Football in Colombia
Encyclopedia
Football is the most popular sport in Colombia
. Although not one of the leading footballing nations in South America
, Colombia has nonetheless produced some outstanding teams at both club and international level. Among the individual players that have emerged from the country are Rene Higuita
, creator of the Scorpion Kick, voted the 'best' football trick ever invented; and naturalized American Juan Agudelo
, who became the youngest player in history to score a goal in a senior national game.
The sport of football became a important part of the 'identity' of Colombia itself as it fought the negative image of Colombia from the mid 1980s up to the present day. While Colombia hasn't been as successful as they once were, the sport is still widely loved and supported.
. Clubs were formed in Barranquilla
and Bogota
, although the game took a while to develop in popularity and it was not until 1924 that the Colombian Football Federation
was formed, initially under the name Liga de Fútbol. It was 1936 before affiliation with FIFA
and CONMEBOL
was gained.
, Neil Franklin
and Charlie Mitten
, and gained the nickname El Dorado
as a result. However the period ended in 1954 after much of the money promised to the players failed to materialise.
was added to the first with a third
now also in existence. With 13 titles each Club Deportivo Los Millonarios and América de Cali
are the most successful clubs domestically. The Copa Colombia
appeared in 1950 although this knockout competition was only contested from time to time until 2008 when it became an annual tournament.
made their first appearance in 1938 and since then have enjoyed both highs and lows.
until the 1945 tournament when they finished fifth out of seven countries. Their participation was sporadic until 1975, a tournament in which they finished as runners-up, since when they have been ever-present. Colombia hosted the 2001 Copa América and registered to date their only win in the competition, defeating Mexico
1-0 in the final.
in 1938 but withdrew from the qualification tournament
. They qualified for the 1962 finals
but were eliminated in the first round. They returned to the tournament in 1990
and reached the second round with a team featuring the likes of Carlos Valderrama, Freddy Rincón and René Higuita
.
During qualification
for the 1994 FIFA World Cup
Colombia impressed with some exceptional results, not least a 5-0 away win over Argentina
, the losing finalists in the previous tournament. Such was their form that Pelé
tipped them as possible winners of the whole competition. However the team were eliminated in the first round after Andrés Escobar
scored a notorious own goal, an act for which an irate gambler shot him dead after his return home.
Colombia returned to the competition in 1998
with expectations lowered, and once again they were eliminated in the first round. They have not qualified for a World Cup finals since.
held in 2003
. They qualified from their group before being eliminated by Cameroon
and then losing the third place play-off to Turkey
.
(twice winners at the South American Youth Championship
) and the under 17s
(who won the South American Under-17 Football Championship in 1993).
club Atlético Nacional
in 1989 and little-fancied Once Caldas
who triumphed in 2004. These are the only victories in any major international club tournament by Colombian sides.
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...
. Although not one of the leading footballing nations in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, Colombia has nonetheless produced some outstanding teams at both club and international level. Among the individual players that have emerged from the country are Rene Higuita
René Higuita
José René Higuita Zapata is a former Colombian football goalkeeper nicknamed El Loco...
, creator of the Scorpion Kick, voted the 'best' football trick ever invented; and naturalized American Juan Agudelo
Juan Agudelo
Juan Sebastián Agudelo is a Colombian-born American soccer player. He currently plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer....
, who became the youngest player in history to score a goal in a senior national game.
The sport of football became a important part of the 'identity' of Colombia itself as it fought the negative image of Colombia from the mid 1980s up to the present day. While Colombia hasn't been as successful as they once were, the sport is still widely loved and supported.
