The first message about a new tournament, unknown in the Soviet Union, came in mid-March. Answering a question from a Krasnyi Sport correspondent, the All-Union Council of Physical Culture chairman Vasiliy Mantsev said: "During the break between the championship halves, the USSR Cup will be played with the participation of 40 teams playing according to the Olympic system (elimination tournament)."[1]
On May 11, on the first page of "Krasnyi Sport" a medium-sized article appeared under a large heading: "FOR THE USSR CUP." It spoke in detail about... the upcoming championship. In the final lines, the newspaper reported that "the composition of the autumn championship of the Soviet Union will be determined depending on the results of the spring championship and the USSR Football Cup." Only a week later, the main sports body, realizing what was happening, separated the Cup from the championship. However, unrest among colleagues continued. On May 22, on the eve of the opening of the first union championship, one Leningrad newspaper stated: "Football games for the national championship will be held according to the Olympic system. The losing team is eliminated. All teams are divided into three groups - "A", "B" and "C".
Leading football specialist Mikhail Romm had to carry out explanatory work among the population those who were writing and reading. On June 1, on the pages of "Krasnyi Sport", he conducted a lesson on educational training and figuratively, in an accessible form, explained to the listeners that "championship in the "everyone with everyone" system (round-robin) is like a 5,000 meters race. It requires a "full lungs breathing", the ability to a stubborn and long-term tension, taking into account all chances. It allows even losses and draws but presupposes a high moral and sports form of the team throughout the long battle path." Romm compared the competitions of the Olympic system (elimination) to the 100 meters race, where "you can't stall at the start line, that is, one or two meters in the middle of the distance. There are no draws here. Here there is either a defeat that knocks the team out of action, or a victory that allows you to advance one step towards the finish line." In the Olympic system, a team's ability to make a short, concentrated effort is revealed... The "everyone against everyone" (round-robin) competition reveals the truly strongest team. In the "Olympic" (elimination) sometimes the weaker team wins but is able to compensate for the lack of class with temperament, tenacity, and the will to win over the course of several meetings."
The regulations developed were strict and grueling. In the event of a draw, half an hour was added to regular time: two halves of 15 minutes each. If there was no winner, another 15 minute was added until the first goal. Well, if the balls flew past the goal post, a replay was scheduled. And so on until one would turn blue in the face.
The starter fired on July 18, 1936. About two dozen matches took place that day. Due to the paucity of information, it is impossible to identify who scored the first Soviet cup goal.
Participating teams
For a long time, the authorities could not decide on the number of participants. In March, they were talking about forty[1] teams: to the two dozen teams of masters they were going to add about the same number from the outside. Later the conditions were specified and announced in mid-May: "128 teams will fight for the Soviet Cup: 23 of them are participants in the Soviet football championship calendar (Soviet League competitions) and no more than 105 other teams from among those who have declared their desire join the Cup draw." The exact numbers of those who applied and played have never been established. During the tournament, right up to the final, they varied from 84 to 97... 93 teams promised to play, but 82 kept their word.[1]
Y Dinamo Rostov-na-Donu Y Stroiteli Baku YDinamo Odessa Y Dinamo Kazan Y Lokomotiv Tbilisi Y Spartak Kharkov YUgolschiki Stalino Y Lokomotiv Kiev
Y Trakotrny Zavod Kharkov Y Krylia Sovetov Moscow Y Dinamo Piatigorsk Y Stal Dnepropetrovsk Y Avtozavod imeni Molotova Gorkiy
Y Dinamo Baku Y Dinamo Gorkiy Y Stakhanovets Kadiyevka Y Vympel Kiev Y KinAp Odessa Y Kolkhoz imeni Chapayeva Kiev Oblast
Y Dinamo Aktyubinsk Y MedKombinat Alaverdi Y Farvorovyi Zavod Baranovka Y Dinamo Batumi Y Dzerzhinets Bezhitsa Y Dinamo-Trudkommuna Bolshevo Y Dinamo Chelyabinsk Y Zavod imeni Dzerzhinskogo Dneprodzerzhinsk Y Lokomotiv Dnepropetrovsk YZavod imeni Petrovskogo Dnepropetrovsk
Y Spartak Ivanovo Y Zenit Izhevsk Y Spartak Kalinin Y Arsenal Kiev Y Bolshevik Kiev Y Spartak Kiev Y ElektroMash Zavod Kharkov Y KhPZ Kharkov Y Lokomotiv Kharkov Y Serp i Molot Kharkov
Y Dzerzhinets Kolomna Y Stal (Zavod imeni Frunze) Konstantinovka Y Dinamo Krasnodar Y Dinamo Krivoi Rog Y Gornyak Krivoi Rog Y Dinamo Kuibyshev Y Spartak Kuibyshev Y Trudovaya Kommuna Kungur Y Burevestnik Leningrad Y Lokomotiv Leningrad
Y Dinamo-Trudkommuna Lyubertry Y Zavod imeni Kirova Makeyevka Y Zavod imeni Lenina Mariupol YDinamo Minsk Y Burevestnik Moscow Y CDKA-2 Moscow Y Dinamo-2 Moscow Y Energiya Moscow Y Infizkult Moscow Y Lokomotiv-2 Moscow
Y Pravda Moscow Y Proletarskaya Pobeda Moscow Y Rekord Moscow Y Rodina Moscow Y Zavod imeni Marti Nikolayev Y Krasnoye Znamia Noginsk Y Spartak Omsk Y Krasnoye Znamia Orekhovo-Zuyevo Y Snaiper Podolsk Y Burevestnik Rostov-na-Donu
Y DonGosTabFabrika Rostov-na-Donu Y Morskoy Zavod Sevastopol Y DKA Smolensk Y Dzerzhinets-STZ Stalingrad Y Krasny Oktyabr Stalingrad Y Dinamo Sverdlovsk Y Dinamo Voronezh Y Lokomotiv Voronezh Y Krasnoye Znamia Yegoryevsk Y Krylia Sovetov Zaporozhye
Source: []
Notes
Withdrawn teams (no games played): CDKA-2 Moscow, Krasny Oktyabr Stalingrad, Krasnoye Znamia Orekhovo-Zuyevo, Gornyak Krivoi Rog, Dinamo Kuibyshev, Spartak Kuibyshev, Spartak Kalinin, Dinamo Baku, Dinamo Kiev, Dinamo Moscow, Avtozavod imeni Molotova Gorkiy, Dinamo Dnepropetrovsk (total 12)[a]
Dinamo Kiev squad was involved in creating the 1936 film Goalkeeper (Vratar).
The Kharkiv team tried to protest the match result due to poor refereeing, but their appeal was declined. While not refereeing for this match, one of referees Viktor Ryabokon was the president of the Lokomotiv sports society.
The match was interrupted due to lack of lighting and its extra time never played. It was decided to replay the match on 20 August and this match was annulled.
In the world of the Soviet football the teams from the RSFSR often were split into two/three categories: Moscow, Leningrad and the rest of RSFSR or Capital cities and the rest of RSFSR.
