Deepest Darkest Peru

The Estate Agents are 'suffering', the Bankers are 'suffering'. If today's reports from Peru are to be believed the advisors, agents and removal firms acting for Ariel Ortega could be in for a windfall. I covered Burrito's loan move to Mendoza last August and given the turbulent times at his beloved River in the Apertura and the departure of his nemesis Simeone I expected to see him back in Buenos Aires. But his next move could well be a little further away - to Peru's second most sucessful club Alianza Lima.

A large part of the reasoning for the approach seems to be a case of Alianza trying to get one over on their eternal city rivals Universitario, who've recently recruited homegrown hero Nolberto Solano. Signing Ortega would also divert some of the negative publicity surrounding Alianza's poor Apertura campaign. Add to that the inevitable rise in revenue and the move for a 'crack' with personal issues makes sense.

The player is apparently keen on the move. Negotiations however could be complex with not only River Plate but also his current loan club Independiente Rivadavia involved, where he's due to be until June.

Granted, Ortega is not the player he was but surely his talents deserve to grace the top division albeit the Peruvian one.

Hasta luego!

Racing's Loss is Velez's Gain

In a previous post relating to Racing Club I felt that that the new regime had to demonstrate to it's legions of fans that they were serious about dragging La Academia out of the doldrums. What better way was there to show this than retain the services (albeit on loan) of wonderkid Maxi Moralez? Today's news that Maxi has been snapped up by Velez Sarsfield will lead to sighs of resignation amongst the faithful in one half of Avellaneda. Misery piled upon misery following Racing's 4-0 reverse against Independiente at the weekend in the Torneo de Verano and claims of dressing room unrest.

Amid much mud slinging today each side had their say on who was to blame for the departure, with Maxi bleating that he didn't feel his staying at Racing was the boss' number one priority and he could have signed for Estudiantes or Velez last week but he held out for Racing. Llop countered by saying that they were never even close to retaining him contrary to press reports last week. It appears that money talked. It would have been disappointing enough for the fans if the player had returned to the frozen wastes of Moscow but to move down the road will be hard to swallow. Molina will need to act quickly to pacify the fans before the start of the Clasura campaign.

Not Pretty Enough!

The face of Carlos Tevez seemed to be everywhere when I made a visit to Argentina in July 2003. After playing a major role in Boca's 5th Copa Libertadores triumph I felt sure it'd only be a short while before the 19 year old would be in La Liga or Serie A. It took longer than I expected but Carlito made it to Europe in 2006 after winning over the hearts of Corinthians supporters (not easy for an Argentine) by surprisingly joining West Ham United in England. After securing the Hammers survival in the Premier League he finally made it to a club whose stature matched his own talents and ambitions: Manchester Utd.

I'm a massive fan of Tevez, I love the way he plays the game - his energy and fighting spirit and his honesty on the pitch. Combine this with his not inconsiderable skill and he's a perfect fit with Man United. Compared to some of team mates at Old Trafford he's almost tolerated by other fans in England too which is no mean feat. His current loan deal is due to end this summer and as yet the he hasn't been offered a permanent contract at Old Trafford. Throughout his spell at Old Trafford Tevez has been a model pro and very dignified given his contractual situation, compare this to Ronaldo's antics last summer. Newspaper reports in England over the weekend suggested that Sir Alex Ferguson has made an offer to Tevez which the player refutes and as such he has been openly critical of Sir in the Argentine media.

I fail to understand why Man United are stalling on this - is Tevez not pretty enough for them? Last minute goals at Blackburn and Spurs last season helped secure them the Championship - if he moves on will Berbatov run until his lungs bleed? If as has been suggested the lack of offer is due to the current economic situation but the club still managed to find £17m to sign 2 relatively untested Serbian players this week.

Not many players have publicly questioned or disagreed with Sir and stayed at Manchester United, the notable exception being the spoilt child Ronaldo. Real Madrid could secure the services of the 3 times South American Footballer of the Year which would be a sad loss for English football.

Hasta luego!

Another New Era?

January in the Northern Hemisphere is grim but the Prophets of Doom are piling on the agony by predicting further economic woes and global meltdown. For fans of Racing Club - one of Argentina's famed 'Big Five' the black clouds have been hanging around for many years now. From being Champions of the World in 1967 after the infamous battles against Celtic to scrapping for their lives to remain in the top flight the decline has been long and steady (except for one Apertura in 2001 and a second rate Supercopa in 1988). I have been trying to think of English clubs whose demise and turmoil compares to La Academia; a combination of Leeds United, Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United is the best I could come up with. This triangle of misery covers all things suffered by Racing in recent years: bankruptcy, fan protests, humiliation, boardroom bust-ups, a revolving managerial door and the sale of their brightest talents. Just before Christmas two significant events in Racing's recent history took place the club held it's first elections for President in 11 years and also the authorities finally ruled that the bankruptcy order could be lifted. The new President - Rodolfo Molina trotted out the usual platitudes about 'sleeping giants' and 'returning to greatness' on accepting his new post.

One of Molina's first major obstacles will be to try and extend star player Maxi Moralez's loan spell at Racing from FC Moscow for the forthcoming Clasura campaign. Negotiations will be complex with the small matter of outstanding debts to settle owed by Blanquiceleste - the private company brought in to run and administer the club. If Molina is successful in this the fans may start to believe he is the one to rescue the club; however it's an indication of how low La Academia has sunk when securing the services of a homegrown star for 6 months is perceived as progress. One step at a time.

One of the many reasons they want to keep Maxi in Avellaneda:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Lfk_553d43k

Hasta luego!

