The
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, sometimes referred to as the
European Fairs Cup,
Fairs Cities' Cup, or simply as the
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 at the world governing body,
FIFA. As the name suggests, the competition was set up to promote international
trade fairs. Friendly games were regularly held between teams from cities holding trade fairs and it was from these games that the competition evolved. The competition was initially only open to teams from cities that hosted trade fairs and where these teams finished in their national league had no relevance. Early competitions also featured a
one city, one team rule. After 1968, it was sometimes referred to as the
Runners-up Cup, with teams now qualifying based on league position. In 1971, it came under the auspices of
UEFA and was replaced by the
UEFA Cup.