1937 Soviet Cup

The 1937 Soviet Cup was an association football cup competition of the Soviet Union.
The defending champions and the main team of the People's Commissariat of Railways Lokomotiv Moscow was defeated in semifinals by the main team of the Soviet security forces Dynamo Moscow. Domination of the Dynamo sports society was noticeable with five of its teams were able to reach quarterfinals. The competition was carried out during times known today as the Great Purge.

Participating teams

Source:
;Notes

Dzerzhinets Bezhitsa and Spartak Yerevan were given bye to the second round.
indicates teams that debuted in the competition.
Former team of masters Dinamo Piatigorsk was not included in the competition. Also, the competition missed seven more teams that for the 1937 season were granted status of teams of masters: Spartak Kalinin, Dinamo Tashkent, Dinamo Sverdlovsk, Dinamo Alma-Ata, Sudostroitel Vladivostok, DKA Omsk, Lokomotiv Krasnoyarsk.

Organizational changes

Some 125 teams from more than six dozen cities entered the competition. In regard to numbers among the cities dominated Muscovite teams, while among the sports societies - "Dynamo". The tournament was organized much better, and there was more order. If in the 1936 Soviet Cup about a dozen and a half teams and judges did not show up to the matches, in the 1937 there was not a single no-show.
A big step forward was made in the coverage of the cup tournament. On the eve of the start, "Krasny Sport" published a whole page of the most diverse information: the average age and experience of the participants, information about the holders of the "2nd class GTO" badges, the performances of the team captains, a solid analytical article by Mikhail Romm, a forecast by the chairman of the All-Union Collegium of Judges Vladimir Ryabokon...
The Soviet and Russian football journalist and sport historian Aksel Vartanyan in his the Aksel Vartanyan annals indicated that Dinamo Tbilisi team of masters were considered the favorites of the tournament considering the newspaper articles of that period.

Competition schedule

First round

Lokomotiv Vologda 1-10 CDKA Moskva
SPARTAK Kiev 7-3 Monolit Orekhovo-Zuyevo

Izhorsky Zavod Leningrad 3-3 Spartak Minsk
Avangard Votkinsk 0-8 DINAMO Kazan
DINAMO Batumi 2-0 Stroiteli Baku
DINAMO Gorkiy 5-1 SelMash Lyubertsy
Dinamo Ivanovo 0-4 SPARTAK-2 Moskva
DINAMO Kiev 3-0 DKA BVO Smolensk

DINAMO Kirov 2-1 Krylya Sovetov Gorkiy

DINAMO Krasnoyarsk 4-2 Krylya Sovetov Irkutsk

Dinamo Kungur 1-8 DINAMO Leningrad
Dinamo Kursk 2-6 STALINETS Moskva
Dinamo Lyubertsy 1-3 TORPEDO Gorkiy

Dinamo Minsk 1-4 DINAMO Moskva

DINAMO Odessa 7-0 Krasnoye Znamya Orekhovo-Zuyevo

DINAMO Stalinabad 2-1 Spartak Tashkent

Dinamo Voronezh 0-1 SPARTAK Kharkov

DKA Leningrad 2-1 Krasnoye Znamya Moskva
DZERZHINETS Voroshilovgrad 4-2 Krasnaya Zarya Leningrad

GOLIFK Leningrad 7-2 Metallurg Elektrostal
Industrialny Institut Novocherkassk 1-3 DINAMO Kharkov

KRASNOYE ZNAMYA Noginsk 4-1 Krasny Konditer Moskva
KRYLYA SOVETOV Moskva 3-0 Lokomotiv Kiev
Krylya Sovetov Rybinsk 1-9 SPARTAK Ivanovo
LOKOMOTIV Dnepropetrovsk 7-2 KIM Moskva
LOKOMOTIV Kharkov 3-1 Kirovsky Zavod Leningrad
LOKOMOTIV Serpukhov 2-1 Krylya Sovetov Zaporozhye
Lokomotiv Slavyansk-na-Kubani 0-6 DINAMO Rostov-na-Donu
LOKOMOTIV Tbilisi 4-1 Dinamo Baku
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 1-5 KRASNOYE ZNAMYA Yegoryevsk

