Allerdings sind auch südamerikanische Nationalteams wie Brasilien und Argentinien seit Ewigkeiten als sehr gute Mannschaften bekannt. Und das zurecht. Legenden des Sports wie Pele und Maradona oder die Helden der Neuzeit wie Messi und Neymar sind ein Synonym für Erfolg und unglaubliche individuelle Klasse. Dennoch ist es schwierig gegen die Europäischen Nationalmannschaften und für Teams wie Argentinien und Brasilien zu argumentieren, wenn man über die Besten der Besten spricht. Das aus gutem Grund: Europäische Teams haben die letzten vier Weltmeisterschaften gewonnen. Mit Argentinien stand nur einmal ein südamerikanisches Team in einem Finale der letzten 16 Jahre. 

Brasilien dominierte den Weltfußball

Das war aber selbstverständlich nicht immer der Fall. Es ist noch nicht lange her, dass Brasilien seines Zeichens die wohl beste Mannschaft der Welt war und in jedes Turnier als Favorit ging. Dies resultierte in drei Weltmeisterschaftstitel in vier Turnieren, von 1958 bis 1970, unter der Führung von Pele und dann wiederum in zwei von drei Möglichen Weltmeisterschaften von 1994 bis 2002. Ähnlich sieht es mit Argentinien aus, das von 1978 bis 1990 in vier Weltmeisterschaften dreimal im Finale stand und zweimal den Titel für sich verbuchen konnte.

Die aktuelle Entwicklung, wirft die Frage auf, was mit der südamerikanischen Fußballdominanz passiert ist. Klar ist, Brasilien und Argentinien haben nicht plötzlich aufgehört Weltklasse Talente zu produzieren, denn dies kann wöchentlich live verfolgt werden. Allerdings nicht in Südamerika, sondern in Europa! Und genau hier liegt das Problem. Das heimische Produkt schwächelt, weil die besten Spieler in jungen Jahren nach Europa gehen. Die südamerikanischen Vereine, die die Erstausbildung der jungen Talente leisten, schauen in die Röhre und müssen weiter ausbilden – mit dem gleichen Endresultat und das während die Spieler in Europa zu Superstars werden und ihren neuen Vereinen zu Siegen verhelfen. Das wird besonders ersichtlich, wenn man sich die Online-Wettquoten verschiedener Wettanbieter für europäische Vereine, wie Real Madrid oder FC Bayern München ansieht.  

Talente werden “europäisiert”

Europäischen Vereine werfen mit Geld um sich und haben dementsprechend Möglichkeiten, die südamerikanische Vereine nicht haben. So werden die besten Talente teilweise schon im Kindesalter rekrutiert und in Europa in ein Fußballinternat gesteckt, denn Geld spielt hier keine Rolle. Für viele dieser jungen Talente, ist mit Europa noch immer der Traum  von einem finanziell besseren Leben verbunden. Somit werden diese Talente aber auch „europäisiert“ und sind nicht lange genug in Argentinien oder Brasilien vor Ort, um eine „nationale Identität“ zu entwickeln bzw. um ihren Heimatvereinen zu Erfolgen zu verhelfen. 

Die finanzielle Übermacht der europäischen Vereine ist so erdrückend, dass Südamerika zwar nicht die Talente ausgehen, aber die meisten fluchtartig das Land verlassen. Das mag ein Segen für die Europäischen Vereine und Nationalmannschaften sein, die nun über einen unendlichen Talentpool verfügen, aber für die internationale Wettkampfstärke ist dies offensichtlich negativ, wie die letzten Ergebnisse südamerikanischer Vereine zeigten. In der modernen Welt des Fußballkapitalismus zählt nur das Geld und solange Europa mehr zahlen kann als südamerikanische Vereine, wird sich an den Zuständen nichts ändern. 

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Albacete

Rayo welcomed another ideological rival as the Ultras of Albacete have traditionally and continue to be strong supporters of Spanish right wing politics. This no more so represented by the signing of Vallecas’ public enemy number one, Roman Zuzulia. To refresh your memories, in January of this year Rayo completed the signing of the Ukranian only for a mass fan campaign and repeated demonstrations at the training ground lead to him being sent back to Real betis. The reason? That he was a vocal supporter of a Ukranian neo-Nazi political group, to which there has been much debate about. The case received widespread international coverage and his presence had been one of the things Rayo fans had spoke about since he completed his move to Albacete.

His abscense coupled with the kick off time meant the stadium was as empty as it had been all season with large empty spaces particularly in the corners. Luckily there is noChinese audiance to cater to in the second division meaning no fine is awaiting the club (See Celta Vigo case). When I ask my friend why the stadium is so empty, he tells me in a tone that portrays the answer is obvious that ‘it’s the hour of siesta’, enough said.

The game truthfully is as poor as Rayo have been at home, controlling the ball and the majority of the play as per usual but creating very little except the goal as the players give the fans present the siesta experiencing they have given up by attending the match. The match finishes 1-1 after Raul de Tomás gets a late equaliser for Rayo following a second half onslaught.

The game and the atmosphere is one of the most disappointing ive experienced this season. Even the post match beer in the Moreno is void of any real life, maybe due to lack of talking points from the match itself.

