Creole football in Argentina
Encyclopedia
Creole Football was the name given to the football
played by the indigenous people of Latin America, shortly after the introduction of the game by the British
.
many of these immigrants had arrived to work on the construction of the Argentine Railway network. This British heritage is reflected in the names of many Argentine clubs including Alumni Athletic Club
, Newell's Old Boys
, River Plate
and Boca Juniors
.
The British clubs had a policy of exclusion towards the local "creole
" population. This led to a backlash against Quilmes Athletic Club
resulting in the formation of Argentino de Quilmes, the first exclusively Argentine club to compete in the Argentine leagues.
The phrase gradually lost its significance as the British domination of the game receded due to the rising popularity of the game amongst the locals and the influx of football playing Italian immigrants.
In recent years the vast majority of players in the Argentine leagues have been at least 2nd or 3rd generation Argentines or players from other South American countries such as Uruguay
, Paraguay
and Colombia
.
Eduardo Galeano
described another aspect of the Creole style of play. The purpose of the style was to "dazzle and awe". The Creole Player had to be well versed in his own footballing "language", as Galeano explains:
This was the foundation from which many great exponents of the style would emerge over the years to entertain millions. Many players have used this style of play to great degrees of success internationally.
There is a common footballing expression in the Spanish speaking world: "Cuidar la pelota" (which literally means "take care of the ball"). Today the expression refers to the act of maintaining possession of the ball in order to protect a lead, but in the infant years of creole football it literally meant "treat the ball gently". The creoles had grown accustomed to playing the ball in short consecutive "touches", simply because the ball was too expensive to be kicked around and treated like a toy.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
played by the indigenous people of Latin America, shortly after the introduction of the game by the British
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
.
History
The game was introduced to Latin America in the late 19th century by British immigrants. In ArgentinaArgentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
many of these immigrants had arrived to work on the construction of the Argentine Railway network. This British heritage is reflected in the names of many Argentine clubs including Alumni Athletic Club
Alumni Athletic Club
Asociación Alumni, usually just Alumni, is a rugby union and former football club located in Tortuguitas, Greater Buenos Aires, Argentina.-The beginning:...
, Newell's Old Boys
Newell's Old Boys
Club Atlético Newell's Old Boys is an Argentine sports club based in Rosario. The club was founded on November 3, 1903, and is named after Isaac Newell, one of the pioneers of Argentine football...
, River Plate
Club Atlético River Plate
Club Atlético River Plate is an Argentine sports club based in the Nuñez neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently competes in Nacional B, the second tier of Argentine football....
and Boca Juniors
Boca Juniors
Club Atlético Boca Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primera División....
.
The British clubs had a policy of exclusion towards the local "creole
Creole peoples
The term Creole and its cognates in other languages — such as crioulo, criollo, créole, kriolu, criol, kreyol, kreol, kriulo, kriol, krio, etc. — have been applied to people in different countries and epochs, with rather different meanings...
" population. This led to a backlash against Quilmes Athletic Club
Quilmes Atlético Club
Quilmes Atlético Club is a sports clubs of Argentina, based on the Partido de Quilmes, Buenos Aires Province. Quilmes is one of the oldest clubs of Argentina, having been founded in 1887. Its football squad currently plays in the Primera B Nacional Division....
resulting in the formation of Argentino de Quilmes, the first exclusively Argentine club to compete in the Argentine leagues.
The phrase gradually lost its significance as the British domination of the game receded due to the rising popularity of the game amongst the locals and the influx of football playing Italian immigrants.
In recent years the vast majority of players in the Argentine leagues have been at least 2nd or 3rd generation Argentines or players from other South American countries such as Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
, Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
and Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
.
Style
The Creole style of football was described as being free moving and more artistic. Jennifer C. Pratt who wrote on the subject of Creole football made the following comparison:- "One of the most apparent differences between British and local players were their playing styles. The English values of gentlemanly behaviour dominated and impregnated the spirit of the game — they considered their most important aspects as strength, virility and physical stamina. The British expected to find the spirit of the gentleman behind every player. While the English prided themselves in a style that was grounded on collective discipline and common effort, the Creoles (local players) based their style on individualism and the lack of tactical sense. To the Creoles, football was a form of art, while the British executed it like machinery. One was graceful while playing and the other was more in tune with the technicalities of the sport."
Eduardo Galeano
Eduardo Galeano
Eduardo Hughes Galeano is a Uruguayan journalist, writer and novelist. His best known works are Memoria del fuego and Las venas abiertas de América Latina which have been translated into twenty languages and transcend orthodox genres: combining fiction, journalism, political analysis, and...
described another aspect of the Creole style of play. The purpose of the style was to "dazzle and awe". The Creole Player had to be well versed in his own footballing "language", as Galeano explains:
- "the ball was strummed as if it were a guitar, a source of music."
- "football players created their own language in that tiny space where they chose to retain and possess the ball rather than kick it, as if their feet were hands braiding the leather."
This was the foundation from which many great exponents of the style would emerge over the years to entertain millions. Many players have used this style of play to great degrees of success internationally.
There is a common footballing expression in the Spanish speaking world: "Cuidar la pelota" (which literally means "take care of the ball"). Today the expression refers to the act of maintaining possession of the ball in order to protect a lead, but in the infant years of creole football it literally meant "treat the ball gently". The creoles had grown accustomed to playing the ball in short consecutive "touches", simply because the ball was too expensive to be kicked around and treated like a toy.