Month: February 2015

Like Amazon River, Brazilian football is humongous, difficult to navigate, overwhelming, defying understanding and description, easy to get lost, treacherous, dominant. The championship of Brazil was also called Copa Brazil – the 5th issue of the tournament. There was no league, the championship went throw meandering stages and teams played vastly different number of games – from 3 to 23 – but there was nevertheless a final table. In which points meant absolutely nothing. There was no promotion and relegation – clubs participated by invitation. But this was not the only championship and it is doubtful it was the most important too. There were the state leagues, inter-state rivalries, various other tournaments – domestic and international. Even players are difficult to trace, since most are nicknamed and often the same name appears again and again in the squads of many clubs. Politics, influence, and corruption played major roles – like piranhas and anacondas in the Amazon. The championship was getting larger every year – 94 clubs played in 1979. Even listing them is difficult, yet, those were hardly a large percentage of the total number of existing clubs. Countless more were outside and not only small fry. Santos did not participate in Copa Brasil – perhaps the most famous club out. Also Bangu. Nor Corinthians.

Corinthians with sensational Socrates did not play in the national championship. Too weak? Not invited? Not wanting? However, the question mark would be on the championship itself – surely a barely known club would be worse than this team here.

Lesser known – but known! – clubs were also out. Like Taubate.

Taubate still won a trophy this year – champions not playing on national scale.

Of course, most of the ‘missing’ clubs were never heard of outside of Brazil and even there their fame was local. Here is a glimpse of the unknown:

Capivariano – curiously blond-looking team: standing from left: Wilson, Ze Guilherme, Sergio, Milo, Alemao, ?

First row: Toninho, Brecho, Moises, Miro, Mauro.

Palmeiras Blumenau, Amazonas state. Standing, from left: Valmir, Nilson, Pedrão, Dito-Cola, Saulo, Valmir.

First row: Miltinho, Márcio, Braúlio, Kituta, Ednei.

Flamengo Varginha, Sao Paulo.

America Sao Jose Rio Preto, Sao Paulo – note the fans on the stands. Quite many for unheard-of club.

One more from Paulista championhsips – Palmeiras Sao Joao da Boa Vista. Champions of something.

Two former Botafogo players here.

Careful with those names… too often they are the same. This is Vitoria – but not the well known from Salvador, Bahia. This one is from Vitoria, Espirito Santo.

One more club not even known, yet with a trophy – international one this time: Vitoria won the 9th President Park Chung-Hee Cup in South Korea. Today the tournament is known as Korea Cup, Vitoria is still unknown.

 

Campeonato Nacional General Don José de San Martín – the second and differently organized Argentine championship – involved clubs of the whole country, playing preliminary tournaments which winners joined various top clubs in the later stage of 4 7-team each round-robin groups. A bit of mystery veils the structure: 7 teams, playing against each other twice makes for a total of 12 games – but every club played 14! Here small clubs, hardly heard of, had a chance of competing with the grand clubs of Argentine football – clubs like Kimberley (Mar del Plata).

Standing from left: Miguel Benítez, Basigalup, Lucarno, Jesús Martínez, Davino , Roberto Acosta. Crouching: Agonil Alfredo Veira, Corró, Eresuma, Valdez.

Kimberley finished 6th in Group B – small clubs had no chance against the big ones. Alianza Juventud Pringles and Atletico Ledesma were last in Group A. Independiente Rivadavia and Altos Hornos Zapla – last in Group C. Cipolletti – last in Group D. But that was the ‘exotica’. The top 2 clubs of each group qualified to the next stage. Once again Boca Juniors disappointed.

A version of the team playing in El Nacional – they fought and were among the 4 teams losing the least matches in the first phase – 2 – but finished a point short from qualification in Group D. There were some surprise winners, however. Velez Sarsfield and Colon (Santa Fe) topped Group A. Independiente was the big loser here – 5th. In Group B Newell’s Old Boys dropped to 4th place. River Plate clinched 2nd place, but the winners were Talleres (Cordoba) – a second division club. Another brave, but unsuccessful tournament for Diego Maradona – Argentinos Juniors finished 3rd in Group C. Racing Club won the group on goal-difference, but behind them a club not playing neither in Primera A, nor in Primera B: Atletico Tucuman. The lowliest club to qualify, beating Argentinos Juniors by 2 points. Group D was perhaps the toughest and most unpredictable – Boca Juniors, Estudiantes (La Plata), San Lorenzo de Almagro, and Rosario Central. None of them won the group – Instituto (Cordoba), another club outside the first two divisions of Argentine football finished 1st thanks to better goal-difference. Rosario Central took the 2nd place.

