The Uruguay Cup (Catalan: Copa Uruguai, Spanish: Copa Uruguay) was an annual football tournament organised by the Balearic Islands Football Federation between 1956 and 1968. It was disputed by the strongest football teams of the Balearic Islands.[1]
 | |
| Organising body | FFIB |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1956 |
| Abolished | 1968 |
| Region |  Balearic Islands, Spain |
| Last champions | CD Atlético Baleares |
| Most successful team(s) | CD Atlético Baleares (4) |
History
editThe idea for the tournament was born thanks to the donation of a trophy by the honorary consul of Uruguay in Palma to the Balearic Islands Football Federation. The organising body decided to create a tournament of which the gifted trophy would be the prize and established that the trophy could be earned when a team won three successive editions or five editions in total of the tournament, which would be called the Copa Uruguai. In total, 12 editions were disputed before the trophy was won by CD Atlético Baleares.[1]
Throughout the years, the tournament was organised in different ways: a single-match knock-out stage (first season), a group phase followed by a knock-out stage (from 1957 to 1960), a single group (from 1961 to 1964), and a group phase followed by a final (1965 to 1968). In the first editions, all participating teams were from Mallorca; by the 1962–63 season, a team from Ibiza participated, SD Ibiza; and by the 1964–65 season, teams from Menorca also participated.[2] This meant that the competition acquired a Balearic character.[1]
Finally, CD Atlético Baleares won the trophy after winning four editions, of which the three last ones successively. This meant that the club obtained the physical trophy and that the competition ended.[1]
In 2024, CD Atlético Baleares announced the recovery of the Uruguay Cup, but instead of maintaining its original format, it was introduced as a friendly pre-season match.[3]
Editions
edit| Edition | Season | Champion | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| I edition | 1956–57 | CE Felanitx | CE Espanya |
| II edition | 1957–58 | CE Manacor | UE Alaró |
| III edition | 1958–59 | CD Atlético Baleares | CE Felanitx |
| IV edition | 1959–60 | CF Sóller | UD Poblense |
| V edition | 1960–61 | CE Felanitx | UE Alaró |
| VI edition | 1961–62 | UE Alaró | CE Felanitx |
| VII edition | 1962–63 | SD Ibiza | CE Manacor |
| VIII edition | 1963–64 | CD Soledad | CD Atlético Baleares |
| IX edition | 1964–65 | UD Mahón | CD Atlético Baleares |
| X edition | 1965–66 | CD Atlético Baleares | CE Menorca |
| XI edition | 1966–67 | CD Atlético Baleares | Atlètic de Ciutadella |
| XII edition | 1967–68 | CD Atlético Baleares | UD Mahón |
List of winners
edit- With 4 trophies: CD Atlético Baleares (1959, 1966, 1967, 1968)
- With 2 trophies: CE Felanitx (1957, 1961)
- With 1 trophy: UE Alaró (1962), CE Manacor (1958), UD Mahón (1965), CF Sóller (1960), SD Ibiza (1963), and CD Soledad (1964)
References
edit- ^ a b c d García Gargallo, Manuel (1 May 2021). "La Copa Uruguay de fútbol en Baleares. Un torneo olvidado" [The Uruguay Cup of football in the Balearic Islands. A forgotten tournament]. www.cuadernosdefutbol.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-09-03.
- ^ "El equipo de la 'S.D. Ibiza', campeón de 'Copa Uruguay'" [The team of 'S.D. Ibiza', champion of the 'Uruguay Cup']. Diario de Ibiza (in Spanish). 27 November 1962. p. 5.
- ^ Atlético Baleares, C.D. (21 August 2024). "Avui a 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐚. Seguim amb la 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐚.🏆 Recuperam la 𝐂𝐨𝐩𝐚 𝐔𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐲 🤍 #𝗔𝗧𝗕Poblense | #Sempre𝗔𝗧𝗕 💙". Twitter. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
Bibliography
edit- AA. VV. (1991). Gran Enciclopèdia de Mallorca [Big Encyclopedia of Mallorca] (in Catalan). Vol. 19. Palma: Promomallorca. ISBN 84-86617-02-2.
- García Gargallo, Manuel (2021-05-01), "La Copa Uruguay de fútbol en Baleares. Un torneo olvidado", Cuadernos de fútbol, no. 131, CIHEFE, ISSN 1989-6379