Аргентина футболы: тарихы мен жетістіктері

Overview of football in Argentina

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106,000 (Racing 1–1 River Plate at Avellaneda, 1968 Nacional) It is the one with the most players (2,658,811 total, 331,811 of which are registered and 2,327,000 unregistered; with 3,377 clubs and 37,161 officials, all according to FIFA) and is the most popular recreational sport, played from childhood into old age. The percentage of Argentines that declare allegiance to an Argentine football club is about 90%. Football was introduced to Argentina in the later half of the 19th century by the British immigrants in Buenos Aires. The first Argentine league was contested in 1891, making it the fifth oldest recognised league of a FIFA member (after England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Netherlands). The Argentine Football Association (AFA) was formed in 1893 and is the eighth oldest in the world. The Argentina national team is one of the eight to have won the FIFA World Cup, having done so in 1978, 1986, and 2022, while being runner up in 1930, 1990 and 2014. Argentina has also won the top continental tournament, the Copa América, 15 times, and the FIFA Confederations Cup in 1992. It also holds the record for having more official titles than any other nation with 22. The nation's Olympic representative has won two Gold Medals (in 2004 and 2008), while the under 20 team has won a record six U 20 World Cups. At club level, Argentine teams have won the most Intercontinental Cups (9) and the most Copa Libertadores (25). Women's football has a national league since 1991, the Campeonato de Fútbol Femenino. In turn, the female national representative qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 2007 and won their first Campeonato Sudamericano Femenino (top continental competition) in 2006. In futsal, Argentina were FIFUSA/AMF Futsal World Cup champions in 1994 and 2019. They also compete in the FIFA code of futsal, where they finished champions in 2016, runner up in 2021 and fourth place in 2004. The team also won the FIFA Futsal Copa América in 2003, 2015 and 2022.

Recovering from an oppressive dictatorship spanning from 1829 to 1852, Argentine leaders aspired to reconstruct their nation's reputation as a symbol of progress and democracy. Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, a highly influential intellectual and former president of Argentina, argued in favour of emulating the path taken by Western Europe and the United States. By 1867, there was a large British community in Buenos Aires. Most of them had established themselves in Argentina coming from the United Kingdom as managers and workers of the British owned railway companies that operated in Argentina. British citizens founded social and sports clubs where they could practise their sports, such as bowls, cricket, football, golf, horse riding, rugby union and tennis amongst others. Two English immigrants, Thomas and James Hogg, organized a meeting on 9 May 1867 in Buenos Aires where the Buenos Aires Football Club was founded. The club was given permission by the Buenos Aires Cricket Club to make use of the cricket field in Parque Tres de Febrero, Palermo, Buenos Aires, on the site now occupied by the Galileo Galilei planetarium. The first recorded football match in Argentina took place on this pitch on 20 June 1867, being covered by English language daily newspaper The Standard. This newspaper, published in Argentina, was the first one to cover football matches in the country. The match played was a blend of both association and rugby footballs, with no goals on the field. The use of hands was also allowed. The first chronicle of a football match written in Spanish was published by local newspaper El Nacional on September 11, 1880. The chronicle referred to a "foot ball" match played in a cricket field in Montevideo between an Uruguayan Argentine combined vs a British team. The attendance was estimated in 1,000 people. Nevertheless, it is unclear what form of "football" was played due to the number of players on the field (15 per side). The "Southern Railway Athletic Club" (not related with the British railway company) might have been the first organised team under the "Association" rules, according to The Standard, that published a chronicle describing the existence of that team, with records of a match played at Lanús A. C. field in 1888. The chronicle also named Alexander Watson Hutton as one of the GSRFC players. The early matches of the team, in fact, were against Buenos Aires English High School.