Flickr / Tom Brogan

Real Zaragoza (away)

I’ve never been to Chicago, nor do I see myself visiting anytime soon. However it is hard to imagine a city more deserving of the title ‘Windy City’ than Zaragoza. From the moment I exit the car until the moment I re-enter it the next day I am lashed with rain so strong that my face is continually squinting  until the following Wednesday. The city is peculiar, a stunning historic centre but such a large sprawling modern mediocre suburb dilutes the beauty of the centre. The day begins with a menu of the day and very nice Aragon red wine which gives a temporary retreat from the wind, however we are soon thrown into full of its powers on the 40 minute walk to the stadium which is accompanied by a few beers for the walk. The work introduces us to another peculiar feature of the city, the absence of people. Perhaps due to the hour but we see about 7 people in total on the walk, while even around the stadium there is little atmosphere that would be reminisce that of a football match.

The match itself is a thriller. Rayo have two clear chances but el Torero (Raul de Tomas) fluffs both which is costly as Zaragoza score from a corner before adding a second through a nicely worked move. The goals do little to dampen us and all of the 300 or so Rayo fans do not stop singing throughout half time while Zaragoza’s never begin. Zaragoza have two sets of ultras which are ideologically separated and this split is visually represented by the two of them being located in opposing ends of the stadium. Despite their political passions, this is not reflected in the support as they fail to generate much noise or passion in the stadium. Rayo begin the second half strongly and score two goals with talisman Oscar Trejo sending our small section even more delirious. As Rayo send more and more forward in search of the victory, Zaragoza rob possession and break to score a decisive third goal. While frustrated the travelling remain in the now deserted stadium singing to the bemused stewards.

Bizarrely as we decide to make our way home, one of the group makes the declaration that he has not brought anything other than his tracksuit bottoms leading to us searching for a shop in the suburbs of Zaragoza at 9pm on a Saturday evening. Slightly tipsy we stumble into what appears to be Zaragoza opera house and are received by hundreds of well dressed manyos (name given to Zaragoza natives) enjoying their pre-show drinks and all simultaniously turning to look at five men in football shirts. The night itself is jovial and the narrow tapas bar filled streets of Zaragoza around the cathedral are well worth a visit but there is no repeat of Cadiz of hundreds of Rayo fans joined by our Cadiz counterparts taking over the streets.

Barcelona B

Due to sickness I was not passed fit to attend the game, which Rayo scraped a 1-0 win courtesy of Oscar Trejo.

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The crime

It was almost 18 months ago that FIFA suspended the financing of the two footballing bodies tasked with managing Latin American football (CONMEBOL and CONCACAF). While there were numerous allegations, the principal factor in the decision was a response to FBI arrests and fraud accusations. These accusations targeted the very leaders of the organisations including Jack Werner and Jeffery Webb who at the time were president and ex-President of CONCACAF.  To refresh our memories, The FBI assumed the role as the moral protectors of the beautiful game largely due to the head of American Football’s, Chuck Blazer, admission that he had accepted a number of bribes in the selection of World cup hosts between 1998 and 2011 having been found guilty of another corruption scandal. As part of his admission he agreed to assist in a large scale operation against other CONCACAF and FIFA representatives.  The investigation ended in 39 arrests, 12 of who were from CONCACAF, while it was estimated that 68% of representatives from tat very organisation were corrupt.

The extraordinary and now much covered corruption of CONCACAF officials was unravelled from one particular deal which involved a $100m bribery scheme. The scandal centred around one particular company, Datisa, which since the scandal has completely disappeared from record with no trace of it’s history or existence appearing in any searches. Datisa was a joint project between three media Latin American media companies, Traffic group, Full play and Torneos. The infamous $100m was set to be divided amongst various leaders in exchange for the rights of the 2016, 2019 and 2023 editions of the Copa America. The scheme plus information from Blazer revealed the nature as to how for years officials had devalued the television rights of major sporting events in return for bribes has much hindered the development of football in the region often starving the poorest nations of key sources of funding.

The accused and their sentence

The corruption ran and undoubtedly continues to run into the lower ranks of the game however the major players involved in the television scandal were most of the major Players in North and Central American football as well as numerous media powerhouses.

Chuck Blazer: The man who started the chain of events died earlier this year having cooperated with the FBI to receive a reduced sentence of a lifetime football banning order as well as being stripped of a number of personal assets.

Alfredo Hawit, ex-President of Honduran football, was charged multiple counts of bribery along with racketeering conspiracy amongst other charges. The main charges related to Hawit exercising his influence as President in influencing liscensing contracts in exchange for cash while also having further charges for tampering with evidence and witnesses.

After being detained in Switzerland, Eduardo Li, president of Costa Rican Football, was extradited to the United states and given a life time ban from Football and given a house arrest sentence.

Jeffrey Webb, the man who was supposed to clear up the corruption following the dismissal of corruption kingping Jack Werner, continues to throw lavish parties and shows little sign of being effected by pending trial. Webb will most likely face a houst arrest as well as being stripped of a number of assets in addition to a lifetime ban from the game.

Julio Rocha López plead guilty in an American court to charges or racketeering and wire fraud conspiracy and is awaiting sentence.

