Roberto Bugallo has recently celebrated 10 years as President of All Boys. Given the frenzied and unstable nature that surrounds the Argentine domestic game this is no mean feat. Longevity, in isolation is no barometer of success; Bugallo's reign has contributed to a meteoric rise for the club from Floresta in the west of Buenos Aires, culminating in this years's promotion to the Primera division after defeating Rosario Central in a 2 leg play-off. http://thedirtytackle.blogspot.com/2010/06/rosario-central.html
On taking over from the previous regime in June 2000 All Boys were languishing in the 2nd tier of Argentine football, players and staff had been without pay for 10 months and the threat of bankruptcy surrounded the club. There was to be no quick fix for los albos as they fell into the regionalised 3rd division the Primera B Metropolitana where they remained until 2008. If triumphs on the field were few and far between during this time the fans remained loyal to the regime of passionate fan turned president, Bugallo, who's also forged a close relationship with AFA President Julio Grondona. The club will no doubt have benefited from the cordial relations beween the two. The dilapidated Estadio Islas Malvinas, complete with wooden stands had changed little since it's 1963 inauguration. In 2004 fans raised enough money to build the ground's first concrete stand and with the help of an AFA loan the stadium was completely renovated and re-opened in 2008.
The club was founded in 1913 and chose their Anglicised name for no other reason than it was common practice to do so at the time. Three years earlier and in the same barrio of Floresta Vélez Sarsfield were formed and subsequently relocated to Liniers the barrio with which they are commonly associated. Prior to this year All Boys' only other foray into the top division came in 1972 where they stayed for 8 seasons. Their current coach José Romero was a member of the 1972 side, giving him the unique accolade of gaining two promotions to Primera A.
With the Apertura kick-off fast approaching All Boys debut away at Racing with their first home game being against former neighbours Vélez. Previous financial problems remain a recent memory and the club could be forgiven for cashing in on their Primera status. Their ground has a capacity of 19,000 and by switching home games against Boca or River to Vélez they could accommodate many more away fans, something All Boys refuse to do.
New recruits continue to arrive with the headline grabbing Cristian 'El Ogro' Fabbiani the most notable and highest paid. His level of physical fitness was deemed unacceptable by Mexican side Veracruz, not the first time this has been questioned during his career. The Mexican physios may have called this one correctly as a little over 6 minutes into his debut in a friendly against Tristan Suarez he suffered a thigh strain and is now in doubt for the start of the Apertura. Eight months without a game will have been a major contributing factor. All Boys will be wanting a similar impact to that which occurred initially at River Plate (http://realfootballargentina.blogspot.com/2009/02/cometh-hour.html) and hoping his form will be more consistent over the season. The omens so far do not look good.
'I want to see los albos in the Copa Libertadores' said Bugallo after promotion, if the upward curve continues he could see his dream realised. Following in the footsteps of Banfield, Argentinos and Lanús, less fashionable clubs are demonstrating that there is an alternative to the irresponsible and self-destructive strategies pursued by the Big Five.
Wednesday, 21 July 2010
Friday, 2 July 2010
Made in Paraguay...... Finished in Argentina
Looking at the nations who have made it to the quarter finals of the World Cup leaves us in no doubt that to-date this has been South America’s tournament. Amongst the inevitable delights that four weeks football brings high on the list has to be the backtracking and squirming of professional pundits and analysts on their pre-tournament predictions. Whilst not wanting to engage in schadenfreude and appreciating that for all the statistics, form guides and technology that surrounds football the game is still perilously difficult to predict. Switzerland’s win against Spain, Italy’s dismal performances and England’s failure to top their relatively weak group all bear testament. However a fairly consistent argument trotted out prior to the tournament was that this being a winter World Cup the conditions would inevitably favour European sides. Teams were dismissed with an air of colonial like contempt on the basis that they hail from warmer climes; completely disregarding the fact that the vast majority of South American footballers play in Europe. Brazil and Argentina aside South America’s other representatives were relegated to mere supporting roles before the group stages.
