SPOTLIGHT ON THE LEAGUE

"Spotlight on the league"  takes on the oldest competition of this sport: THE FA CUP.

IN THE BEGINNING, THERE WAS THE FA CUP
The first Football Association Cup was held in 1871-1872, and was won by the London Wanderers. The tournament was initially open only to amateur clubs; but a mere 10 years later the competition also hosted  professional teams. It is famous for being a place where underdogs can live out their personal football fairy tale, by becoming "giant killers". The current holder of the Cup, Wigan, was able to steal the trophy from the millionnaire-financed Manchester City, and is the most recent example of this history of big upsets.
The tournament also has a sizeable number of participants: at every possible level of the game, this year's edition brings together 737 clubs.
If you take into consideration the fact that draws are resolved with replay matches, which has sometimes meant that two teams have played up to six times in order to determine a winner, you can more than appreciate the intensity of such a competition.

THE MANY LANGUAGES OF THE FA CUP
The trophy has been won only once by a non-English team: Cardiff City, in 1927. Funnily enough, it is also the only team to have won the national cup of two different countries in the same season, as Cardiff City also conquered the Welsh Cup.
However, in the history of the FA the English squads have faced challenges coming from both Scottish and Irish teams and, with the qualification of Guernsey F.C. in the present edition, from the Channel Islands.


The FA Cup final has traditionally been played at Wembley Stadium since 1923. The only exception was the period between 2001 and 2006, when the London venue was undergoing renovation and the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff became the new one.


THE TROPHY
Although the competition is the oldest in football history, the actual prize is more recent.
Since 1871, the FA Cup has been changed three times. The first cup, the so-called "little tin idol", which was used to make counterfeit half-crown coins was stolen from a Birmingham shoe shop window. The second one, identical to the original trophy, was used until 1910, when the then president of Birmingham City David Gold bought it in an auction at Christie's.
The third cup has somewhat of an Italian flavour to it: This one was designed and manufactured by the Bradford based Italian jewellery company Fattorini & Sons. Its first keeper was the hometown of the trophy itself, Bradford City.
In spite of its beautiful appearance however, the cup was simply too fragile. That's why, since 1992, the FA Cup has been a copy of Fattorini's work, made by Toye, Kenning & Spencer.

THE CRAZY NUMBERS OF THE FA

CONSECUTIVE WINS
-London Wanderers (1872-1873 and 1876-1877-1878)
-Blackburn Rovers (1884-1885-1886 and 1890-1891)
-Tottenham Hotspur (1961-1962 and 1981-1982)

SO CLOSE, AND YET SO FAR
Leicester City has participated in four finals, losing in all of them.

READY, GET SET, GO!
The fastest goal in an FA Cup final was scored in the 2009 edition by Everton's striker Louis Saha, who sent the ball sailing into Chelsea's net just 25 seconds after the first whistle.

ALWAYS THERE
Didier Drogba is the player who has scored in the most FA Cup finals (2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012).