Wiki commons/ FBI led FIFA arrests

The aftermath and the reform

The initial response to the scandal was batton down the hatches and continue mentality as Webee succeeded Werner with the television deals appearing just as devalued as prior to the Copa America scandal. However the involvement of European FA’s pressure on FIFA, it has demanded a period of change which in turn is beginning to affect the footballing periphery. Th immediate effect is that the Concacaf powerbase has shifted north with new Canadian president, Victor Montagliani, assuming power. At the very least this makes him more accountable to a fiscally competent law enforcement which  Werner and Webbe never were.

Montagliani has also been entrusted with the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors of FIFA Ticketing AG, another area which has been historically abused by its occupier. Thus far the Canadian has talked a good game stressing the importance of footballing values over corporate ones while simultaneously trying to make corporate relations long lasting ones with partners who are prepared to reinvest into the game. This summer’s gold cup for example had nowhere near the amount of scrutiny and corruption claims ass the last one, both on the field and off it.

That being said, there are still many challenges ahead for Montagliani. The first will be preventing regional opposition to him due to the diversity of interests within the orgnisation. While he may lead the organisation, there is nothing to prevent national powers coercing with others to form obstacles and power blocks as these smaller national presidents have for decades been used to receiving a fortune in bribes and other forms due to the corporate culture with CONCACAF. The second is inevitably the strength of the media and sponsors who were implicit within the corruption scandals. These companies bare a significant part of the revenue for the organisation and still have immense structural power at their disposal.  Although the TV licensing for this world cup are resolved, Montagliani will face his first major challenge under the public eye in assuring transparency of merchandising and sponsorship deals.

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Signing of peace agreement. Source: Wiki commons

Any such reconciliation process entails drawing on common interests and goals as a means to an end. Drawing on the popular national interest and fanaticism, one of these could well be football and sport more generally. It is clear from the accounts of numerous journalists and palaeontologists who have spent time in the remote mountains with the FARC that there is a passion for the game amongst the soldiers, both in terms of games between them and the fact that many wear the shirts of famous teams and players. Football of course has a long history of building bridges among fractured groups. From the first British settlers in South America who set up clubs that ended up bridging links between them and locals to the number of movements around Europe aimed at helping the most recent wave of immigration from the various conflicts around Africa.

Conflict between projects

Earlier this year a lot had been made in the media about an agreement under the act “Educación, formación y cultura para la paz y para el posconflicto, Fútbol y Paz” which was supposedly part of an attempt to socialise members whom in many cases have spent their whole lives outside of contact with general public. The act supposedly granted 4 new football teams made up of ex-FARC soldiers entrance to various professional, masculine and feminine, national leagues.

Numerous ex-footballers had been responsible for the founding of the project including Alfonso Cañón, Bonner Mosquera and Faustino Asprilla. The players are not merely there to lend credibility to the project but have had a hands on role in the development of ideas and the integration of the teams into the leagues.

Games were to be played in the recently inaugurated estadio municipal de La Paz in Apulo although the local authorities were still yet to officialise this agreement. It all sounded very promising in practice yet there was one fundamental problem, The Farc and those involved have distanced themselves completely from this project questioning the validity of the source.

A lot has been made of La Paz FC and the validity of the claims about FARC soldiers joining the Colombian professional divisions. The extent to which this is true are debateable however there is substance in two parts of the claim, one that The FARC are interested in reintegration through football and two that eventually there are thought on becoming professional players. Edgar Cortés who is involved in the project as a trainer has assured that the project will take a number of years and initially the idea is to be competitive amongst themselves and then eventually move towards joining the professional leagues. Cortés hasset the more short term goal of training thirty players to play in local Colombian leagues while explaning how the fundamentals of football in term of the tactics and positional play bare likeness to the discipline and tactics of Guerrilla warfare.

Socialisation through Football and the challenges

The joint campaign between The Guardian, El Pais, Le Monde and Der Spiegel outlined numerous case studies in their respective countries where refugees had integrated through football teams into and within communities which had enabled some solace from the hardships of being in a new country but also the learning of new skills in cooperating with local authorities and people to play in the football leagues. This has additionally helped with respect to language which although not an issue for FARC soldiers, it is still noticeable the use of peculiar Marxist structures and vocabulary in their form of communication. Certainly the organisation and cooperation with other social institutions is a skill in which FARC soldiers have long since, if ever had to engage in and would offer a small insight for soldiers of the necessity of cooperation within civil society.

Undoubtedly European integration policies through football offer certain examples however it must be noted the drastic different between the two case studies. While arguments could be made by that immigrants have shaped political discourse and divided European nations in recent years, it would be absurd to argue it is to the same extent to which the FARC have done so within Colombia. It is easy to forget that less than a year ago in the vote over reconciliation, a slim majority voted against government measures to pardon the FARC in exchange for peace which suggests significant voting percentage of Colombians still harbor resentment towards the socialist army. In this respect a perhaps fairer comparison would be a program to socially include returning ISIS converts into a major European Football league. Perhaps a seemingly harsh comparison but such was the divide the FARC created within country it is of equal importance the emphasis on the general public’s acceptance of reintegration programs.

