Page 46 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Argentina

44  INTRODUCING ARGENTINA

Soccer in Argentina

British immigrants brought soccer to Argentina in the
late 19th century. The fanaticism for the sport has only
grown since then and every schoolboy’s dream is to be
the next fútbol legend. Spare patches of grass in city
parks or barren desert in the interior are often used as
soccer pitches for impromptu games. However, it is at
professional matches that the sport turns into a religion
and watching a game featuring one of the First Division A colorful mural of the popular Boca
clubs is a thrilling experience. Juniors soccer team

The first recorded
soccer match in
Argentina was organized
by the Buenos Aires
Cricket Club in 1867 and
played between two
teams of British railroad
workers, the White Caps
and the Red Caps.
The Alumni sports
club team from
Buenos Aires’s Belgrano
district was one of
the most important
in the early 1900s.
They won 10 of the 14
league champion ships
they contested.

The Azteca Stadium in Mexico hosted the FIFA
World Cup Final (1986) when Argentina won
their second World Cup title.
First Division Clubs CLUB ATLETICO BOCA JUNIORS (Est.1905)
Stadium: La Bombonera
Organized by the Argentinian Football Capacity: 60,000
Association (AFA), the First Division is the
top category of Argentinian soccer teams. CLUB ATLETICO RIVER PLATE (Est.1901)
It currently consists of 20 teams who play two Stadium: Monumental
single-round tournaments each year. The list Capacity: 66,545
shows the longest-standing First Division
teams over recent decades. CLUB VÉLEZ SARSFIELD (Est.1910)
Stadium: José Amalfitani
Capacity: 49,540
CLUB SAN LORENZO DE ALMAGRO (Est.1908)
Stadium: Nuevo Gasómetro
Capacity: 43,500
CLUB ATLETICO INDEPENDIENTE (Est.1903)
Stadium: Libertadores de América
Capacity: 52,823
RACING CLUB (Est.1930)
Stadium: Presidente Perón
Capacity: 55,000
Club Newell’s Old Boys (Est.1903)
River Plate’s striker Gonzalo Higuain celebrating after Stadium: El Coloso del Parque
scoring a goal in a First Division match Capacity: 42,000

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