1960 British Home Championship
Encyclopedia
The 1960 British Home Championship
football
tournament was played by the British Home Nations
throughout the 1959–60 season and was shared between three of the competing teams at the expense of Ireland
. Football at the United Kingdom was at a low point in 1959 and 1960, following the failure of the national sides (except Wales
), to perform well in the 1958 FIFA World Cup
two years before. A part of the problem involved the deaths of senior members of all four national sides at the Munich air disaster
in early 1958. England had also suffered a further loss of confidence following poor form in a pre-season tour of the Americas, losing three games in a row to Brazil
, Peru
4–1 and Mexico
. An 8–1 victory over a weak United States
in the final match did little to raise their spirits.
The title was shared between three teams who were unable to beat each other but all managed a victory over the hapless Irish. The Scots started well, with a 4–0 drubbing of their opponents in Belfast whilst the English and Welsh played out a tame draw. This set the tone for the tournament, with the Irish losing their subsequent matches with more respectable scorelines but still unable to gain a point. The Scots could not capitalise on their good start and were held by England and Wales in their subsequent matches whilst the Welsh took their draws and narrowly beat Ireland in their last match to claim their own third share of the title. Goal difference was not at this stage used to differentiate between the teams. if it had been, Scotland would have won with Wales and England again tied for second.
The points system worked as follows:
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British Home Championship
The British Home Championship was an annual football competition contested between the United Kingdom's four national teams, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from the 1883–84 season until the 1983–84...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
tournament was played by the British Home Nations
Home Nations
Home Nations is a collective term with one of two meanings depending on the context. Politically, it means the nations of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom...
throughout the 1959–60 season and was shared between three of the competing teams at the expense of Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
. Football at the United Kingdom was at a low point in 1959 and 1960, following the failure of the national sides (except Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
), to perform well in the 1958 FIFA World Cup
1958 FIFA World Cup
The 1958 FIFA World Cup, the sixth staging of the World Cup, was hosted by Sweden from 8 June to 29 June. The tournament was won by Brazil, who beat Sweden 5–2 in the final for their first title. To date, this marks the only occasion that a World Cup staged in Europe was not won by a European...
two years before. A part of the problem involved the deaths of senior members of all four national sides at the Munich air disaster
Munich air disaster
The Munich air disaster occurred on 6 February 1958, when British European Airways Flight 609 crashed on its third attempt to take off from a slush-covered runway at Munich-Riem Airport in Munich, West Germany. On board the plane was the Manchester United football team, nicknamed the "Busby Babes",...
in early 1958. England had also suffered a further loss of confidence following poor form in a pre-season tour of the Americas, losing three games in a row to Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
, Peru
Peru national football team
The Peru national football team, known as 'el equipo inca', represents Peru in international football competition and is managed by the Peruvian Football Federation . The team competes against the other nine members of FIFA's CONMEBOL conference, which encompasses the countries of South America...
4–1 and Mexico
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
. An 8–1 victory over a weak United States
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
in the final match did little to raise their spirits.
The title was shared between three teams who were unable to beat each other but all managed a victory over the hapless Irish. The Scots started well, with a 4–0 drubbing of their opponents in Belfast whilst the English and Welsh played out a tame draw. This set the tone for the tournament, with the Irish losing their subsequent matches with more respectable scorelines but still unable to gain a point. The Scots could not capitalise on their good start and were held by England and Wales in their subsequent matches whilst the Welsh took their draws and narrowly beat Ireland in their last match to claim their own third share of the title. Goal difference was not at this stage used to differentiate between the teams. if it had been, Scotland would have won with Wales and England again tied for second.
Table
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 | −6 |
The points system worked as follows:
- 2 points for a win
- 1 point for a draw
Results
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