Wiki commons

This is where media attention for Ex-Soldiers where they are discussing and playing football rather than Marxism and with guns could be an effective tool in humanising the ex-members in the eyes of urban Colombia. There have already been examples of rogue arms of the FARC denouncing the peace agreement and returning to arms by attacking military bases, events which are likely to be exaggerated in the media by opponents of President Santos as a means to challenge for office. Thus public image is just as important, the de-stigmatisation of those fighting for the FARC will be equally as vital to the country in order for it to move on as it will be for ex-combatants.

Football and sports programs are not going to resolve more than half a century of civil war and political rift within Colombia but they give an insight into the difficulties and possible solutions in terms of social policy reform necessary to incorporate the Marxist army into the wider Colombian society.

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I get a beer from the bar on the corner and prompt the Rayo fan next to me to inform me as to why there are so many Osasuna fans to which he responds that they are traditionally a leftist club so there is a shared ideology between them and ‘us’. Although to my knowledge there is no official friendship, clearly there exists something as the mood is jovial and the Osasuna fans are happy to listen to Rayo fans describing their cause against Presa while handing them stickers to wear.

The match starts with Rayo asking more questions offensively until predictably Osasuna score from a corner. Rayo carry on probing after the goal but the lack of a natural centre forward to pose questions by running in behind is again the weakness and they trail at the break. The pacy winger Lass should in theory provide this option in behind however his inability to understand the game of football hinders his ability to do this effectively.

If you recall the last game there had been a number of issues between the stewards and a small section of the home fans. I had wondered mid week if this would have been something the board would look to resolve through communication or through the puzzling approach of non-fan communication which seems to be current club policy.

At half time coincidentally as I was going down to the bathrooms I appeared to stumble across the answer. There was a commotion between a section of the fans and one member of security. I was told that the man had simply been banging on the stand as an impromptu drum to add emphasis to a chant. This of course prompted tens of fans to surround the security demanding he leave to pleas from him saying that he has orders and there’s nothing he can do. Any empathy I had for the humble man simply doing his job was quickly replaced by a slight sense of triumphant euphoria in forcing the retreat of the tyrannical Rayo security. As I made my way up the stand, again coincidentally, there was a similar event on going but this time with 4 police officers in full riot gear who were again outnumbered quickly and forced to retreat. The tension this season has undoubtedly grown and these on going events do nothing to lower tensions and Martin Presa nor the club have done nothing to address the issue.

The carnival atmosphere among the Ultras is still present throughout the second half although this mood does not spread to the parallel stands, somewhat telling as to the mood and atmosphere of the normal fan. The introduction of returning Chori Dominguez does lift the mood a little as he twice goes close while his guile on the ball created at least the hope that an equaliser was possible. Emi Velazquez, now playing for his third Madrid club, has the golden opportunity to equalise five minutes from time as he opens his body slightly too much on a well played cross and his effort grazes the post going agonisingly wide.

Osasuna then break away to score two late goals in Injury time which makes the score line deceitful although credit has to be given to the performance of Osasuna’s defence which was outstanding. We leave the stadium having seen Rayo lost 3-0 twice in 4 days in no mood for a post match drink, this feeling compounded by tomorrow being Monday!

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Momentarily lost I decide to go next door to wait, the bar is crowded and unequipped for such numbers, most of whom would normally be in The Moreno. The atmosphere is not the same and is soured further by Messi scoring for Barcelona just as my friends arrive; many Rayo fans have some allegiance with Real Madrid.

Little mention is there of today’s game as we make our way up the hill for the pre-match botellon, this of course being the first time many of us have met since the last game in June. Little is made either of the previous Rayo game, a 2-3 victory away at Oviedo, nor the summer signings with the exception of a few jokes about exactly how much returning Argentine midfielder Chori Dominguez will weigh. The Argentine, imperious at his best in his first spell with the club yet not a huge fan of diet or defending.

Collect Season Ticket? – 10 minutes before the kick off

With ten minutes before kick-off it is deemed necessary to go and collect the season tickets that could have been collected at any point in the previous month. In typical Spanish fashion the queue for fans collecting season tickets goes round the block meaning the first 5 minutes or so were heard rather than seen for many.

source: Rayo Vallecano/Twitter

I’m get up the stairs just in time to see Rayo have made a blistering start which is followed by an even more blistering 3 minutes in which Rayo score twice and have the Estadio de Vallecas rocking. The joy of the goal absent for two months coupled with the optimism of a new season has the old man next to me swinging his scarf round furiously while the Ultras behind the goal are ecstatic and lead the celebratory post-goal chant of Gloria Gaynor’s hit single I will Survive.

Protest between fans and management

The joy however is short lived as events on the field soon became secondary to the long running protest between fans and the club’s managment. Forget the duel in centre midfield between captain Trashorras and Numancia’s elegant midfielder Diamanka, forget the between and the two sets of strikers and defences, the battle for the remainder of the game is one between the Rayo fans who dared to raise a banner and the stewards.

Debates continued in the bar after as to what the banner said but popular opinion was that it was merely a supporters club who had raised their banner in the 13th minute as a sign that they were anti-Presa, a seemingly harsh reminder of the constraints of modern football. At no point did either the stewards tasked with removing the banner nor the fans who unfurled it return to watch the match nor give up their respective cause. The stadium repeatedly turned to the ongoing pitchside battle throughout shouting either anti Presa shouts or specifically threatening the security guards that they themselves would be removed if they did not desist.

