The UEFA Intertoto Cup, also abbreviated as UI Cup is a summer football competition for European clubs that have not qualified for one of the main UEFA competitions, the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. Invited to participate are clubs ranked directly below those that qualify for the major UEFA competitions. The top three teams went on to take part in the UEFA Cup until the 2005–2006 season. From the 2006–2007 season, eleven winning teams go through to the second qualifying round of the UEFA Cup.
The cup bills itself as providing both an opportunity for clubs to enter the UEFA Cup who otherwise would not get the chance, but also as an opportunity for sports lotteries (or pools) to continue during the summer. Intertoto-cup.com Accessed June 7 2006 This reflects its background, which was as a tournament solely for football pools. In 1995, the tournament came under official UEFA sanctioning UEFA.com UEFA Intertoto Cup history; Accessed June 7 2006 and UEFA Cup qualification places were granted.
Thommen, who had set up football betting pools in Switzerland in 1937, had a major interest in having purposeful matches played in the summer break. The betting background made the tournament initially distasteful for the UEFA. They permitted this new tournament but refrained from getting officially involved. Clubs which qualified for one of the official continental competitions, such as the European Champions Cups and Cup Winners Cup, were not allowed to participate.
The first tournament was held in 1961 as the International Football Cup (IFC). Initially, the Cup had a group stage, which led to knock-out matches culminating in a final. By 1967 it had become difficult to organize the games. The knock out rounds and the final were thus scrapped, and the tournament became one without a winner.
By 1994, UEFA had reconsidered its opinion, took official control of the tournament and changed its format. Initially, two winners were given a place in the UEFA Cup. The success of one of the first winners, FC Girondins de Bordeaux, in 1995, encouraged UEFA to add a third UEFA Cup place to Intertoto clubs. Bordeaux, after winning the Intertoto Cup, had gone on to reach the UEFA Cup final, thanks to young players such as Zinedine Zidane and Bixente Lizarazu.
Many clubs dislike the competition and see it as disruptive in the preparation for the new season. As a consequence, they do not nominate themselves for participation even if entitled. In particular, following its 1995 relaunch, clubs in England and Scotland were sceptical about the Intertoto Cup. After initially being offered three places in the cup, all English top division teams rejected the chance to take part. Intertoto Cup: English Joy Accessed June 7 2006 Following threats of bans of English and Scottish teams from all UEFA competitions , the situtation was eventually resolved with three English and one Scottish club entering weakened teams, and none of them qualifying.
In following years, UEFA made it possible for nations to forfeit Intertoto places. For example, in 1998, Scotland, San Marino and Moldova forfeited their places, whilst England, Portugal and Greece forfeited one of their two. 1998 Intertoto Cup Draw Accessed June 7 2006
Other clubs have built upon their success in the UI Cup, following it up with great campaigns in the UEFA Cup. Furthermore, UEFA reject this assertion that the tournament is disruptive. They point out that in the 2004-05 season, two of the three 2004 Intertoto Cup winners went on to qualify for the Champions League.
From the 2006–2007 season, the format for the Cup changed. There are three rounds instead of the previous five, and the eleven winning teams from the third round will go through to the second qualifying round of the UEFA Cup. Previously only three teams went through, to the First Round proper of the UEFA Cup. *
Only one team from each national association will be allowed to enter. However, should one or more nations not take up their place, the possibility has been left open for nations to have a second entrant. Seedings and entry are determined by each association, * Teams from the weakest federations will enter at the first round stage, while those from middling federations will be granted a bye into the second round, and those from the strongest federations will be granted a bye into the third round.
| Year | UEFA Intertoto Cup winners 11 winners enter the UEFA Cup Second Qualifying Round | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | ||||
| Season | Winners | Runner-Up | Results | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967-94 | No overall winners. Only group stages held. | ||||
| 1966–67 | Eintracht Frankfurt | Inter Bratislava | 4-3 | ||
| 1965–66 | Lokomotive Leipzig | IFK Norrköping | 4-1 | ||
| 1964–65 | Polonia Bytom | Lokomotive Leipzig | 5-4 | ||
| 1963–64 | Slovnaft Bratislava | Polonia Bytom | 1-0* | ||
| 1962–63 | >Slovnaft Bratislava | Calcio Padova | 1-0 | ||
| 1961–62 | Ajax Amsterdam | Feijenoord Rotterdam | 4-2* | ||
| Nation | Winners | Runners-Up | Winning Clubs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | 12 | 5 | Auxerre, Bastia, Bordeaux, Guingamp, Lens, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Paris Saint Germain, Strasbourg, Troyes | |
| Germany | 8 | 4 | Eintracht Frankfurt, FC Schalke 04 (2), Hamburger SV, Karlsruher SC, VfB Stuttgart (2), Werder Bremen | |
| 5 | 4 | Celta Vigo, Malaga, Valencia, Villarreal (2) | ||
| Italy | 4 | 3 | Bologna, Juventus, Perugia, Udinese | |
| England | 3 | 1 | Aston Villa, Fulham, West Ham United | |
| Czechoslovakia | 2 | 1 | Inter Bratislava (2) | |
| Netherlands | 1 | 2 | Ajax Amsterdam | |
| Poland | 1 | 2 | Polonia Bytom | |
| East Germany | 1 | 1 | Lokomotive Leipzig | |
| Denmark | 1 | Silkeborg | ||
| Austria | 3 | |||
| Czech Republic | 2 | |||
| Russia | 2 | |||
| Sweden | 2 | |||
| Belgium | 1 | |||
| Croatia | 1 | |||
| Portugal | 1 | |||
| Romania | 1 | |||
| Switzerland | 1 | |||
| FR Yugoslavia | 1 | |||
UEFA Intertoto Cup | International club football competitions
Copa Intertoto de la UEFA | Pohár Intertoto | UEFA Intertoto Cup | Copa Intertoto de la UEFA | Coupe Intertoto | Intertoto kup | Coppa Intertoto di calcio | אינטרטוטו | UEFA Intertoto Cup | UEFAインタートトカップ | Puchar Intertoto UEFA | Кубок Интертото | UEFA Intertoto Cup | UEFA Intertoto Cup | UEFA İntertoto Kupası | 歐洲足協圖圖盃
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