London XI

The London XI was an association football representative team, specially created to take part in a Europe-wide competition, the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, the precursor of today's UEFA Cup.

Related Topics:
Association football - Inter-Cities Fairs Cup - UEFA Cup

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The competition was created on April 18, 1955, and the first tournament took three years to complete. The entrants were the major football team of each city which held a Trade Fair. Like many cities taking part, London had several strong teams; however rules stated that there could only be a single team from each city http://football.guardian.co.uk/theknowledge/story/0,13854,1496157,00.html. It was decided to create a team especially for the tournament, using the best players from each London-based club. Membership of the team varied considerably between matches.

Related Topics:
April 18 - 1955 - Trade Fair - London

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The London XI, managed by Joseph Mears, reached the final of the cup, after coming top of a group that included special XI teams from Basel and Frankfurt, and then beating Lausanne Sports. London lost 8-2 on aggregate over two legs to Spanish club FC Barcelona.

Related Topics:
Joseph Mears - Basel - Frankfurt - Lausanne Sports - Spanish - FC Barcelona

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The teams for the final were:

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