Lokomotiv Yasinovataya 0-6 DINAMO Dnepropetrovsk
METALLURG Magnitogorsk 3-1 Dinamo Chelyabinsk
Metallurg Stalingrad 2-3 TORPEDO Moskva

NEFTYANIK Baku 1-0 Dinamo Yerevan
SELMASH Kharkov 1-0 Lokomotiv-2 Moskva

SNIPER Kirov 2-0 Zenit Izhevsk

SPARTAK Novosibirsk 2-0 Metallurg Stalinsk
Spartak Saratov 3-5 SPARTAK Kuibyshev

Stal Konstantinovka 2-5 METALLURG Moskva

Stalinets Leningrad 1-2 AVANGARD Kramatorsk

STROITEL Krivoi Rog w/o Krasnaya Roza Moskva
Stroitel Yerevan 1-6 TEMP Baku
Sudostroitel Nikolayev 0-4 LOKOMOTIV Moskva

Sudostroitel Sevastopol 0-1 ZDOROVYE Kharkov

Sudostroitel Sormovo 0-3 SPARTAK Moskva

Temp Cheboksary 1-9 DINAMO-2 Moskva

TORPEDO Izhevsk 2-1 Spartak Gorkiy
Traktor Chelyabinsk 2-3 DINAMO Omsk
TRAKTOR Kharkov 1-0 Burevestnik Moskva
TRAKTOR Stalingrad 9-1 Dinamo Saratov
ZENIT Kuibyshev 2-0 Spartak Ryazan

Zenit Taganrog 1-9 DINAMO Tbilisi

Zavod imeni Ordzhonikidze Leningrad 3-1 Dzerzhinets Kolomna
Zavod imeni Stalina Kramatorsk 1-6 SPARTAK Dnepropetrovsk
Zavod imeni Stalina Leningrad 2-5 STALINETS Kharkov
ZOLOTOPROFSOYUZ Chita 3-2 Stroitel Komsomolsk-na-Amure

LOKOMOTIV Baku 4-0 DKA Ashkhabad
Stakhanovets Stalino 1-2 SPARTAK Leningrad

DINAMO Bolshevo 2-1 Burevestnik Rostov-na-Donu
Dinamo Irkutsk 0-2 DINAMO Novosibirsk

Stal Dnepropetrovsk 0-2 ENERGIYA Moskva
Zavod imeni Petrovskogo Dnepropetrovsk 0-1 PRAVDA Moskva

First round replays

Izhorsky Zavod Leningrad 1-3 SPARTAK Minsk

Second round

SPARTAK Leningrad 5-0 Pravda Moskva

Avangard Kramatorsk 0-0 SelMash Kharkov
CDKA Moskva 5-0 Torpedo Izhevsk

Dinamo Batumi 0-1 NEFTYANIK Baku
Dinamo Krasnoyarsk 2-3 SPARTAK Novosibirsk

DINAMO Odessa 3-1 Zdorovye Kharkov

Dinamo Omsk 1-5 DINAMO Kazan
DINAMO Rostov-na-Donu 8-1 Energiya Moskva
Dzerzhinets Bezhitsa 4-6 SPARTAK Dnepropetrovsk
DZERZHINETS Voroshilovgrad 2-1 Traktor Kharkov