No third goal for Rayo

The impact that this has on the game is undeniable as the tension and whistles directed at the stewards trickled to the players whose confident opening 45 minutes is transformed by the tension in the stands. After Numancia netted the equaliser the feeling of inevitability was replaced by optimism, an all too familiar sensation at Rayo. Its like the players and fans collectively acknowledge that chasing a victory or a draw from the jaws of defeat is their role in football. Despite the late push however Rayo are unable to get the elusive third goal and the perfect start is over.

All in all the feeling of August is inescapable. As the Madrilenos start returning from their holiday this week, the hope among the fans is that players do likewise while Presa and his cronies take a permanent one from the club however unlikely this may be.

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La Segunda as Panenka outlined is where the romance of Spanish football lies. Local bars, no  peculiar kick off times to cater to Eastern audiences, a league in which theoretically any team can be promoted or relegated due to the equality in finances and a large proportion of academy graduates. f la segunda is the romantic league then Rayo Vallecano could put a good claim to be the Hugh Grant of the league, revered by football romantics for valuing traditional ‘footballing’ values long abandoned in most major European leagues.

No Tourists, No business associates

A wander down calle Albufera on match day is unmistakably Madrileño, and even more unmistakably Vallecano. The sense of Barrio is unescapable, the streets in and around the stadium see few cars passing , groups gather in and around the bars while not a tourist or selfie stick is in sight. The political stance of the club is immediate from the posters around the stadium, the huge political murals on the buildings and walls around the neighberhood and the people who frequent the bars. Gone are the tourists who pose with their replica shirts like at Madrid and Atleti, non-existent are the business associates who sip expensive wine while watching on from their boxes, replaced by worn faces who appear to have just put a Rayo scarf or a (non-official) club t-shirt on over their factory uniform.

Rayo’s feeling of ‘other’ is firmly rooted in the club’s DNA stemming from the very neighbourhood from which they hail. There are two factors in their difference from the rest, one arising from injustice of being robbed of its status as a separate municipality and the second is their proud working class status. This municipality of Vallecas has belonged to Madrid since its annexing in 1950, when it became a destination for workers from other parts of Spain. Vallecas continues to be a melting pot of ideas and ideologies with today’s neighborhood having witnessed the arrival of immigrants from Eastern Europe and Latin America as well as having a thriving punk rock scene, understandable why a DIY movement would feel so at home in a working class left wing neighberhood. The neighberhood is still the only district in which the PP(Conservative Party) has never won a seat.

The Rayo tifos are outlandishly creative and wide-ranging pitting the club against racism, corrupt politicians and support national and local workers strikes in recent years. One of the most famous cases that reached national attention was the public persecution of Ukranian international Román Zozulya for his links with extreme right politics. There was also the case where the fans rallied to save an elderly women from being convicted by pressurising the club to pay and raising awareness through flags about re-possesion of houses by banks and lenders.

Only few players receive the spotlight of the fans

Zozulya is one of the few Rayo players to receive the spotlight of the supporters and few player as Quique Peinado outlines in his seminal book about the club, noting players receive no adoration because so many have come and gone that the fans have no attachment to them and view themselves as the true defenders of the club. This adds to the dialectic of detachment yet simultaneous loyalty of the club, the hatred of the board and management, the little affection for the players and yet the willingness to return every week in numbers to support the club and more importantly what it is to be Vallecano. In fact the closest to players being serenaded occurred last season when an under 11’s youth team paraded their runners up medals from a recent tournament around the Vallecas turf. As the young Vallecanos made their way around the stadium to great applause, they reached the stand where the ultras reside and the captain took the megaphone and began to sing Rayo songs to which the whole stadium joined.

The clubs trophy haul is a sum total of zero and the only on field honours would include defeating Real Madrid on a handful of occasions along with reaching the EUFA Cup as a result of the fair play rule. While promotion is the aim, as we go through the trials and tribulations of being a Rayo Vallecano fan this season it is likely to be as much about off the field struggles as on them.

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Everything about the championship seemed very ‘Racing’, the fact that Torneo Apertura that should have lasted just over four months that ended up lasting seven. The fact that they almost squandered the title despite having it seemingly wrapped up weeks earlier. The fact that they won it while technically bankrupt and having ‘ceased to exist’ just two years earlier.

There are various points at which tellers of this tale prefer to start, most give priority to the curse of the 7 dead cats which fans of Independiente are said to have placed behind the goal in the Racing Stadium. During this time Racing went from World champions to title-less for 35 years, that was until the pitch was finally dug up in the year 2000 and it is said the skeleton of the 7^th cat was found. A fascinating and well told anecdote, however in this article more priority will be given to the events surrounding the club’s turbulent bankruptcy period in which the championship victory was sandwiched in between.

A grey day in Avellaneda

On the 4^th March 1999 it was declared in a now infamous statement by Lilliana Ripol that ‘Racing Club Asociacíon Civil ha dejado de existir (Racing club has stopped existing)’. How Racing reached this point was an impressive ability to overachieve in an all too familiar trait in Argentine football of over inflating staff numbers, poor planning and corruption.