Paraguay’s historic march to the last eight has surprised many, not least in the UK; for the English media the country's contributions to football can be condensed into the 3-0 reverse to England in Mexico 1986 and Roque Santa Cruz. The current squad demonstrate that Paraguayan talent is well represented in the world's toughest leagues including Serie A, La Liga and the Bundesliga. The country's proximity to Argentina has seen many players pursue their careers further down the Parana River. The most revered of these is undoubtedly Arsenio Erico (1915 -1977) - Argentina's all time record goalscorer bagged 293 goals in 332 games for Independiente of Avellaneda, he shares this acolade with Angel Labruna of River Plate who achieved the same total but in 515 games. Born in Asunción he secured his passage to the Red Devils after being spotted playing in a Red Cross team which toured Argentina to raise funds for victims of the Chaco war between Paraguay and Bolivia. The little known conflict which killed over 100,000 in three years demonstrates that Europe doesn't have the monopoly on mechanized industrial scale slaughter. Erico joined Independiente in 1934 and formed an attacking trio with Vicente de la Mata and Antonio Sastre. Famed for his heading ability and capacity to outjump goalkeepers he netted the first of his goals against Chacarita Juniors, scored a record 6 against Quilmes in 1936 and was leading marksman in three seasons between 1937 - 1939. Along with la Mata and Sastre they secured championships in 1938 and 1939 and scored 556 goals between them. As with all great players fans attended games specifically to see Erico and no less than Alfredo di Stefano cites him as a major influence in his formative years. It's impossible to gauge the strength of the Argentine league at this time in comparison to Europe and perhaps futile to do so. What is apparent is that the years following the advent of open professionalism were amongst the most exciting and successful with the majority of legendary players remaining in Argentina including but not limited to River Plate's famed 'La Maquina'.
Arsenio Erico was asked to play for Argentina at the 1938 World Cup an offer he turned down. On the eve of Paraguay's quarter final against Spain and things seem to have come full circle. Another prolific goalscorer Argentine born Lucas Barrios will be representing Paraguay by virtue of his mother. Perhaps it's time for the commentators to acknowledge that Paraguay has a football history and not merely a football past.
Paraguay’s historic march to the last eight has surprised many, not least in the UK; for the English media the country's contributions to football can be condensed into the 3-0 reverse to England in Mexico 1986 and Roque Santa Cruz. The current squad demonstrate that Paraguayan talent is well represented in the world's toughest leagues including Serie A, La Liga and the Bundesliga. The country's proximity to Argentina has seen many players pursue their careers further down the Parana River. The most revered of these is undoubtedly Arsenio Erico (1915 -1977) - Argentina's all time record goalscorer bagged 293 goals in 332 games for Independiente of Avellaneda, he shares this acolade with Angel Labruna of River Plate who achieved the same total but in 515 games. Born in Asunción he secured his passage to the Red Devils after being spotted playing in a Red Cross team which toured Argentina to raise funds for victims of the Chaco war between Paraguay and Bolivia. The little known conflict which killed over 100,000 in three years demonstrates that Europe doesn't have the monopoly on mechanized industrial scale slaughter. Erico joined Independiente in 1934 and formed an attacking trio with Vicente de la Mata and Antonio Sastre. Famed for his heading ability and capacity to outjump goalkeepers he netted the first of his goals against Chacarita Juniors, scored a record 6 against Quilmes in 1936 and was leading marksman in three seasons between 1937 - 1939. Along with la Mata and Sastre they secured championships in 1938 and 1939 and scored 556 goals between them. As with all great players fans attended games specifically to see Erico and no less than Alfredo di Stefano cites him as a major influence in his formative years. It's impossible to gauge the strength of the Argentine league at this time in comparison to Europe and perhaps futile to do so. What is apparent is that the years following the advent of open professionalism were amongst the most exciting and successful with the majority of legendary players remaining in Argentina including but not limited to River Plate's famed 'La Maquina'.
Arsenio Erico was asked to play for Argentina at the 1938 World Cup an offer he turned down. On the eve of Paraguay's quarter final against Spain and things seem to have come full circle. Another prolific goalscorer Argentine born Lucas Barrios will be representing Paraguay by virtue of his mother. Perhaps it's time for the commentators to acknowledge that Paraguay has a football history and not merely a football past.
Monday, 7 June 2010
Rosario Central
Rosario Central lost their long drawn out battle against the drop at the end of May. In a similar fashion to the pursuit of glory consistency is the key; unlike the scrap for a league title you have to be exceptionally awful over three years to be relegated. Central weren't just bad this season - its been years of torment which has seen them slide down the Promoción table. With two teams automatically relegated the next two play-off against the third and fourth placed teams from National B. The team faced the same scenario last season when they successfully came through two legs against Belgrano to preserve their status. This year they faced All Boys from Floresta, Buenos Aires. After a 1-1 draw away they tumbled out of the elite league by virtue of a 3-0 home defeat.
