U Sports, the governing body for Canadian university sport, is investigating after the Vanier Cup was defaced prior to this year’s national championship game. Philippe Asselin of TVA Sports was first to report the news.
When the Montreal Carabins captured the program’s third national championship victory last Saturday, they lifted the trophy and revealed that the letters “FTF” had been engraved on the underside of the wooden base.
That is the motto of the rival Laval Rouge et Or, who won the Vanier Cup in 2024. The letters, which are emblazoned around the team’s locker room and stadium in Quebec City, stand for ‘Force, Travail, Fidélité,’ which translates to ‘Strength, Work, Loyalty.’
U Sports did not immediately respond to 3DownNation‘s request for comment, but told TVA that they were unaware the trophy had been defaced until after it had been presented. They did not provide a timeline for their investigation or detail potential sanctions.
Winning schools are not typically presented with the original Vanier Cup, which was first awarded in 1965, in order to avoid damage. The authentic trophy was only given on this occasion because the replica Vanier was also vandalized. The two plaques commemorating the Carabins’ national titles in 2014 and 2023 were removed and remain missing, rendering that trophy unusable.
Laval had sole possession of the replica from November 2024 until August 2025. It is not clear when the original could have been vandalized and the two acts of defacement may have occurred at different times, as the Rouge et Or have won the Vanier Cup a record 12 times dating back to 1999.
The Montreal Carabins defeated the Saskatchewan Huskies in the 60th Vanier Cup on Saturday, November 22 by a score of 30-16 in front of 8,896 fans at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Sask. Montreal quarterback Pepe Gonzalez, the reigning RSEQ Rookie of the Year, was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
When contacted for a photo of the vandalized trophy, the Carabins indicated they have already edited the ‘FTF’ out of all their photos from the championship ceremony.
