| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | UK |
| Dates | 16–17 April |
| Teams | 16 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Nottingham Forest |
| Runners-up | Sheffield Wednesday |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 15 |
TheFootball League Centenary Tournament (also known as theMercantile Credit Football Festival) was a friendly tournament[1] held from 16 to 17 April 1988 atWembley Stadium to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of theFootball League. The tournament was won by First DivisionNottingham Forest, who beatSheffield Wednesday in the final on penalties. Their success was achieved despite managerBrian Clough not attending the Saturday.[2][3] Arguably the biggest success story wasDivision Four sideTranmere Rovers, who a year earlier had almost been relegated out of the Football League. They defeated top-flight sidesWimbledon andNewcastle United, before taking Forest to a penalty shoot-out in the semi-finals. Despite the hopes of the Football League, the tournament was poorly attended, with attendance figures of 41,500 on the first day and 17,000 for the second in a stadium capable of holding 100,000. The attendance situation was not helped by leading London clubs such asArsenal,Tottenham Hotspur,West Ham United andChelsea not qualifying for the tournament.
The centenary of theFootball League was marked by a number of events between mid-1987 and 1988, including a match at Wembley between aFootball League XI and aRest of the World XI (featuringDiego Maradona andGary Lineker) in August 1987,[4] Football League championsEverton facingBayern Munich in a mid-season challenge match (at a time when English clubs were banned from UEFA competitions) with Everton winning 3–1, and theFootball League Centenary Trophy between leading teams held at the start of the1988–89 season (the final was won byArsenal againstManchester United in October 1988). Other announced events, however, including a nationwide series of fun runs, a gala classical music concert at theRoyal Albert Hall, and a pop music event atWembley Arena,[5] never took place. The celebrations, which were sponsored by Mercantile Credit, were criticised for being overly drawn-out and uninspiring.[6][7]
The Football League Centenary Tournament was originally announced as a six-a-side tournament involving all 92 League teams, affording many the opportunity to play at the national stadium for the first time.[5] It was subsequently changed to an 11-a-side competition featuring only 16 teams, who qualified based on points accrued from League games during a specified time window.[8]
The following teams participated in the tournament:
The first day of competition consisted of the opening round and quarter-finals; matches were 40 minutes in duration.[9] Seven of the twelve matches ended up drawn (five of them goalless) and required a sudden-death penalty shootout. Teams winning on penalties are indicated by a †.
| Team 1 | Result | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Newcastle United | 0–2 | Tranmere Rovers |
| Nottingham Forest † | 0–0 | Aston Villa |
| Everton | 0–1 | Manchester United |
| Sheffield Wednesday † | 1–1 | Wigan Athletic |
The semi-finals and final were played on the Sunday. Matches were 60 minutes long.
| Team 1 | Result | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Tranmere Rovers | 2–2 | Nottingham Forest † |
| Sheffield Wednesday | 2–1 | Manchester United |
| Team 1 | Result | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Nottingham Forest † | 0–0 | Sheffield Wednesday |
Isherwood, Glen (18 September 2006).Wembley: The Complete Record 1923-2000. Sportsbooks. p. 512.ISBN 978-1-899807-42-0.