The ¼ finals did not favour the big clubs: two pairs were big clashes: Rosario Central vs Racing Club and River Plate vs Velez Sarsfield. Racing Club was the only team losing both legs at the ¼ finals.

Standing, from left: Issa, Cejas, Ricardo Alonso, Carlos López, Cárdenas.

First row: Barú, Zavagno, Fernando Rodríguez, Oscar A. García, Roberto O. Díaz , Olarticoechea.

Faded glory… the squad was not bad, but… Rosario Central easily beat them twice.

Goal-difference decided the winners in the other three pairs, where each opponent won a match and lost the second: Atletico Tucuman eliminated Instituto by 5-3. Union clinched a difficult victory over Talleres 3-2. Talleres lost, yet gained…

Standing, from left: Binello, Guibaudo, Oviedo, Arrieta, Galván, Ocaño.

First row: Bocanelli, Cabrera, Reinaldi, Valencia, Ludueña.

With Reinaldi, Galvan, and Valencia Talleres looked stronger squad than many, but they were not members of the first two Argentine divisions. However, their performance in the El Nacional promoted them to Primera A. It was in accord with the Argentine Football Association resolution, although it is still confusing: apparently, the best performing provincial club in El Nacional not playing in Primera A was promoted. But it was Talleres… it was Atletico Tucuman. Most likely more than El Nacional play was taken into account – Talleres ranked higher in general and perhaps even this very year had stronger combined (local and national) performance than Atletico. Whatever… Talleres was promoted.

River Plate and Velez Sarsfield made the big drama – after winning 1-0 each, the opponents went into overtime. Still no winner. Eventually, River Plate prevailed at the shoot-out: 4-3.

Still no luck for big boys in the ½ finals – Union played against Atletico Tucuman, so River Plate met Rosario Central. No difficulties for River Plate this time – they won both legs.

Not a bad year for Rosario Central, but no trophies.

Union had no difficulties against Atletico Tucuman either – they also won both legs, not permitting the opponent to score at all.

Atletico Tucuman lost, but had great season anyway – they were the best performing team not a member of the the Argentine top 2 divisions. Reaching the semi-finals of El Nacional was fantastic for a little known club.

And the final at last. Union (Santa Fe) vs River Plate. As names and reputations go – hardly a contest. Union did not particularly well in Metropolitano – they played in Group A and finished 6th. River Plate won the same group – and the championship after that. However, the games against Union did not end good: River Plate lost 0-2 in Santa Fe and managed only a scoreless tie at home. It was not to be an easy final.

And it was not… there was no winner. On December 19 the finalists met in Santa Fe – 1-1. The result favoured River Plate, but four days later Union managed a 0-0 tie. Looks like away-goal rule was used, benefiting River Plate – they won without no more fuss.

Unbeaten losers, standing from left: Regenhard, Hugo Lopez, Cardenas, Pumpido, Telch, Mazzoni

Crouching: Ribeca, Alberto, Paz, Pitarch, Ali.

Brave little team – only the legendary Roberto Telch is familiar name here. Telch was already 36 years old – he moved from San Lorenzo, the club he is really a legend, to Union in 1976. Apparently, too old for big clubs… but good enough to lead Union to the final in 1979. Too bad these team did not won the championship – they were not beaten. In fact, the direct record with River Plate this year was in their favour – 1 win and 3 ties. Good work by their coach Reynaldo Pedro Volken. One member of the team eventually raised to great glory – Nery Alberto Pumpido – but the goalkeeper had to wait quite a long time for that.

A double for River Plate – and 18th title. Great season, although their second victory was a bit suspect. It counts,though.

Standing, from left: Passarella, Merlo, Saporiti, Lonardi, Hector Lopez, Fillol.

First row: Ramon Diaz, Juan Jose Lopez, Luque, Alonso, Commisso.

Reigning world champions Fillol, Passarella, Luque, and Alonso and a good number of solid Argentine stars – Commisso, Hector and Juan Jose Lopez, Diaz, Pavoni. May be not extraordinary team, but with stronger squad than any other Argentine opponent. A great coaching success for one of the biggest all-time Argentine players – Angel Amadeo Labruna. Winner on the pitch and winner as a coach.

There was one more thing to be decided before the folding of the season: the second team Argentine represent in the 1980 Libertadores Cup. The runner-ups of the championships played a two-leg play-off at 27th and 30th of December. In Santa Fe the opening match between Union and Velez Sarsfield ended 0-0. At home in Buenos Aires Velez Sarsfield won 3-0 and qualified.