Lots of big news in the Football world over the last few weeks and Argentina was in the middle of it all.
1. Banfield won the Argentine Apertura 2009. In their final match of the Apertura 2009 tournament Banfield faced off against the most popular club in Argentina Boca Juniors, at Boca. A friend and I actually went down to the stadium and around Boca before and during the game and it was nothing short of insane. You could hear the cheers literally echo around the entire west side of the city. The streets leading up to the stadium were all blocked off with police in riot gear and road blocks to funnel traffic. Once the game started the entire neighborhood was abandoned. Banfield fans came into the stadium with armored car escorts and the streets they came in on were blocked off to outsiders (Boca Fans). The Apertura 2009 is tournament of all the Argentine Football Clubs. It is the first of 2 seasons here in Argentina. Each team plays each other once (19 matches) and the club with the most points at the end wins. No playoffs. No championship match. I couldn’t even imagine the environment of a championship match. Superclasico times 10?
So, coming into the final weekend Newell’s Old Boys trailed Banfield by 2 points in the standings. In a rather anti-climatic manor, both Newell’s Old Boys (San Lorenzo) and Banfield (Boca) lost. Therefore, Banfield held on for their first title as Champions of the Apertura 2009. You have to watch the video above starting at the 3:50 mark. Banfield fans love to celebrate with crotch grabs!
The 1-2 finish of two teams with British roots upset the normal balance in the Argentine league. With powerhouses Boca Juniors and River Plate finishing in the bottom half of the 20-team league, which means that neither club qualified for next season’s South American club title, the Copa Libertadores. NY Times
SIDE NOTE: Despite all the hard work our Mighty Velez tied for 3rd. Checkout Football in Argentina – Velez vs River Plate
2. It was a Rocky vs Apollo matchup last saturday in the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2009 Championship match. Despite the incredible run by the Argentine Club, Estudiantes De La Plata, there were no cinderella stories in this one. The top team in the world, led by the top player, came out victorious. Heavy favored FC Barcelona beat Estudiantes 2-1 for the Club World Cup Championship. This international tournament is made up of all the champions from the top club tournaments around the world. To make the story even sweeter, the winning goal (in extra time) was scored for Barcelona by Argentina’s own, FIFA Player of the Year favorite, Lionel Messi. And I thought I was having a good year.
3. Lastly, a few weeks ago was the final draw for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. And here’s how they turned out…
GROUP A: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France
Group B: Argentina, Korea Republic, Nigeria, Greece
GROUP C: England, USA, Algeria, Slovenia
GROUP D: Germany, Australia, Serbia, Ghana
GROUP E: Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, Cameroon
GROUP F: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Solvakia
GROUP G: Brazil, Korea, Côte d’Ivoire, Portugal
GROUP H: Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile
*The top 2 teams from each group move on.
BOLD = teams I’m rooting for in the World Cup.
Check out all the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa News & Information. Here
Who’s your team?