While also a factor in the club’s salvation, the crux of the bankruptcy lay in the status of football Club’s within the country.  Typically Football clubs are associations that belong to their members; the structure in reality belongs in its own dimension of organisation somewhere between public and private yet often with Government support in various forms. The disadvantage of this status is that funds are often appropriated by the few who occupy positions of power due to lacking transparency, unlike a typical Public Limited Company other stakeholders (fans) have no financial incentive to see the organisation succeed apart from that it should lead to better results on the field. The management at Racing took this role of little accountability to the brink over the years leading up to 1998/1999 when they had completely neglected to pay numerous accounts while being frivolous with the clubs bankroll. Inevitably this came to a head in 1998 when the bankruptcy claim was placed by a creditor to the Argentine courts who proceeded to investigate the claim.

Bankruptcy

Racing quiebra

After stringent auditing it was revealed that the club owed the sum of $66.5million, a figure which of course by today’s standards seems fairly manageable. Though this was 1998 Argentina and the fees recouped for players were much lower while looming crisis meant less public funds and bank loans were at the disposal of the club.

Despite the decree that the club no longer existed following an inability to pay its debts, the idea that the club would disappear was inconceivable. The fans mobilised quickly, forming protests in all possible ways, they crammed into the stadium despite their being no game and continued to cut off major transport links in Buenos Aires until the agreement was reached to spare the club more time on repayments. One of the iconic images from this period is of a fan walking across the turf on his knees appearing completely unattached from his body and unable to comprehend what is happening to his club. The image became so iconic that it would be imitated 2 years later as Racing players walked across the turf on their knees but this time with tears of joy as they carried the Campeonato along with them.

After a year of uncertainty regarding the clubs capability to raise the required funds to pay the debts and prevent looming insolvency, The Blanquiceleste organisation lead by Fernando Martin and Fernando de Tomaso were approved to become the new owners in a court hearing in La Plata. The ownership was subject to an immediate $15million payment of some of the debts while assuring that the rest would be paid according to a stringent timetable. The experiment with private ownership could hardly have got off to a better start as Racing won the championship in December the following year coming just 2 years after being declared out of existence.

Privatised Crisis

The see-saw between public and private ownership in Argentina is often said to work in 10 year cycles and by 2008 the private experiment of football appeared to be already veering off course.  Reports had shown that Blanquiceleste had been paying debts using the club’s money, thus the transfers of Diego Milito and Lisando López amongst others had merely serviced the debts which fans had thought would be paid by Blanquicelste as part of the deal in return for ownership of the club.

In addition, by this point in 2005 little investment had been made into the club’s decaying infrastructure with the exception of a refurbishment of the youth residence while the debts returned which Balnquiceleste had supposedly resolved. Numerous players, members of staff and creditors had made public that their management was not complying with court guidelines in the repayment of unpaid cheques and interests on debts owed by the club.

By 2007 the campaign against Blanquiceleste had erupted publicly and the Man leading it was none other than Reinaldo Merlo, the manager that had ended Racing’s 35 year wait for a title six years earlier. The manager that originated Diego Simeone’s game-by-game catchphrase had returned to Racing but was later dismissed by the Blanquiceleste management for claims made against them. When released Merlo filed for the bankruptcy of Blanquiceleste for unpaid wages amounting to two and a half million pesos ($800,000est) to him and half a million pesos ($125,000est) to his assistant.  Racing had also defaulted on payments owed to Cerro Porteno  for the transfer of Mingo Salcedo and later to a Paraguayan agent for the transfers of Marcos Cáceres and Érwin Arválos.

Under growing pressure from Racing fans who by this time had mobilised in numbers, Judges of the high court returned ownership to the members and the declaration was made that ‘Blanquiceleste ha dejado de existir’ in an ironic statement parodying that which was made about Racing Club Asociacíon Civil 9 years earlier and thus ending Argentine football’s brief trial with private ownership.

If every club represents a trait of the Country as the cliché goes, River the lavish, educated club from wealthy area, Boca the club of immigrants that went to achieve great success in adopted lands, then Racing undoubtedly represent Argentina’s seemingly perpetual suffering despite such great promise. The tale of a club that looked set for years of domination in the 1950’s and 60’s would then go on to win two trophies in the next 50 years while facing relegation and economic ruin along the way draws similarities to the country’s demise from its economic promise of the early 20^th century to the cyclical crisis it has faced ever since.

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As Ricardo Cenrturion scored the second goal for Boca Juniors against Aldosivi on Saturday, he ran towards the Boca fans while commentator Mariano Closs praised his hard work and thousands of Boca fans on social media and in the ‘real’ world hailed their star man. This was Centurion’s first game since the allegations of his former girlfriend Melisa Tozzi of repeated domestic abuse over a number of months had forced her to reside in a safe house unknown to the Boca player to escape his advances.

Facebook / Boca

In a country where football often runs contrary to the every day realities of the society to which it is entwined, the case of Centurion is a sad reflection of the attitude that exists towards domestic violence both in Argentina but also Latin America more broadly. The passion for foootball in Argentina often excuses inexcusable acts and gaping flaws and errors of human beings due to their ability to kick a football. The obvious case is Diego Maradona who’s beyond cult status has meant many continually overlook his disgraceful track record with regard to domestic violence. Ironically Centurion and Maradona are currently  involved in their own private dispute owing to rumours that Maradona’s on-off girlfriend Rocío Oliva has also maintained a relationship with the Boca midfielder.