The so called "father of Argentine football" was a Glaswegian schoolteacher Alexander Watson Hutton, who first taught football at St Andrew's School in Buenos Aires in the early 1880s. On 4 February 1884, he founded the Buenos Aires English High School, where he continued to instruct the pupils in the game. In 1891, the "Association Argentine Football League" was established by F. L. Wooley, with Alex Lamont of St. Andrew's Scots School as one of its members. The AAFL was the first football league outside of the British Isles. Five clubs competed but only one season was ever played. In this early period, a number of football clubs were set up by the employees of the various British owned railway companies in Argentina and a number of these teams have survived to the present day, including Ferro Carril Oeste, Ferrocarril Midland, Rosario Central and Talleres. A new league with the same name as its predecessor, was formed on 21 February 1893. It eventually became the Argentine Football Association (AFA). In these early days of football in Argentina, nearly all of the players and officials were expatriate Britons or of British extraction and the oldest football clubs in Argentina like Rosario Central, Newell's Old Boys and Quilmes were all founded by British expatriates. The most successful and admired team of this early period was Alumni, founded by graduates and students of Watson Hutton's English High School. Like all of the early clubs, it was composed mainly of British players. Towards the end of the 19th century, the game became increasingly popular amongst other European immigrants, especially Italians. Most of the early clubs had a policy of excluding the local creole population. The backlash against this policy at Quilmes Athletic Club resulted in the formation of Argentino de Quilmes in 1899, the first of many Argentine clubs for Argentine players. The name Argentino or Argentinos has remained popular in Argentine football. The most famous team with the name is Argentinos Juniors who won the Copa Libertadores in 1985. British football clubs tours over South America contributed to the spread and develop of football in Argentina during the first years of the 20th century. The first club to tour on the country was Southampton F. C. in 1904 who were captained by George Molyneaux. They beat the Buenos Aires High School Alumni team 3 0 with Molyneaux remarking 'how far the Argentines were ahead of their European counterparts in France and Denmark.' Several other teams came afterwards (mainly from England although some Scotland clubs also visited South America) until 1929 with Chelsea F. C. being the last team to tour. British teams were considered the best in the world by then, and some of them served as inspiration to establish football clubs in Argentina, helped by the immigration of British citizens that had arrived to work for British companies (mostly in railway construction). Belgrano A. C., Rosario A. C., Alumni and Quilmes are some examples of clubs established by British immigrants to South America.

Around 326 registered football clubs play in the Argentine Football Association (AFA) league system, which is organized in a pyramid of seven leagues divided from the third level between clubs directly affiliated to AFA (es) and clubs indirectly affiliated to AFA (es). In the branch of clubs indirectly affiliated to AFA below the fourth level, there are 250 other Regional Leagues that are affiliated with AFA and compete for the right to enter the league system at the lowest tier. The Primera División is the highest level of club football in Argentina. It was founded in 1891 as an amateur competition, becoming professional in 1931 with a league by 18 teams which were dissatisfied with the amateur system they were participating on until 1930. This group of 18 founding members of the present league included nearly all of the most prominent clubs of those times, unified by the idea that full and compulsory amateurism was no longer sustainable (many of those teams are still today among the most popular clubs in Argentina). For many years, the only winners were the so called "big five" (Boca Juniors, Independiente, Racing Club, River Plate and San Lorenzo de Almagro). This dominance was finally broken in 1967 by Estudiantes de La Plata. Since then, ten other teams have won the championship, resulting in a total of 28 teams having been champions of Argentina as of 2021. River Plate has won the most championships with 38. The only teams outside the Buenos Aires and Greater Buenos Aires to have won the championship are Rosario Central and Newell's Old Boys from Rosario and Estudiantes and Gimnasia y Esgrima from La Plata. Below the second division, Primera Nacional, the league system is regionalized with three divisions for clubs directly affiliated to AFA (es) of Buenos Aires, Greater Buenos Aires and twenty one clubs from the cities of Rosario, Santa Fe, La Plata, Zarate, Campana, Luján, Junín, General Rodríguez, Cañuelas, Pilar and Mercedes; and two divisions for clubs indirectly affiliated to AFA (es) that cover the rest of the country. Even below these seven leagues, Argentine football is regionalized into almost 250 Regional Leagues, which consist of teams that participate in championships and tournaments organized by the Consejo Federal del Fútbol Argentino (es) (CFFA), internal organ of the Argentine Football Association (AFA), to obtain the right to enter the Torneo Regional Federal Amateur, established in 2018.

The Primera División has been using different formats for its championships, from a double round robin tournament (1891 to 1966) to a single round robin that would become the standard in Latin America, the Apertura and Clausura. In the particular case of Argentina, the Apertura was contested in the second half of the calendar year, and the Clausura was played in the first half of the following year (in order to synchronize the seasons with those of the European football). Different formats used also included the organization of Metropolitano and Nacional championships, that lasted from 1967 to 1985. As of 2024 season, the Argentine Primera División league is made up of 28 teams, with a championship organized in a single round robin schedule, resulting in a total of 27 rounds per team. Six teams from Argentina are eligible to play the Copa Libertadores, four from the league championship and the rest from the Copa Argentina and Copa de la Liga Profesional. The following six teams in the general table of the league championship are eligible to play the Copa Sudamericana. From 1891 to date, River Plate is the most winning team with 38 domestic championships, followed by Boca Juniors with 35 titles. Racing holds the third position with 18 titles.

