U Sports, the governing body of Canadian college sports, is investigating after the Vanier Cup was tampered with before this year's national championship game. Philippe Asselin from TVA Sport was the first to report this news.
When the Montreal Carbines won the program's third national championship last Saturday, they picked up the trophy and discovered that the letters “FTF” were etched into the underside of the wooden base.
This is the motto of rivals Laval Rouge et Or, who will win the Vanier Cup in 2024. The letters adorning the team's locker room and stadium in Quebec City read “Force, Travail, Fidélité,” which translates to “Strength, Work, Fidelity.”
U Sports did not immediately respond to 3DownNationrequest for comment but said TVA that they did not know the trophy was tampered with until after it was presented. They did not indicate a time frame for the investigation or provide details about possible sanctions.
To avoid damage, winning schools are not typically awarded the original Vanier Cup, which was first awarded in 1965. The real trophy was only awarded on this occasion because Vanier's copy had also been vandalized. Two plaques commemorating the 2014 and 2023 carbine national titles were removed and are still missing, rendering the trophy unusable.
Laval had sole ownership of the copy from November 2024 to August 2025. It is unclear when the original may have been vandalized, and the two acts of defacement may have occurred at different times, as Rouge et Or have won the Vanier Cup a record 12 times since 1999.
The Montreal Carabins defeated the Saskatchewan Huskies in the 60th Vanier Cup. on Saturday, November 22nd by a score of 30-16 in front of 8,896 fans at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Sask. Montreal defender Pepe Gonzalez reigning RSEQ Rookie of the Yearwas named the game's Most Valuable Player.
When asked to take a photo of the defaced trophy, the Carbines responded that they had already edited “FTF” into all of their photos from the championship ceremony.