The repercussions of the result have seen 'colourful' club president Horacio Usandizaga resign from his post. Readers may well remember el presidente's posturing from seasons gone by when he threatened to kill his players if performances didn't improve. There is little appetite in the foreign sports press for Argentine domestic football, however this outburst produced headlines around the globe. In a country where deaths and injury are an all too common occurrence at football even AFA chief Julio Grondona was forced to condemn his comments. Post-relegation ex-president Usandizaga has shown his more sensitive side, speaking from his hideout in San Sebastian, Spain he feels personally responsible for the relegation and admitted blubbing inconsolably 'I couldn't believe it, I couldn't believe it. I cried like a child, I cried all day and all night, I couldn't sleep'. One young fan, Juan Pablo Dandreta 25 comitted suicide after seeing his team relegated.
Rosario Central and Newell's Old Boys blazed a trail for football in the provinces, being the first clubs from outside of Buenos Aires to join the professional league in 1937. In its initial guise as The Central Argentine Railway Athletic Club the club's early years tell a familiar story with club being founded by English railway workers - on becoming Rosario Central in 1904 it broke formal ties with the railway by allowing members to join whatever their occupation or ethnic background. For next season at least Argentina's third largest city will not be hosting the Newell's - Central derby, arguably the most passionate and intense affair in the country. The city's other two clubs, Tiro Federal and Central Cordoba have also been relegated this year. One city, four football clubs and no derby.
The repercussions of the result have seen 'colourful' club president Horacio Usandizaga resign from his post. Readers may well remember el presidente's posturing from seasons gone by when he threatened to kill his players if performances didn't improve. There is little appetite in the foreign sports press for Argentine domestic football, however this outburst produced headlines around the globe. In a country where deaths and injury are an all too common occurrence at football even AFA chief Julio Grondona was forced to condemn his comments. Post-relegation ex-president Usandizaga has shown his more sensitive side, speaking from his hideout in San Sebastian, Spain he feels personally responsible for the relegation and admitted blubbing inconsolably 'I couldn't believe it, I couldn't believe it. I cried like a child, I cried all day and all night, I couldn't sleep'. One young fan, Juan Pablo Dandreta 25 comitted suicide after seeing his team relegated.
Rosario Central and Newell's Old Boys blazed a trail for football in the provinces, being the first clubs from outside of Buenos Aires to join the professional league in 1937. In its initial guise as The Central Argentine Railway Athletic Club the club's early years tell a familiar story with club being founded by English railway workers - on becoming Rosario Central in 1904 it broke formal ties with the railway by allowing members to join whatever their occupation or ethnic background. For next season at least Argentina's third largest city will not be hosting the Newell's - Central derby, arguably the most passionate and intense affair in the country. The city's other two clubs, Tiro Federal and Central Cordoba have also been relegated this year. One city, four football clubs and no derby.
Friday, 14 May 2010
Priority Ten
Those unfortunates who have beared witness to 18 months of Boca Juniors mediocrity, turmoil and scandal could be excused a nano-second of hope, a moments anticipation on reading the headline in recent edition of Olé. On delving a little deeper into the article dreams are soon dashed, 10 new players wont be arriving in the close season, Mayor of Buenos Aires Mauricio Macri wont be directing city funds towards his former employers, and wealthy Arab shaikhs don't see Boca Juniors as the next Manchester City.
The Ten is Juan Roman Riquelme, one of the few players who's returned to the land of his birth without the aid of a walking frame. For many Riquelme is the embodiment of La Nuestra (the way the game should be played) whilst for others he's an unnecessary luxury, a relic of a bygone era and a devisive figure within the team and club as a whole. Never one to shirk confrontation he famously fell out with Maradona (who hasn't?) and retired from the national team for the 2nd time; made a guest appearance at a barbecue organised by the club's infamous La Doce hooligan gang (http://realfootballargentina.blogspot.com/2008/12/dangerous-relations.html) and in recent months has admitted that he can't stand Boca's record goalscorer Martin Palermo. He's seen off potential coach Guillermo Barros Schelotto who would only consider the job on the proviso that JR moved on, probably a blessing as he has no coaching experience. Riquelme's contract expires in June and rumours seemed to indicate that he'd follow Pato Abbondanzieri north to Brazil with Flamengo and Corinthians showing interest which would give the 31 year old another chance at Libertadores glory. This evening's game away to Banfield may have been his last appearance for the club 'if I don't return as a player I'll be back as a fan' he said last weekend but after an operation on his left knee he will be sidelined for at least 2 months.