Early years
Football was first brought to Colombia around 1900 by railway engineers from EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Clubs were formed in Barranquilla
Barranquilla
Barranquilla is an industrial port city and municipality located in northern Colombia, near the Caribbean Sea. The capital of the Atlántico Department, it is the largest industrial city and port in the Colombian Caribbean region with a population of 1,148,506 as of 2005, which makes it Colombia's...
and Bogota
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, although the game took a while to develop in popularity and it was not until 1924 that the Colombian Football Federation
Colombian Football Federation
The Colombian Football Federation is the governing body of football in Colombia. It was founded in 1924 and has been affiliated to FIFA since 1936...
was formed, initially under the name Liga de Fútbol. It was 1936 before affiliation with FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
and CONMEBOL
CONMEBOL
The South American Football Confederation , commonly known as CONMEBOL , is the continental governing body of association football in South America and it is one of FIFA's six continental confederations...
was gained.
El Dorado
It would be 1948 before a national league, known as División Mayor del Fútbol Colombiano, was formed due to the efforts of administrator Alfonso Senior Quevedo. Outside the remit of FIFA due to contract problems, the league recruited a number of leading players, such as Alfredo di StéfanoAlfredo Di Stéfano
Alfredo Stéfano Di Stéfano Laulhé, born into a family of Italian immigrants from Capri, is a former Argentinian footballer and coach, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time...
, Neil Franklin
Neil Franklin
Cornelius 'Neil' Franklin was an English footballer.-Early career:Franklin had made a impression at schoolboy level, playing at both inside and centre forward...
and Charlie Mitten
Charlie Mitten
Charles "Charlie" Mitten was an English football player, who came through the junior ranks at Manchester United...
, and gained the nickname El Dorado
El Dorado (football)
El dorado was an era in the Colombia football league during the 1940s and early 1950s when the league broke away from FIFA. The Colombia football league turned professional in 1948. The Dimayor, the name of the league, broke away from FIFA after a dispute with the existing amateur football...
as a result. However the period ended in 1954 after much of the money promised to the players failed to materialise.
Contemporary football
In 1968 the league followed the pattern common in South America by splitting into two separate competitions per season, the Apertura (February to June) and the Finalización (July to December). In 1991 a second divisionCategoría Primera B
Categoría Primera B, also known as Torneo Postobón for sponsorship reasons, is the second division football league in Colombia. The league is divided into two six-month seasons and into two regional divisions of nine teams where each team plays the region's other eight teams both home and away...
was added to the first with a third
Primera C Colombia
The Primera C is the third division of the Association of Professional football Clubs of Colombia . It is run by Difutbol ....
now also in existence. With 13 titles each Club Deportivo Los Millonarios and América de Cali
América de Cali
Corporación Deportiva América, commonly known as América de Cali or simply América is a Colombian football club based in Cali. They currently play in the Categoría Primera A, the top-flight professional league in the country....
are the most successful clubs domestically. The Copa Colombia
Copa Colombia
The Copa Colombia is a football tournament in Colombia. It is contested the 36 professional clubs of DIMAYOR. Although played for the first time in 1950, the tournament has only been held ten times and four times consecutively since its revival in 2008...
appeared in 1950 although this knockout competition was only contested from time to time until 2008 when it became an annual tournament.
International
The Colombia national football teamColombia national football team
The Colombian national football team represents Colombia in international football competitions and is controlled by the Colombian Football Federation. It is a member of the CONMEBOL...
made their first appearance in 1938 and since then have enjoyed both highs and lows.
Copa América
Colombia did not enter the Copa AméricaCopa América
The Copa América —previously known as South American Championship—is an international football competition contested between the men's national teams of CONMEBOL, the sport's continental governing body...
until the 1945 tournament when they finished fifth out of seven countries. Their participation was sporadic until 1975, a tournament in which they finished as runners-up, since when they have been ever-present. Colombia hosted the 2001 Copa América and registered to date their only win in the competition, defeating Mexico
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
1-0 in the final.
World Cup
Colombia first entered the FIFA World CupFIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
in 1938 but withdrew from the qualification tournament
1938 FIFA World Cup qualification
-Group 2:----Norway qualified.-Group 3:----Poland finished above Yugoslavia on goal average, and thus qualified.-Group 5:Switzerland qualified.-First round:----Greece qualified for the final round....