While Muslim countries are portrayed as more oppressive in this respect, the reality is that based on quantifiable data, Latin America by some decent leads the rest of the world for domestic abuse against women. Of course there are extenuating factors that in the Muslim world, women have little option to report these cases and are more systematically oppressed. That being said, in Argentina alone there have been 2,834 women murdered by their partners since 2009 as of March 2017.

In a current climate of growing concern for domestic violence due to the popularity of the Ni Una Menos campaign, Melisa Tozzi made a number of these allegations public when she appeared for an interview outlining the nature of both the psychological and physical acts Centurion made in their time together. She stated that Centurion repeatedly told her during fights that ‘If she wasn’t with him then she would be with nobody’ while leaving her on numerous occasions with black eyes and unconscious.  Inevitably claims that Tozzi is using this to create a celebrity status have been made however Centurion has been no stranger to acts of violence. Having already  numerous police charges as well as photos of him holding a firearm, more recently a video emerged of 3 Boca Juniors players having to restrain Centurion in a hotel before the summer Superclasico in January.

Boca manager, Guillermo Barros Schelotto remarked that he did condone sexual violence only after he had made numerous comments about footballers private life being none of his business and that the team behaved very well in training. Meanwhile the club itself has made no such comment denouncing domestic violence with the exception of a #NiUnaMenos tweet month prior to the accusations against Centurion. The silence of the club is harrowing given the power that the institution yields, perhaps greater than any governmental or private institution in the country and any condemnation would yield significant influence.  Equally Barros Schelotto’s view of what happens at home is again representative of an attitude that is generally accepted in the country and is a passive form of tolerance that has to be addressed. In fact a google search for who has condemned Centurion’s attack shows that with the exception of Tozzi and other family members, the list is very small and contains no-one directly involved with football.

The ni una menos movement has been a fantastic response to this attitude and seeks to bring issues that have traditionally remained in the house out into the open to be discussed publicly. The movement however has been largely absent in its criticism of Centurion, this may be a conscious decision to avoid engaging in what may be seen as opportunist media attention or possibly rooted in a reluctance to engage in the criticism of Boca’s star player which could lead to a public backlash.

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Santos

The Club: The history of the association is closely linked to the Brazilian national hero Pelé. The footballer of the century fought his football boots for FC Santos from 1956 – 1974 and scored an unbelievable 619 (!) Hits in 648 games. In particular thanks to Pelé, the club gained international fame and was able to celebrate numerous successes. In addition to 22 state championships, 9 Brazilian championships and 3 Copa Libertadores, they also won the World Cup two times. The club is known for bringing new talents. Also the current star of FC Barcelona, ​​Neymar, comes from the youth of FC Santos.

The team: In the last season the Brazilian Serié A was celebrated. In the new year, on the other hand, not everything is going according to plan. After 6 game days of the “Paulista” state championship, only 10 points and the 3rd place in the table are available. The team is still far from the achievements of last season. Until the start of the Copa Libertadores still has to be worked on the form.

Transfers: Two well-known faces from the Bundesliga want to get back to FC Santos after less successful years in Germany. Hamburg defender Cléber Reis (€ 2.5 million transfer) and VfL Wolfsburg, the offensive midfielder Bruno Henrique (€ 4 million). In addition, the squad was strengthened with left-wing Jonathan Copete (right), defender Matheus Ribeiro, midfielder Leandro Donizete (left), Vladimir Hernández (Junior FC / Colombia), and Arthur Gomes (his own youth).

Key player: Ricardo Oliviera, a former national team player and European legionary, has already come to the age of 36, but is irreplaceable for the team and for coach Dorival Júnior as a leader. With 3 goals, the central midfield player Vitor Bueno drew their attention and could be an important support again this season.

Coach: The experienced coach Dorival Júnior has been coach of FC Santos since 2015 taking the number of clubs he’splayed and managed to 20.

Chefutbol prediction: If the experienced coach Dorival Júnior succeeds in integrating new entrants into the squad then FC Santos should move into the round of the group as a group winner. However, there is the danger that shaping the team around the aging star Ricardo Oliviera is a risk especially with a lack of supporting actors.

Independiente Santa Fe

The team: Santa Fe from Bogota are one of the most successful clubs in Colombia, and, along with nine championships in the home country, they also claimed the Copa Sudamericana two years ago. The last success was as recent as December, when Gustavo Costas’s team managed to win the League Aguila defeating Deportes Tolima in the final. “El Cardinal” as their commonly known play their home games in  “Estadio El Campin” with a capacity of 50,000 spectators.

The team: After five games in the championship they have already scored eleven points and have also maintained the solid defense of the last year. A solid defence will be key to their hopes of progressing in this years Copa as it was in their success in2016. The new arrivals have already been used several times in the league games and are becoming more integrated which is often not the case when South American sides are forced to make wholesale changes due to outgoings.

Transfers: The move of Johan Arango to Santa De from Deportivo Pasto was not particualrly controvercial for a domestic move despite his high profile owing to the fact he has already represented most Colombian sides. While his first love continues to be alcoholic drinks and parties, no one ever denied his talent. Many fans of the clubs for which he was on the field admired his playing style despite all the incidents: fast, tricky and a good shot. During the preparations for his new club, he also explained that he would only concentrate on football this time to help the club as best as possible. His ability is known, so this could be a good move for “El Cardinal”.

