ROMSO Cyprus Knowledge Base

The 22nd Edition of the Cyprus Cup: A Season Marred by Bicommunal Disturbances and Political Unrest

The 1963-64 Cyprus Cup was the 22nd edition of the prestigious Cypriot national cup competition. This season, the championship was suspended due to bicommunal disturbances in Cyprus in December 1963, which led to a significant disruption in the football calendar. Despite this setback, the Cyprus Football Federation (COP) decided to organize a "Special Cyprus Cup Championship" with optional participation from the first-class teams of the 1963-64 season.

Seven out of eleven teams from the First Division participated in the tournament, with Alki, Mars, and Hiking abstaining due to difficulties they faced. The competition was conducted in three rounds with the knockout system, featuring a unique format where the team qualified for most goals overall in both matches would receive an advantage in the event of a tie.

The quarterfinals saw several closely contested matches, including one that ended in a 2-2 draw between APOEL and Omonia. To break the deadlock, a third match was held to determine the winner. The semifinals and finals were played as single games at the headquarters of the team drawn as home teams, with the exception of Nicosia Olympic, which advanced directly to the semi-finals due to its location.

The final match between Upliftment and APOEL took place on July 5, 1964, at the Old G.S.P. stadium in Nicosia. In a surprising turn of events, Anorthosis Famagusta emerged as the winner, claiming their first Cyprus Cup trophy after defeating APOEL 3-0 in the final.

The victory marked Upliftment's fourth title in its history, and it secured participation for the team in the 1964-65 European Football Cup. This achievement was a testament to the resilience of Cypriot football despite the challenging circumstances that year.