British Home Championship
| British Home Championship | |
| Full name | British Home Championship |
| abbreviation | BHC |
| First edition | 1884 |
| Teams | 4th |
| Game mode | Round tournament |
| Title holder |
 Northern Ireland (8th title)
|
| Record winner |
 England (54 wins)
|
The British Home Championship (BHC) was a football tournament held annually from 1884 to 1984 . Participants were the football associations from the four British Home Nations England , Scotland , Wales and Ireland ( renamed Northern Ireland from 1950 by a FIFA decision , but continued to operate under the name Ireland until 1976 at the BHC).
history
In the eighties of the 19th century of football made in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland rapid progress. The four national teams of the two islands regularly played friendly matches against each other, with each national team playing against every other national team for a year. Each of the four football associations had slightly different rules. Normally the rules of the host association were used. This scheme worked, but had disadvantages. Therefore, on December 6, 1882, representatives of the four associations met in Manchester and laid down uniform rules. In addition, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) was established. The IFAB is still responsible for rule changes. Ultimately, the associations formalized the annual friendlies, creating the British Home Championship.
The first game was played on January 24, 1884. Scotland, which won the first championship, beat Ireland 5-0 goals. From the start, the BHC winner was considered the best national team in the world. After football had developed further internationally, this statement was withdrawn. The BHC lost much of its prestige through the World Cup and the European Football Championship . Nevertheless, the BHC was upgraded through these tournaments. The tournaments of 1949/1950 and 1953/1954 were the same as qualification for the 1950 FIFA World Cup and 1954 FIFA World Cup . The 1966/1967 and 1967/1968 tournaments were again considered qualifications for the 1968 European Football Championship .
After the 1983/1984 tournament, the BHC was no longer played. There were several reasons for this. The tournament was overshadowed by the World Cup and the European Football Championship. Falling audience numbers (exception: the games between England and Scotland), the increase in hooligans , scheduling difficulties, the unrest in Northern Ireland and, last but not least, England and Scotland's desire to play more games against stronger nations, led to the end of the competition. The fate of the BHC was sealed when England and Scotland announced in 1983 that they would no longer participate in the BHC in the future. Ironically, the two weaker teams, Northern Ireland and Wales, took the top two spots in the previous tournament. The trophy is to this day in the headquarters of the Northern Irish Football Association in Belfast .
In the past few years there have been repeated suggestions to revive the competition. Proponents argue with the increased viewership and the significant decrease in violence by hooligans. In addition, many proponents consider a domestic championship to be more valuable in terms of sport than worthless friendlies. The qualification for the soccer world championship in 2006 increased the interest in a return of the BHC. England, Wales and Northern Ireland were drawn into one group. The feeling of nostalgia was evident in the game between Northern Ireland and England. Many Northern Irish fans put up banners reminding them that Northern Ireland is the reigning "British Champion".
A revival of the BHC had been under discussion since 2006, and Prime Minister Gordon Brown campaigned for it - especially after all British teams failed to qualify for the 2008 European Football Championship in 2007 . Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland had been considering a Celtic Cup , also since 2006 , if England did not want to participate. The competition finally took place in 2011 under the name Nations Cup . Instead of the English, the Irish took part as the fourth team.
mode
Each team played once against each other team during the BHC. Thus, each national team played a total of three games. One had home rights either once or twice. The home advantage was exchanged every year. So if England played Scotland at home one year, Scotland had a home advantage the following year.
There were two points for a win and one point for a draw. After all the games were played, the team with the most points was declared the winner. If two or more teams had the same number of points at the end, the championship was divided, which was the case 13 times. In 1956, all four participants were joint winners of the competition: each one had one victory in their books, followed by two tied games between the four teams, all of which then scored three points. From 1978 onwards, the goal difference was used when there was a tie. If this was also the same, the number of goals scored decided. There were no longer any shared championships.
The tournaments at a glance
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Ranking list
| rank | country | ∑ title | shared | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
England
|
54 | 20th | 1886 , 1888, 1890 , 1891, 1892, 1893, 1895, 1898, 1899, 1901, 1903 , 1904, 1905, 1906, 1908 , 1909, 1911, 1912 , 1913, 1927 , 1930, 1931 , 1932, 1935 , 1938, 1939 , 1947, 1948, 1950, 1952, 1953 , 1954, 1955, 1956 , 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960 , 1961, 1964 , 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970 , 1971, 1972 , 1973, 1974 , 1975, 1978, 1979, 1982, 1983 |
| 2 |
 Scotland
|
41 | 17th | 1884, 1885, 1886 , 1887, 1889, 1890 , 1894, 1896, 1897, 1900, 1902, 1903, 1906, 1908 , 1910, 1912 , 1921, 1922, 1923, 1925, 1926, 1927 , 1929, 1931, 1935 , 1936, 1939 , 1949, 1951, 1953, 1956, 1960 , 1962, 1963, 1964 , 1967, 1970, 1972, 1974 , 1976, 1977 |
| 3 |
 Wales
|
12 | 5 | 1907, 1920, 1924, 1928, 1933, 1934, 1937, 1939, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1970 |
| 4th |
 Ireland (until 1950 and 1976) Northern Ireland (since 1950 and 1976)
|
8th | 5 | 1903 , 1914, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1964 , 1980, 1984 |
italics: split titles
Special events
1902: The Ibrox tragedy
On April 5, 1902, Scotland played against England at Ibrox Park (now: Ibrox Stadium) in Glasgow. During the first half, part of the overcrowded upper tier of the west stand collapsed. 26 people died and over 500 people were injured. The game was initially interrupted, but continued later. The game was then canceled and repeated at Villa Park in Birmingham .
1950 and 1954: World Cup qualification
The 1949/1950 tournament was also considered to qualify for the 1950 World Cup in Brazil . The two first-placed teams of the BHC were qualified for the World Cup tournament. England and Scotland had already been confirmed as World Cup participants before the last matchday. The Scottish Association explains, however, that you would only go to the World Championship as a "British Champion". On April 15, 1950 there was a showdown between England and Scotland. Chelsea FC's Roy Bentley scored the winning goal for England. Bentley is still known in Scotland today as "The Man Who Stole Scotland Rio ". Scotland decided not to take part in the 1950 World Cup.
The 1953/1954 tournament also served as qualification for the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland . England and Scotland qualified again.
1967: Scotland becomes "unofficial world champion"
The 1966/1967 BHC was the first after England won the 1966 World Cup . World champions England went into the tournament as favorites, the outcome of which depended on the last game. On April 15, 1967, England and Scotland met at Wembley Stadium . England would have been enough to draw, but Scotland beat the reigning world champions 3-2. After the game, Scottish fans stormed onto the pitch. The Scots now saw themselves as legitimate world champions because they had beaten the winner of the World Cup final. This view was later picked up by the media and followed up as the "Unofficial Football World Cup" .
1977: Wembley is stormed
Ten years later, the outcome of the BHC depended again on the England-Scotland game. On June 4, 1977 Scotland managed a 2-1 away win through which Scotland won the BHC. Scottish fans stormed the field, tore out pieces of turf and destroyed a goal bar.
1981: The canceled championship
Due to the constant unrest in Northern Ireland, the Northern Irish team had to play many of its home games in Liverpool or Glasgow . The BHC 1980/1981 was held entirely in May 1981 when the unrest in Northern Ireland reached a climax. Northern Ireland's home games against England and Wales have not been postponed. England and Wales refused to compete in Belfast. As not all games were played, the competition was canceled.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Sanchez wants Celtic tournament. BBC Sport, online December 12, 2006, viewed November 28, 2007