The 1970–71 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was the 13th and final season of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, a European football competition for teams not qualified for the European Cup or the European Cup Winners' Cup. Back in 1969, UEFA determined this would be the final year of the Fairs Cup before taking over the organizational duties and evolving the competition into the UEFA Cup, which is now known as the UEFA Europa League.
The final was played over two legs at Stadio Comunale, Turin, Italy, and at Elland Road, Leeds, England. It was won by Leeds United of England, who defeated the Italian team Juventus on the away goals rule after a 3–3 aggregate draw to claim their second Inter-Cities Fairs Cup title. It was the first time the competition final had been won on the away goals rule.
This was to be the final European title for Leeds United, which would cap off its most successful era later in the decade with two further finals in UEFA-organized tournaments. It was also the second Fairs Cup final lost by Juventus, who still had not won a European title. Notably, the first leg of the final was replayed from scratch two days later after the initially scheduled game, which was abandoned after 51 minutes of play with a score of 0–0 due to heavy rain and a waterlogged pitch.
As no team had ever managed to permanently win the Inter-Cities Fairs trophy that was to be discontinued, its destination was decided in a special play-off between the first and last competition winners: Barcelona and Leeds United, respectively.
Country team allocation A total of 64 teams from 29 countries were entered in the 1970–71 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. For the first time, a team from Finland entered the competition, with the allocation scheme being redrawn as follows
England have five teams qualify due to the use of the title holder berth. 5 countries have four teams qualify. 3 countries have three teams qualify. 10 associations have two teams qualify. 10 associations have one team qualify.
Scotland and Yugoslavia gained a fourth berth, which Portugal lost. These places came mainly from the loss of a second Fairs Cup berth by East Germany, Norway and Northern Ireland.
+Countries in the 1970–71 Inter-Cities Fairs CupFive teams EnglandFour teams Scotland Italy Spain West Germany Yugoslavia Three teams Portugal Belgium FranceTwo teams Hungary Czechoslovakia Poland Bulgaria Netherlands Romania Austria Greece Switzerland DenmarkOne team East Germany Turkey Sweden Northern Ireland Norway Finland Republic of Ireland Luxembourg Malta IcelandDid not compete Wales Albania Soviet Union Cyprus
Teams The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for competition:
TH: Title holders CW: Cup winners CR: Cup runners-up LC: League Cup winners 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, etc.: League position P-W: End-of-season European competition play-offs winners Sum: Position at the halfway mark or the summer break in a calendar-based league
+Qualified teams for 1970–71 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Arsenal Leeds United Liverpool Coventry City Newcastle United Rangers Hibernian Dundee United Kilmarnock Inter Milan Juventus Fiorentina Lazio Athletic Bilbao Sevilla Barcelona Valencia Bayern Munich Hertha BSC Köln Hamburg Partizan Željezničar Dinamo Zagreb Hajduk Split Vitória de Setúbal Barreirense Vitória de Guimaraes La Gantoise Anderlecht Beveren Marseille Sedan Angoulême Ferencváros Pécsi Dózsa Spartak Trnava Sparta Prague Ruch Chorzów Katowice Slavia Sofia Botev Plovdiv FC Twente Sparta Rotterdam Universitatea Craiova Dinamo București Wiener SC Sturm Graz AEK Athens PAOK Lausanne-Sport Grasshoppers AB B 1901 Dynamo Dresden Eskişehirspor Malmö Coleraine Sarpsborg Ilves-Kissat Cork Hibernians Rumelange Sliema Wanderers ÍA Notes
Schedule The schedule of the competition was as follows. Matches were primarily scheduled for Wednesdays, though some matches took place on Tuesdays, and exceptionally on Thursdays. After the first leg of the final had to be postponed to a Friday, the return leg played in the following weekend was moved one day backwards to a Thursday. The first leg of the 1st round match-up between Sevilla FC and Eskisehirspor was played on a Saturday.
+Schedule for 1970–71 Inter-Cities Fairs CupRoundFirst legSecond legFirst round2–23 September 19708–30 September 1970Second round14–28 October 197028 October – 4 November 1970Third round25 November – 9 December 19709–23 December 1970Quarter-finals27 January / 9–10 March 197117 February / 23–24 March 1971Semi-finals14 April 197128 April 1971Final26 May 19713 June 1971
First round
First leg
Second leg
Twente won 4–0 on aggregate.
Hamburg won 8-1 on aggregate.
Anderlecht won 9-7 on aggregate.
Eskişehirspor won 3–2 on aggregate.
Barcelona won 4–2 on aggregate.
Arsenal won 4–2 on aggregate.
Fiorentina won 3–1 on aggregate.
Leeds won 6–0 on aggregate.
Sparta Rotterdam won 15–0 on aggregate.
Newcastle United won 3–1 on aggregate.
Pécsi won 4–2 on aggregate.
Valencia won 6–1 on aggregate.
Sparta Prague won 3–1 on aggregate.
Dundee United won 3–2 on aggregate.
Juventus won 11–0 on aggregate.
Dinamo București won 5–1 on aggregate.
Coventry City won 6–1 on aggregate.
Vitória Setúbal won 4–1 on aggregate.
Vitória Guimarães won 4–3 on aggregate.
Dinamo Zagreb won 6–3 on aggregate.
Hibernian won 9–2 on aggregate.
Second round
First leg
Second leg
Hibernian won 3–2 on aggregate.
2–2 on aggregate; Leeds United won on away goals.
1. FC Köln won 3–1 on aggregate.
Juventus won 4–2 on aggregate.
Liverpool won 4–1 on aggregate.
The referee called the end of the game three minutes before the regulation time and had to abandon the pitch escorted out by Beveren's players because of the pressure and the protests by the visiting team as a result of his decision. K.S.K. Beveren won 2–1 on aggregate.
Sparta Prague won 3–2 on aggregate.
Sparta Rotterdam won 4–1 on aggregate.
Twente won 8–4 on aggregate.
Vitória Setúbal won 3–2 on aggregate.
Third round
First leg
Second leg
Bayern Munich won 5–2 on aggregate.
Juventus won 3–0 on aggregate.
Leeds won 9–2 on aggregate.
Twente won 3–2 on aggregate.
Vitória Setúbal won 4–3 on aggregate.
Quarter-finals
First leg
Second leg
Juventus won 4–2 on aggregate.
Leeds won 3–2 on aggregate.
2–2 on aggregate; 1. FC Köln won on away goals.
Liverpool won 4–1 on aggregate.
Semi-finals
First leg
Second leg
Juventus won 3–1 on aggregate.
Leeds won 1–0 on aggregate.
Final
First leg
Game abandoned in the 51st minute due to heavy rain and waterlogged pitch.
Replay
Second leg
3–3 on aggregate; Leeds United won on away goals.
References
External links Inter-Cities Fairs Cup results at Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
website eurocups-uefa.ru Fairs' Cup Seasons 1970-71 – results, protocols website Football Archive