Post-convalescance keep your eyes and ears open, scour your local paper the world's greatest playmaker could be taking the field at a football ground near you..........
The Ten is Juan Roman Riquelme, one of the few players who's returned to the land of his birth without the aid of a walking frame. For many Riquelme is the embodiment of La Nuestra (the way the game should be played) whilst for others he's an unnecessary luxury, a relic of a bygone era and a devisive figure within the team and club as a whole. Never one to shirk confrontation he famously fell out with Maradona (who hasn't?) and retired from the national team for the 2nd time; made a guest appearance at a barbecue organised by the club's infamous La Doce hooligan gang (http://realfootballargentina.blogspot.com/2008/12/dangerous-relations.html) and in recent months has admitted that he can't stand Boca's record goalscorer Martin Palermo. He's seen off potential coach Guillermo Barros Schelotto who would only consider the job on the proviso that JR moved on, probably a blessing as he has no coaching experience. Riquelme's contract expires in June and rumours seemed to indicate that he'd follow Pato Abbondanzieri north to Brazil with Flamengo and Corinthians showing interest which would give the 31 year old another chance at Libertadores glory. This evening's game away to Banfield may have been his last appearance for the club 'if I don't return as a player I'll be back as a fan' he said last weekend but after an operation on his left knee he will be sidelined for at least 2 months.
Post-convalescance keep your eyes and ears open, scour your local paper the world's greatest playmaker could be taking the field at a football ground near you..........
Friday, 5 February 2010
Dear Reader(s)
Just in time for the kick-off of the 2010 Clasura, Real Football Argentina will be taking a break for a few months. The 'suspension' however has not been mandated by FIFA nor is at a result of libel proceedings arising from some of the more edgier posts...
Thanks to all those who have followed and commented on RFA up until now. Like a veteran Argentine footballer yearning for his homeland - Volveremos (We'll return).
Enjoy the season.
Tuesday, 19 January 2010
Testing Times
Whilst the group stages of the Copa Libertadores aren't quite the cash cow that the Champions League is competition to reach them will still be fierce. The guaranteed income that they provide will keep the bailiff's away and the tax man happy for a few months. With the financial tightrope that the majority of Argentina's clubs are balanced on both Newell's and Colón will feel the pressure to progress.
Newell's face the longest trans-Andean trek as they've been drawn against Ecuadorean side Emelec of Guayaquil a mere 4000km away. The PSV Eindhoven of Latin America - whose origins are also borne of a local electrics factory will be testing opponents for The Lepers. Emelec were the country's first representatives in the Copa Libertadores of 1962 a decade in which clubs from both banks of the Rio de la Plata dominated. Football in Ecuador has shrugged off the tag of perpetual minnows in recent years with Liga de Quito winning the 2008 Copa Libertadores and Recopa Sudamericana and also last years Copa Sudamericana. A barometer of the country's progress can be seen from the amount of talent now playing in Europe. With Guayaquil being at sea level at least Newell's wont have to wrestle with the affects of altitude they will however be subjected to a hot and clammy tropical climate.
In contrast to Newell's, Colón of Santa Fe are faced with a short hop to Santiago where they will play Universidad Católica, who lost out to city rivals Colo Colo in the final of 2009's Apertura. This will be Colón's first Libertadores appearance since 1998 and they have qualified by virtue of the amount of points they amassed last year, a trip to Chile's third most successful club is scant reward for their toils. Lining up against Católica will be 37 year old striker Esteban Fuertes Colón's all time record goalscorer and the archetypal footballing nomad. Never has David Coleman's 'goals pay the rent, and Keegan does his share' quote seemed more apt. Considering the amount of teams he's played it's of no great surprise that he also had a spell with La UC which ended under somewhat of cloud when he suffered a knee injury.
The triumph of Estudiantes last season was a majestic achievement. This victory has masked the collective failings of Argentina's other representatives and also highlighted the general decline in standards throughout the league, only the eventual champions reached the quarter finals as opposed to four teams from Brazil. Both San Lorenzo and Lanús finished bottom of their respective groups and as I've mentioned before none of the Big Five have made it this year, they'll have the various pre-season clásicos to fret over.