Since the creation of the first league in 1891, several cups have been played in Argentine apart from the main competition, the Primera División. The first cup held in the country was the Copa de Honor Municipalidad de Buenos Aires; first contested in 1905, it was played until 1936. As of the present, four domestic cups are held in Argentina: the Copa Argentina, that includes teams of all divisions of Argentine football, and the Supercopa Argentina –contested by the reigning champions of Primera División and Copa Argentina, organised by the AFA. The third and fourth one are the Copa de la Liga Profesional and Trofeo de Campeones, both organised by the Liga Profesional de Fútbol body. The annual football match was played for the first time in 2019, being played by the champions of Primera División and Copa de la Superliga Argentina respectively. The Copa Campeonato, originally awarded to Primera División champion, is the oldest trophy of Argentine football, having been established in 1896, three year after the AFA was created, and played without interruption until 1926. The Cup received several names, such as "Championship Cup", "Copa Campeonato", "Challenge Cup" and "Copa Alumni", due to the association offered legendary team Alumni to keep the Cup definitely for having won it three consecutive times (1900–02), but the club from Belgrano declined the honour to keep the trophy under dispute. All those competitions, although not considered league tournaments, are regarded as official titles.

There are many local rivalries in Argentine football. The most important is the Superderby, which is contested between Argentina's two most popular and successful

The second most important rivalry in Argentine football is the Avellaneda derby, which is contested between Independiente and Racing, the third and fourth most popular and third and fourth most successful teams of the country (respectively), both from the city of Avellaneda (located next to Buenos Aires, into it metropolitan area). Other important derbies include the derby between Huracán and San Lorenzo de Almagro (has no particular denomination), the Rosario derby (between Newell's Old Boys and Rosario Central), the La Plata derby (between Estudiantes de La Plata and Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata), the West derby (between Ferro Carril Oeste and Vélez Sarsfield), the derby between Atlanta and Chacarita Juniors (formerly denominated "Villa Crespo derby"), the Santa Fe derby (between Colón and Unión), the North Zone derby (between Platense and Tigre), the Cordoba derby (between Belgrano and Talleres), the derby between Instituto and Racing de Córdoba (has no particular denomination) and the Tucuman derby (between San Martín and Atlético Tucumán).

Circumstances allowed the wide development of a special style, called "pasture football", little regulated, often massive, without coaches, captains or parents. This includes a variety of soccer games, from more or less formal matches, to mass informal matches such as "el picado", or games such as "goal goal enter", the "loco", the "run", the " center goal ", the" cañito la liga ", the" football tennis ", the" coca cola ", the" head ", and so on. These conditions promoted a game based fundamentally on improvisation and individual skill in handling the ball, the so called "art of dribbling" (dribbling), and the short pass, as well as a more physical and violent defensive game, with resource systematic to the old law of British premodern football, "hacking" or trip, known in the Río de la Plata as "ax".

The first international club competition was organized by both, Argentine and Uruguayan associations, with the establishment of Tie Cup or "Copa de Competencia Chevallier Boutell" in 1900. The tournament was held until 1919. Several competitions between teams from both countries followed, being the last the Copa Aldao, which last edition was played in 1955. The most successful Argentine club on the international stage is Boca Juniors. The club has won a total of 22 international titles. Three of its wins are the Intercontinental Cup titles of 1977, 2000 and 2003. Independiente has won the most important continental title on the most occasions, its seven Copa Libertadores titles is a record, as is its feat of winning the title on four consecutive occasions (1972–75). Also, Independiente was the most successful club on international cups by more than twenty years. These achievements earned them the nickname of Rey de Copas (King of Cups). A number of other Argentine clubs have won the Copa Libertadores, including Estudiantes de La Plata and River Plate (four times each; Estudiantes in 1968, 1969, 1970, 2009 and River Plate in 1986, 1996, 2015, 2018), Racing (1967), Argentinos Juniors (1985), Vélez Sarsfield (1994) and San Lorenzo (2014). Some Argentine teams have won international titles without having won a Primera División title, such as Talleres de Córdoba that won the Copa CONMEBOL in 1999, Arsenal de Sarandí winning the Copa Sudamericana in 2007 (although the team then won a title, the 2012 Torneo Clausura) and Defensa y Justicia winning the Copa Sudamericana in 2020.