KRASNOYE ZNAMYA Noginsk 3-0 Spartak Minsk

Krasnoye Znamya Yegoryevsk 0-3 DINAMO Moskva

LOKOMOTIV Dnepropetrovsk 3-2 Metallurg Moskva

Lokomotiv Kharkov 1-6 LOKOMOTIV Moskva

Lokomotiv Serpukhov 1-5 DINAMO-2 Moskva

LOKOMOTIV Tbilisi 3-1 Temp Baku
Metallurg Magnitogorsk 0-5 DINAMO Leningrad

Sniper Kirov 0-8 GOLIFK Leningrad
Spartak Ivanovo 1-2 DINAMO Gorkiy
SPARTAK Kharkov 4-1 DKA Leningrad

SPARTAK Kiev w/o Dinamo Dnepropetrovsk
Spartak Kuibyshev 1-4 TORPEDO Moskva

Stalinets Kharkov 1-5 KRYLYA SOVETOV Moskva
STALINETS Moskva 2-1 Spartak-2 Moskva

Stroitel Krivoi Rog 0-3 DINAMO Kharkov
TORPEDO Gorkiy 4-0 Zenit Kuibyshev

ZiO Leningrad 1-8 DINAMO Kiev

Dinamo Kirov 2-4 DINAMO Bolshevo
DINAMO Tbilisi 4-1 Spartak Yerevan

SPARTAK Moskva 3-2 Traktor Stalingrad

ZolotoProfSoyuz Chita 0-1 DINAMO Novosibirsk

LOKOMOTIV Baku 5-2 Dinamo Stalinabad

Second round replays

AVANGARD Kramatorsk 1-0 SelMash Kharkov

Third round

CDKA Moskva 2-1 Dinamo-2 Moskva

KRYLYA SOVETOV Moskva 3-0 Dzerzhinets Voroshilovgrad

Dinamo Gorkiy 0-5 DINAMO Kiev

Dinamo Kharkov 0-2 LOKOMOTIV Moskva

DINAMO Moskva 5-2 Torpedo Gorkiy

DINAMO Tbilisi 3-0 Neftyanik Baku

Spartak Dnepropetrovsk 0-1 DINAMO Rostov-na-Donu

SPARTAK Kharkov 3-2 Lokomotiv Dnepropetrovsk

SPARTAK Kiev 3-0 Avangard Kramatorsk
Spartak Leningrad 0-3 DINAMO Odessa

GOLIFK Leningrad 2-1 Stalinets Moskva
Spartak Moskva 1-1 Krasnoye Znamya Noginsk

TORPEDO Moskva 2-1 Dinamo Bolshevo

Dinamo Leningrad 0-1 SPARTAK Novosibirsk

LOKOMOTIV Tbilisi 3-1 Lokomotiv Baku

DINAMO Kazan 6-0 Dinamo Novosibirsk

Third round replays

SPARTAK Moskva 5-0 Krasnoye Znamya Noginsk

Fourth round

DINAMO Kazan 6-0 Spartak Novosibirsk
DINAMO Moskva 3-2 GOLIFK Leningrad

DINAMO Kiev 4-2 Torpedo Moskva

DINAMO Odessa 4-0 Krylya Sovetov Moskva

DINAMO Tbilisi 4-0 Lokomotiv Tbilisi

LOKOMOTIV Moskva 2-0 Dinamo Rostov-na-Donu

SPARTAK Kharkov 4-0 Spartak Kiev

CDKA Moskva 1-0 Spartak Moskva

Quarterfinals

LOKOMOTIV Moskva 4-1 Spartak Kharkov

CDKA Moskva 3-1 Dinamo Odessa

DINAMO Tbilisi 2-1 Dinamo Kiev

DINAMO Moskva 5-1 Dinamo Kazan

Semifinals

CDKA Moskva 0-1 DINAMO Tbilisi

DINAMO Moskva 4-1 Lokomotiv Moskva

Top goalscorers

Statistical data is incomplete and based on rounds starting from the fourth round.