This year's Copa Libertadores schedule in full:
http://img.mazimou.com:90/3749/documents/140.pdf
Newell's face the longest trans-Andean trek as they've been drawn against Ecuadorean side Emelec of Guayaquil a mere 4000km away. The PSV Eindhoven of Latin America - whose origins are also borne of a local electrics factory will be testing opponents for The Lepers. Emelec were the country's first representatives in the Copa Libertadores of 1962 a decade in which clubs from both banks of the Rio de la Plata dominated. Football in Ecuador has shrugged off the tag of perpetual minnows in recent years with Liga de Quito winning the 2008 Copa Libertadores and Recopa Sudamericana and also last years Copa Sudamericana. A barometer of the country's progress can be seen from the amount of talent now playing in Europe. With Guayaquil being at sea level at least Newell's wont have to wrestle with the affects of altitude they will however be subjected to a hot and clammy tropical climate.
In contrast to Newell's, Colón of Santa Fe are faced with a short hop to Santiago where they will play Universidad Católica, who lost out to city rivals Colo Colo in the final of 2009's Apertura. This will be Colón's first Libertadores appearance since 1998 and they have qualified by virtue of the amount of points they amassed last year, a trip to Chile's third most successful club is scant reward for their toils. Lining up against Católica will be 37 year old striker Esteban Fuertes Colón's all time record goalscorer and the archetypal footballing nomad. Never has David Coleman's 'goals pay the rent, and Keegan does his share' quote seemed more apt. Considering the amount of teams he's played it's of no great surprise that he also had a spell with La UC which ended under somewhat of cloud when he suffered a knee injury.
The triumph of Estudiantes last season was a majestic achievement. This victory has masked the collective failings of Argentina's other representatives and also highlighted the general decline in standards throughout the league, only the eventual champions reached the quarter finals as opposed to four teams from Brazil. Both San Lorenzo and Lanús finished bottom of their respective groups and as I've mentioned before none of the Big Five have made it this year, they'll have the various pre-season clásicos to fret over.
This year's Copa Libertadores schedule in full:
http://img.mazimou.com:90/3749/documents/140.pdf
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
A Long, Hot Summer
Slow news week. A minor inconvenience for Argentina's premier sports daily Olé who still have column inches to fill. We've discovered that Napoli and Argentine midfielder Jesús Dátolo has posed for Italian gay magazine Romeo Mag, his club we're informed aren't happy as one of the pictures features the hallowed Napoli shirt. Other fillers include a section encouraging fans to send in summer holiday snaps featuring their sporting idols, San Lorenzo's Diego Simeone leaves very little to the imagination in a minute pair of Speedos, enough to put many a reader off their medialunas.
Back to the football - new signings are thin on the ground at the time of writing. One absentee, Santiago Silva (once) of Banfield has failed to join the champions for pre-season training. The Apertura's leading goalscorer seems to be heading back to Velez who own half his contract. Banfield's president Carlos Portell is unwilling to pay $2.5m for complete ownership of the striker's contract - Estudiantes or River beckon. Teams are limited to four new recruits each during the summer break and most are a long way from nearing this limit. Financial constraints once again have helped to stifle the market, we're all aware this is a global economic slump and as such buyers from Europe are few and far between. Without revenue from the old continent the perilous state of Argentina's top clubs becomes all the more acute. Figures recently released show that only five of Primera A's 20 clubs are in the black, it'll be interesting to see if the Government's handout in exchange for TV Rights makes any difference in the months to come. No surprises that both Boca and River occupy first and third places respectively in the debtors list. Arrivals may be borne of necissity, Diego Buonanotte will be absent from River for months following his car crash - his physical injuries will heal but the mental scars will last for a long time and he may never be the same player again. Of a less serious nature is the the knee injury suffered by Boca Juniors' midfielder Sebastain Battaglia which will rule him out for the duration of the Clasura. One player who looks to be heading to Europe is 19 year old Eduardo Salvio of Lanús after being touted around he seems to favour Spain and if reports are to be believed Atletico Madrid will sign him. Ironically Lanús are one of those rare exceptions - a well run, solvent club whose existence doesn't depend on this transfer going through. Salvio's arrival at the Vicente Calderon could see Sergio Aguero move on.
The provinces this weekend will be graced by the big clubs as the various tradional Summer Tournaments get underway; a few clásicos of varying descriptions and a couple of superclásicos will take place this month before the proper games start at the end of January. Olé will then have someting to write about - and so will I! Finally Verón has put his heart and his family ahead of a lucrative move to Manchester City and will stay at Estudiantes. One spell in Manchester regardless of the team would seem to be enough for Seba .
Hot!!? Jesus Datolo's photoshoot:
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