Mickey Mouse cup

“Mickey Mouse Cup” is a subjective term in football, particularly in English football. The term was first coined by fans of Manchester United as a way of disparaging their rivals Liverpool’s success in competitions such as the League Cup while United were consistently challenging for and winning the Premier League and European Cup. The term has been applied to lesser Confederation competitions such as the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup. “Mickey Mouse” itself originated as rhyming slang for Scouser, a person from Liverpool.

The English Football League Cup is often referred to as the “Mickey Mouse Cup” by larger Premier League clubs. The perception of a cup as “Mickey Mouse” may not be universal, since smaller and lower standard competitions give a chance for lower league clubs to win silverware, and additionally gain extra revenue from playing a much larger club.

Often, a club that perceives a competition as a “Mickey Mouse Cup” – usually a stronger Premier League side – will field a weakened, reserve or youth team in the competition, resting more high-profile players and further weakening the perception of the competition. However, this often has the effect of giving chances to play to developing players, who may progress into the first team.

The term may also be applied to a competition to intentionally disparage the winning of it by a rival side, or to minimize the importance of the competition to a club if knocked out. This may be done as part of a mind game with rival clubs in other competitions, or for reasons to maintain team morale.

The term has been used as a nickname for the Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic, a preseason tournament played by teams in the Major League Soccer, a league that itself has been called a “Mickey Mouse League”.

The terms Mickey Mouse Treble and Mickey Mouse Double have been used subjectively to disparage the winning of what are perceived as multiple lesser trophies by larger clubs in a single season, in comparison to the European treble and the Double. Such terms are usually applied by a rival club.

The term has also been used to undermine football referees.

It has become popular amongst Australian Football League fans when referring to the fruitless and seldom taken seriously NAB Cup.