The Nations Cup[1] (also called 4 Associations' Tournament or Celtic Cup)[1][2][3] was an association football tournament involving the national teams of Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales. It was contested once, in 2011. It was originally intended to be a biennial tournament, but poor attendance at the first tournament meant that it was discontinued.
History
The tournament was initially proposed by then Northern Ireland manager Lawrie Sanchez in 2006.[4] On 18 September 2008, the national football associations of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland announced plans to hold an international tournament in 2011.[5] The tournament was due to start in 2009, but was delayed until 2011 due to 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying fixtures already being in place.[6]
It was announced on 12 August 2010 that the tournament would be sponsored by brewing company Carling, and known for sponsorship reasons as the Carling Nations Cup.[1][7] The inaugural tournament was played at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin in February and May 2011, and won by the Republic of Ireland. A second tournament was provisionally scheduled to take place in Wales in 2013.[8] After the first tournament, which attracted some small attendances, there was a dispute about the division of revenues between the four associations.[8] Jim Shaw, the president of the Irish Football Association, said in January 2012 that he did not envisage a second tournament being staged.[8]
Format
The Nations Cup was structured as a round-robin, with each team playing each of the others once, resulting in a total of six games in each season of the competition.[1][2] Three of the teams involved (Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) had formerly competed in the now defunct British Home Championship, along with England.[4] The Football Association of Wales stated its belief in 2007 that England might have joined at a later date if they could have been convinced that there were "practical solutions" to problems like fixture congestion.[9] In early 2011, it was reported by BBC Sport that there was a possibility of the British Home Championship being revived in 2013,[10][11] but no tournament was held. The matches in the 2011 tournament were played in February and May, with the location due to rotate on a tournament-by-tournament basis.[12] Brittany also expressed an interest in taking part.[13]
Results
The 2011 Nations Cup began in February 2011 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.[2][14][15] The Republic of Ireland won the inaugural tournament after winning all three of their matches, culminating with a 1–0 win over Scotland on the final matchday.
Top goalscorers
References
External links
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