazio Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football... |
Group 1 games
Group 2 games
Group 3 games
Final team standings
Italian teams| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S.S.C. Napoli S.S.C. Napoli Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli, commonly referred to as Napoli, is a professional Italian football club based in Naples and founded in 1926. The club has spent most of its history in Serie A, where it currently plays its 2011–12 season.... |
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 7 | 14 |
| ACF Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A... |
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 10 |
| S.S. Lazio S.S. Lazio Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football... |
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 9 |
| Juventus Juventus F.C. Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont... |
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 5 |
| Lanerossi Vicenza Vicenza Calcio Vicenza Calcio is an Italian football club based in Vicenza, Veneto. The club was formed in 1902 and currently plays in Italy's Serie B, having spent the entire 1960s and a large part of the 1990s in Serie A... |
4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 4 |
| A.S. Roma A.S. Roma Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s... |
4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 4 |
English teams
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swindon Town Swindon Town F.C. Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011... |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 13 |
| Middlesbrough Middlesbrough F.C. Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889... |
4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 12 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at... |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 12 |
| West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion F.C. West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands... |
4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 9 |
| Sunderland | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 9 |
| Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday F.C. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the... |
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 8 |
Final
EWLINE
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style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align=center> | Swindon Town | |
| GK |  JonesRoy Jones (footballer) Roy Jones was a footballer who played in The Football League for Stoke City. He made seven appearances for Stoke.-References:... |
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| DF |  ThomasRod Thomas Rod Thomas is a Welsh former professional footballer who represented Wales at International level.During his career Thomas played for Gloucester City, Swindon Town, Derby County, Cardiff City, Gloucester for a second spell and Newport County.Swindon Town manager Bert Head brought Thomas to the... |
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| DF | Trollope John Trollope (footballer) Norman John Trollope MBE is a former footballer, manager and coach who served Swindon Town for twenty years.A Swindon Town legend, Trollope holds the record for the number of league appearances made for one club - turning out for the Town in 770 games between 1960 and 1980, an achievement which... |
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| MF | Butler Joe Butler (footballer) Joseph 'Joe' Butler is a retired football Right Back best known for his spell at Swindon Town.-Newcastle United:... |
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| DF |  BurrowsFrank Burrows Frank Burrows is a Scottish soccer manager, and former player.-Biography:Frank Burrows began his football career at Scottish club Raith Rovers. In 1965 he moved south to England and joined Scunthorpe United. Impressive performances as a defender for Scunthorpe led to him being signed by Swindon... |
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| DF | Harland Stan Harland Stan Harland was an English football centre half.-Career:Born in Liverpool, Harland's football career began at local club New Brighton. It was from here that he attracted interest from Everton who signed him in 1959... (c) |
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| MF | Smart Roger Smart Roger Smart is a retired football Inside Forward.He made his way from schoolboy teams to work up through the youth ranks at Swindon Town before making his début in the reserves in April 1960.... |
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| FW | Horsfield Arthur Horsfield Arthur Horsfield is a former football striker.He joined Middlesbrough as an apprentice - "I was in my local under eleven’s side at the age of nine, and Joe Soones, the Boro scout was the first one on the scene, knocking on my door and turning up at the matches." - and eventually made 111... |
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| MF | Smith John Smith (footballer) John Smith was a footballer, a West Ham Academy product who was born in Shoreditch, London. He made 136 appearances for the club between 1956 and 1960, playing right half and inside right. He scored 23 goals for the east London club before being transferred to Tottenham Hotspur where he was one of... |
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| MF | Noble Peter Noble Peter Noble is a retired football forward.Noble began his career with Consett where he combined a career in painting and decorating with football... |
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| MF | Rogers Don Rogers (footballer) Donald Rogers is an English former footballer who has often been seen as the most exciting player to pull on a Swindon Town shirt; his principal rival in this respect being Harold Fleming... |
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| Substitutes: | |||
| None listed | |||
| Manager: | |||
| Fred Ford Fred Ford (football manager) Fred Ford is a former footballer and manager.Ford played for a number of clubs before becoming the manager of Bristol City in 1960, he had previously also coached the England B team and Under-23 side... |
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Swindon continued their spell of success with a comfortable victory to add to the 1969 League Cup and 1969 Anglo-Italian League Cup
Anglo-Italian League Cup
The Anglo-Italian League Cup was a short-lived football competition between clubs in England and Italy.-History:...
.
The game was marred by disturbances from the Napoli fans, resulting in two separate pitch invasions until finally – under a barrage of missiles – the referee abandoned the match after 79 minutes.
Trouble started when Arthur Horsfield scored Swindon's third goal in the 63rd minute. Disgruntled fans, angered at the home side's failure to check brilliant Swindon, hurled a fusillade of rocks and bottles on the field, prompting the police to retaliate with teargas. Groups of youngsters then started breaking up stones and wooden benches and hurling them over the wide moat and onto the pitch. A linesman was struck and the referee ordered the players towards the main stand as clearly it was impossible for play to carry on. The players had to run the gauntlet to escape to the dressing rooms and several Swindon players were struck by missiles. Horsfield, in particular, had a nasty bruise on his thigh. – Peter Sheldon
Swindon Town were awarded the trophy by Signor Orfeo Pianelli, vice-president of the Italian Football Federation.
Post game
The Swindon Evening AdvertiserSwindon Advertiser
The Swindon Advertiser is a daily tabloid newspaper, published in Swindon. The newspaper was founded in 1854, and had a circulation in 2006 of 22,321....
reported on the aftermath -
"A fanatical section of the 55,000 crowd incensed by the inability of Napoli to match the craft and finishing of Swindon Town, went berserk during the latter stage of the Anglo-Italian tournament final in Naples last night. They showered the pitch with beer bottles and stones and Austrian referee Paul Schiller called the players off 11 minutes from time" ReutersReutersReuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
Only minutes from the end of the game in Naples, with Swindon holding a comfortable three-goal lead, raging fans went on the rampage. Hundreds of concrete bench seats were torn up and smashed into small chunks which were thrown onto the pitch sending players and officials scurrying to the other side of the field for safety. Fires were started all around the stadium as the hooligans raged out of control. Bottles and blazing cushions were thrown as the match dissolved in chaos 12 minutes from full-time. Swindon AdvertiserSwindon AdvertiserThe Swindon Advertiser is a daily tabloid newspaper, published in Swindon. The newspaper was founded in 1854, and had a circulation in 2006 of 22,321....
"After the fighting, in which at least 40 police, including several officers , and 60 demonstrators were injured, police guarded the San Paolo Stadium. Police said they had arrested 30 people and had 11 others in custody for questioning. According to first estimates, rampaging spectators caused about £20,000 worth of damage to stadium equipment." ReutersReutersReuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
External links
- Anglo-Italian Cup 1970 at RSSSF
- Anglo-Italian Cup Winners 1969/1970 - swindon-town-fc.co.uk
- Swindon Town players memories of the final - Swindon AdvertiserSwindon AdvertiserThe Swindon Advertiser is a daily tabloid newspaper, published in Swindon. The newspaper was founded in 1854, and had a circulation in 2006 of 22,321....
, 30 May 2000 - Caught in time - reminisces of the tournament from The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...