Arango, however, is not the only major transfer at Bogota, as Deniz Stracqualursi is another major offensive player in the capital. The 29-year-old Argentinian comes from Emelec from Ecuador and can look back on an interesting career including a phase in England when he endeared himself to the scouse fan base for his tiring running. On his day the Argentine is a handful for any defender but his career has also been plagued with indiscipline.

Key players: The defensive unit of Anderson Plata, Jonathan Gomez and goalkeeper Humberto Osorio, the champions were key in the championship, as was Tesillo, the defensive defender.
Another strength is the experience of the team. With 26 years on average, there are some players who have already played numerous international games. The two new players Arango and Stracqualursi have already added a great deal of attacking quality and can help the team break down strong opponents. It will be interesting to see if Santa Fe will continue to play with the defensive game tactics, despite the numerous good offensive players, and whether it will also be able to compete against international competitors.

Coach: 54-year-old Argentinean Gustavo Costas has a lot of different coach stations, and this already in different countries. His biggest successes are the championships in Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Colombia. Probably the biggest success with Bogota was the victory of the Sudamericana in 2015, which brought him and Colombia an international title  after eleven years. Many draw comparisons in South America with Jose Mourinho, who as a coach succeeded in winning several international championships and prefers a defensive approach.

Chefutbol prediction: Santa Fe will expect to qualify from the group and if they do they could be an outside bet for the title due to their frustrating and organised approach while the confidence of Colombian sides due to recent success could be a factor.

Sporting Cristal

The club: Sporting Cristal is the current Peruvian champion and Peru’s most successful team this century. The club from the capital, Lima, which is a bit behind the traditional rivals Universitario and Alianza, owes this success to a astute club management and strong youth work.

The team: With ten points from five games, the team made a solid start under the new coach, Chemo del Solar. Particular highlights so far this campaign have been the offensive trio of Gabriel Costa, Diego Ifrán and Ray Sandoval who have all enjoyed a breakout season. The team is led by the two old heads in Jorge Cazulo and Carlos Lobatón. while the defense is also well-staffed however a lack of depth may be a concern.

Transfers: Sporting should be happy with their transfer activity bringing in more players than they have lost. Only the departure of the goalkeeper Diego Penny is of not however he has been excellently replaced by the Chilean Mauricio Viana. There are also notable new signings in the offensive positions with Joel Sánchez and Cristian Ortíz and strikers Irven Ávila and Rolando Blackburn. The defence has been relatively untouched with only Renzo Garcés coming in to completed the team.
Key player: The experienced play maker Carlos Lobatón dictates the tempo and is a very classy operator with the ball. However, he now lacks agility and his body requires a slower paced game to be fully effective. Other players include goalkeeper Viana, defender Jorge Cazulo – a classic leader type and attacker Diego Ifrán.

Coach: José Chemo del Solar already mastered the Cerveceros in 2005. He stands for fast, technically sophisticated football, which he was able to show at the Universidad San Martín last season. At Sporting Cristal the former national team has now a much better squad than he did with his former employers..

Chefutbol Prediction: The weakest team in the group on paper will depend on home form to stand a chance of qualification.

The Strongest

The Club: The Strongest from La Paz are one of the top teams in the league in Bolivia, alongside archrival Club Bolivar. They play their home games in the famous Estadio Hernando Siles located at over 3,600 meters above sea level which remains stadium the highest stadium for a national team. The association was founded on 8th April 1908.

The team: The champions of the Apertura 2016/17 having beaten Club Bolivar in a decision game and already qualifying for the Copa Libertadores 2018 in doing so. As always their home form is irresistible and will be key in the Copa, so far this year they have not lost a single game and have not conceded a single conundrum at home.
Transfers: The club weren’t particularly active but they were able to hold almost all players. In the attack, there was only one exit, and this was the case with Rodrigo Ramallo who moved to Brazilian club EC Vitoria. The Uruguayian Matias Alonso was brought in who could face his brother, Ivan, who represents Argentina’s river plate. In defense, Marvin Bejarano is certainly the most prominent entry who joined from Oriente Petrolero.

 Key players: The iconic Pablo Escobar is both the captain and the playmaker at The Strongest. He was voted the best player in the Bolivian League and could easily lay claim to the nickname ‘El Magico’ by which his more famous namesake was known as. The engine in the midfield is the little Alejandro Chumacero, he runs tirelessly up and down. Daniel Vaca is the clear number one in the goal and was a major factor in why The Strongest claimed the league title last year.

 Coach: The Venezuelan Cesar Farias has been a hero in The Strongest since the Apertura title win. Above all, he finally succeeded in getting the problems on the defensive under control. His trademark are the black gloves, which he does not wear regularly any more. With his 43 years he is one of the younger coaches in Bolivia and previously worked mainly a coach in his native Venezuela.

Chefutbol prediction: Qualification will as always depend on home form which will need to be flawless to assure qualification in a tricky group. They are by some distance the most competitive Bolivian side in this year’s tournament and represent the nation’s only chance of success.

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