Scorer	Team	Goals
Vasiliy Smirnov	Dinamo Moscow	6
Mikhail Semichastny	Dinamo Moscow	5
Gaik Andriasov	Lokomotiv Moscow	4
Sergei Ilyin	Dinamo Moscow	4
Mikhail Berdzenishvili	Dinamo Tbilisi	4

Issues

Scandal in Nikolayev

The referee appointed by the All-Union Committee of Physical Culture did not show up for the game between Nikolayev's Sudostroitel and the cup winner, Moscow's Lokomotiv. This story made a lot of noise in the central press. And in the local press. The situation was explained by the Nikolayev newspaper "Za yakist i tempy" on May 28, 1937.
This illegal decision caused justified indignation among spectators, who demanded that the leaders of the physical culture organizations of the plant and the city resolutely protest this decision."
The newspaper "Krasny Sport" expressed its attitude to the incident on May 29 in an article entitled "MATCH "LOKOMOTIV" - "SUDOSTROITEL" MUST TAKE PLACE". Having briefly outlined the facts known to us, the newspaper concluded:
Indeed, petitioners set out from Nikolaev to the capital on behalf of the city's factory, party and sports organizations in the hope of finding the truth in the highest offices of the main physical culture department. They went to Comrade Kharchenko not empty-handed, but with a petition drawn up by Nikolaev residents Ponomarenko and Satanovsky. Its content adds some rather curious details to what has already been said:
The illogical, contradictory, convulsive movements of the physical culture committee mean one thing: the order for Kharchenko to leave Nikolayev was imposed from the outside. Those who know the political coordinate system of the 1930s and the name of the patron of "Lokomotiv" will easily guess which way the wind was blowing. It is more difficult to believe in the coincidence of the synchronized actions of the railway and physical culture departments. The petitioners were knocking on the wrong doors. Even if they had been knocking on the right ones, what difference would it make. While the petitioners were knocking on the thresholds, the train left.

Security police scare tactics

in his "Annals" mentions that at least at local level NKVD was using scare tactics to help own football teams.
The oil workers of Azerbaijan were unlucky. A harsh fate handed them over to the internal affairs agencies of two neighboring republics - the Dynamo players of Yerevan, Batumi and Tbilisi. The Armenians were persuaded in Baku, and in Batumi, where "Neftyanik" beat the hosts with the same score, the team was subjected to a real, without quotes, interrogation after the game. The incident in the Adjara capital became known from a letter signed by 17 Baku football players.
Having miraculously freed themselves from the tenacious embrace of the Batumi investigators, they even tried to find out the name of the violator of Soviet laws!
The story had a sequel. A week later, the oil workers appeared before the Tbilisi "investigators". Having learned from bitter experience, they behaved correctly and did not give any reason for arrest: without scoring a single goal, they lost 0:3. Satisfied with the results of the "interrogation", the Tbilisi "NKVD" officers found no evidence of a crime in their actions and let them go in peace.

Nine goals in one match legend

Many years later, a rumor began to circulate that all nine goals against Saratov team were scored by Aleksandr Ponomarev, who worked at the Stalingrad Tractor Plant in the pre-war years. In his book "Moskovsky Futbol", Konstantin Yesenin published a conversation with Ponomarev. It took place in 1972, a year before the death of the player. Yesenin immediately took the bull by the horns:
As for the Stalingrad newspapers, Ponomarev was wrong: he had no idea. The newspaper clearly recorded the minutes of the balls that entered the goal, but mentioned the scorer only once, during the first one, that was scored in the 6th minute: "Ponomarev scores the first goal against the Dynamo players with a precise volley." Other Stalingrad newspapers were equally unforthcoming. There was a snag with Protsenko too. He could not play in that match, since he would transfer to Traktor Stalingrad later, in 1938. No other documentary evidence was found to confirm that record.

Number of teams by union republic

Notes:

Out of the RSFSR team, Moscow was represented with 7 and 11 teams and 18 teams in total. That was almost half of all championship teams. At the same time, Leningrad was represented with 4 and 6 teams and 10 teams in total.
The team from Smolensk represented the Belarusian Military District and competed in the Belarusian football competitions.