The leaders wanted to find a way to bring all of the Argentines of separate neighbourhoods together to build a united national identity, and the solution was soccer. Soccer games could draw out the people of various neighbourhoods to the stadium, and conserve with different individuals. People of all social classes, the British, and workers, all came together through the game and forged an identity between all different groups. Chants like, “ Vamos, vamos, Argentina!” push the pride of their national identity and, the song Ole Ole Ola talks about how they love being Argentinian and every day they wake up and love it even more. These are the most common chants mentioned by the Argentinians during soccer. After the victories in 1978 FIFA World Cup and 1986 FIFA World Cup, streets were flooded with people celebrating the championship, making it impossible not to become part of the celebration. But before that in the 1920s is when the culture around Argentina's men's football team started and it had something this to do with the mass media boom during that time. With the mass media boom and having the first generation of immigrant children born, the Argentina government decided to use the Argentina's men's football team as way to establish a connection with them and the country so they could be proud of their nationality. So the media wrote that the team played so well and has created its nation team style and with its attention grabbing headlines reached a very wide audience. With this style it continued and by October 1924 it ranked third in Buenos Aires many daily's. By then end of the decade it was selling 300,000 copies a day. And their way of reporting on football had a big effect on these statistics. According to "National Identity in the Sports Pages: Football and the Mass Media in 1920s Buenos Aires" by Matthew B. Karush. It was in 1986 when the figure of Diego Maradona exploded, becoming an icon not only of Argentine football but of football itself. In Argentina, Maradona became something resemblant of a god (see Maradonian Church), admired by fans of every club (even River Plate). He was the physical embodiment of pride in Argentina and, got the support from all his fellow Argentines and is admired by fans across the globe. Lionel Messi's success and talent on the soccer field contribute to a sense of pride and unity among Argentinians. His achievements, including leading Argentina to victory in international competitions, are celebrated as national triumphs, fostering a positive national identity. His global popularity has turned him into a marketable figure, contributing to the commercialization of Argentine soccer. His endorsements, sponsorships, and branding extend beyond national borders, shaping Argentina's image on the international stage. Despite the growing popularity of women's soccer, gender dynamics within the sport still present challenges. Women's soccer historically received less attention, funding, and recognition compared to the men's game. Messi's influence can potentially contribute to addressing these disparities. Messi's role as a cultural ambassador through soccer contributes to the way Argentina is perceived globally. His influence extends beyond the sport, shaping narratives about the country's culture, resilience, and determination. Supporters in Argentinian football stadiums operate under a key principle known as Aguante (Endurance) which serves as a belief system that guides the behavior of those in attendance. Key values that make up aguante that scholars such as Eduardo Herrera have also claimed are central in the construction of Argentinian masculinity are courage, endurance, and fearlessness in physical confrontation. Fans can showcase these values when they are at stadiums in three significant way which are always supporting your team with your participation in chants and jumping throughout the match, attending literally every match that your team plays regardless of the circumstances, and standing your ground in the face of opposition insults or when engaged in any physical altercations at the stadium. Hinchas (supporters) create an emotional ambiance in many stadiums, singing and cheering loudly all game long, but since the away fan ban due to violence, the atmosphere in many stadia has become poorer, with goals for away teams greeted by silence and the disappearance of round trip chants between home and away fans, that provoked in each side to sing louder for show more passion. Barra bravas (Argentine organized groups – like the English hooligan firms) also create occasional problems, usually in riots after the match.

The major 50,000 plus capacity stadiums in the country are (in brackets, the owner/home team and its capacity): Mâs Monumental (River Plate – 84,567 spectators), La Bombonera (Boca Juniors – 57,200), Mario Kempes (owned by the Córdoba Province – 57,000), Ciudad de La Plata (Buenos Aires Province – 53,000). Stadiums with 45,000 plus capacity include José Amalfitani (Vélez Sársfield – 49,540), Tomás Adolfo Ducó (Huracán – 48,314), Pedro Bidegain (San Lorenzo – 47,964). and Ciudad de Lanús (C. A. Lanús – 47,090),