Dangerous Relations

In the lead up to Boca's first Apertura playoff appearance yesterday one would have imagined the pre-match press conferences to be concentrating on team matters, injuries and tactics. But with Snr.Riqueleme (JRR) in the squad the meetings with journos at Casa Amarilla frequently touch topics other than flat back fours, groin strains and taking each game as it comes. This is my second post this month on JRR but he's constant source of controversy and genius.

Last Tuesday night he attended a seemingly innocuous charity event/dinner to raise funds for the purchase of wheelchairs and to fund community based eating establishments. No problems there then, all above board - JRR doing his bit for the people; now factor in the evenings organisers: La Doce, Boca's infamous hooligan firm. The event was by all accounts a huge success with 500 fans attending and around £6000 being raised. Chanci Riquelme, Roman's younger brother is a good friend of La Doce's top man - Mauro Martin which is how the star's presence was secured. Obviously no one can refuse a good cause and JRR should be applauded for giving up his valuable time before Xeneize's biggest game of the season, however an event hosted by these guys was bound to attract a certain amount of negative publicity in a season that has seen yet more football violence related deaths. Unsurprisingly there have been questions asked about the destination of the funds raised as running one of the country's biggest barra bravas is a costly business.

When questioned about the evening in a press conference JRR gave an Alex Ferguson-like performance. Insisting that the event was for amongst other things an ill child in need of a wheelchair, he was in a position to help so he helped. 'Do the ends justify the means?' asked one brave journalist 'I'm not interested in talking about this, is that so difficult for you to understand? I was there for one hour as an act of goodwill.....................one can be a Boca fan and not necessarily a bad person..........enough, enough!'. Ouch!

The negativity surrounding JRR's guest appearance didn't unduly effect the team as they ran out 3-1 winners against San Lorenzo in last nights second playoff game, although I've seen Riquelme have better games this season. A result against Tigre will see them secure the title.

Hasta luego!

'Historic'

...........screamed Ole after San Lorenzo's 4-1 victory over Independiente last Sunday. That grand statement wasn't a reflection on the team's performance, convincing as it was but to the perfect symmetry at the top of the Apertura after 18 matches. With 1 game remaining we're set for the most exciting finish since 1968:

• San Lorenzo P18 Pts 36


• Tigre P18 Pts 36


• Boca Juniors P18 Pts 36
  

It's also worth noting that Lanus in 4th place are in with a slim chance on 34 points, but will be relying on the opposing teams to aid their cause. So with one match remaining we have four teams who can potentially take the title. I can hardly wait until Sunday and as announced by the AFA the fun now starts 2 hours earlier than originally scheduled with all 3 matches kicking of at 5.20pm Argentine time. Another thankyou must go to the AFA for not using goal difference to decide the destination of the title which lessens the endless permutations we would be faced with given the same scenario in England. I'm also not much of a mathemetician. We're faced with the very real chance of a least two way play-off (17th Dec) , possibly a three and even a four way play off (17th, 20th, 23rd Dec) for the Apertura.

Given the British liking for an underdog it would be good to see Tigre take the prize and confidence will be high after coming from 2-0 down last Sunday to beat Rosario Central 3-2. The team from the Parana delta north of the capital came close in 2007's Apertura and their coach Diego Cagna exclaimed 'We are more hungry than Boca or San Lorenzo'. The Killers as they affectionately known have improved dramatically over the last 3 years and have beaten both of their rivals away from home this campaign. A home game against Banfield should see them take the points. History may also be on the side of them if you believe in such things - in the 1968 triangular play-off 'little' Velez won their first Championship against the might of Racing and River.

'There's no team better than us' proclaimed Carlos Ischia, although anyone who watched Boca's plodding draw against Gimnasia La Plata may disagree. Xeneizes face Colon at home on Sunday and will have the added determination to suceed in memory of their recently deceased President Pedro Pompilio and the sidelined Martin Palermo.

Of the three teams San Lorenzo look to have the trickiest game away to Argentinos although coach Russo declared 'I'm calm' during today's press conference. He also pointed out that the margin for error is minuscule in Sunday's matches adding that it's the same for the Ref's too. Maybe a message in there to all officials. Goalscoring hasn't been a problem for them having knocked in 8 in their last 2 games.

So we're all set - chill a Quilmes, grill a steak and get comfortable.

Hasta luego!

Riquelme's Celebration

Having a moan and groan at an over-paid, under-performing pampered professional is one of joys of attending a game. In these days of mega rich players venting our spleen is one of the few ways us fans can show displeasure. Which brings me to last Sunday's 2-1 home victory for Boca Juniors over Racing Club; Juan Roman Riquelme (JRR) emphatically scored a dubious penalty, was having a decent game and popped-up to drill a volley past Pablo Migliore in the Racing goal to secure the points. On celebrating his winner JRR ran half the length of the field and remonstrated angrily with a young fan who had been verbally abusing him all game. What I fail to understand about this is firstly why single out JRR for treatment - one of the stars of what may well be a Championship winning team. Secondly the odd shout or moan at a misplaced pass or an over hit shot is acceptable; but the torrent of verbal abuse must have been loud and consistent enough for for the player to make a mental note of the perpetrator.

Enter the authorities and the ridiculous notion that the player may well be charged and fined for 'inciting violence'. The celebration/confrontation did not involve any opposing fans. Not content in dealing with the actual violence that is taking place at games all over the country the bureaucrats seem to want to make an issue out of this. JRR sensibly highlighted that the country has more pressing problems than his goal celebration. Admittedly there were a few pushes by other fans on the offender, but nothing more. On hearing of the potential fine JRR said that any sanction would 'make me laugh'.

Lets hope this action goes no further and common sense wins.

Hasta luego!

Check the goal and the celebration:

http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1818700/