. They qualified for the 1962 finals
1962 FIFA World Cup
The 1962 FIFA World Cup, the seventh staging of the World Cup, was held in Chile from 30 May to 17 June. It was won by Brazil, who retained the championship by beating Czechoslovakia 3–1 in the final...
but were eliminated in the first round. They returned to the tournament in 1990
1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
and reached the second round with a team featuring the likes of Carlos Valderrama, Freddy Rincón and René Higuita
René Higuita
José René Higuita Zapata is a former Colombian football goalkeeper nicknamed El Loco...
.
During qualification
1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
-Qualified teams:The following 24 teams qualified for the 1994 FIFA World Cup: - qualified automatically as hosts - qualified automatically as defending champions-Notes:...
for the 1994 FIFA World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
Colombia impressed with some exceptional results, not least a 5-0 away win over Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
, the losing finalists in the previous tournament. Such was their form that Pelé
Pelé
However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
tipped them as possible winners of the whole competition. However the team were eliminated in the first round after Andrés Escobar
Andrés Escobar
Andrés Escobar Saldarriaga , nicknamed "The Gentleman of Football", was a Colombian footballer who was shot and killed in Medellín. It is widely believed that he was murdered due to his own goal in the 1994 FIFA World Cup, which supposedly would have caused gambling losses to several powerful drug...
scored a notorious own goal, an act for which an irate gambler shot him dead after his return home.
Colombia returned to the competition in 1998
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
with expectations lowered, and once again they were eliminated in the first round. They have not qualified for a World Cup finals since.
Confederations Cup
As Copa America winners Colombia were able to take part in the FIFA Confederations CupFIFA Confederations Cup
The FIFA Confederations Cup is an association football tournament for national teams, currently held every four years by FIFA. It is contested by the winners of each of the six FIFA confederation championships , along with the FIFA World Cup winner and the host nation, to bring the number of teams...
held in 2003
2003 FIFA Confederations Cup
The 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup football tournament was the sixth FIFA Confederations Cup, held in France in June 2003. France retained the title they had won in 2001, but the tournament was overshadowed by the death of Cameroon player Marc-Vivien Foé, who died of heart failure in his side's...
. They qualified from their group before being eliminated by Cameroon
Cameroon national football team
The Cameroon national football team, nicknamed Les Lions Indomptables , is controlled by the Fédération Camerounaise de Football and is Africa's most successful side in FIFA world cup; having qualified for the FIFA World Cup six times – in 1982, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2010– more than any...
and then losing the third place play-off to Turkey
Turkey national football team
The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA...
.
Other teams
The Colombian Football Federation runs a number of other teams, notably the under-20sColombia national under-20 football team
The Colombia national under-20 football team, is controlled by the Federación Colombiana de Fútbol and represents Colombia in international under-20 football competitions.-Current squad:The following players are participating in the 2011 U-20 FIFA World Cup....
(twice winners at the South American Youth Championship
South American Youth Championship
The South American Youth Championship, also known as U-20 South American Championship and Juventud de América is a South American football tournament organized by the CONMEBOL , for South American national teams of men under age 20.-History:The first South American Youth Championship was hosted by...
) and the under 17s
Colombia national under-17 football team
=Head coach: Ramiro Viafara- Colombia:Head coach: Eduardo Lara-Group F:----------------------------- 2003 FIFA U-17 World Championship :Coach: Eduardo Lara...
(who won the South American Under-17 Football Championship in 1993).
Club football
Two Colombian clubs have won the Copa Libertadores, leading MedellínMedellín
Medellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...
club Atlético Nacional
Atlético Nacional
Corporación Deportiva Atlético Nacional is a Colombian football team based in Medellín. They play their home games at the Estadio Atanasio Girardot stadium which also serves as home to Deportivo Independiente Medellín...
in 1989 and little-fancied Once Caldas
Once Caldas
Corporación Deportiva Once Caldas is a Colombian association football team, based in Manizales. They were the surprise winners of Copa Libertadores de América in 2004, mainly due to the performances of Juan Carlos Henao and Jhon Viáfara...
who triumphed in 2004. These are the only victories in any major international club tournament by Colombian sides.