It’s that time of the year again. Some people’s New Year’s resolutions are to quit smoking or take up a new hobby. But in Uruguay, soccer fans are hoping their country’s soccer federation comes up with a solution to repair the huge problems in the national game.
Not only did Uruguay fail to qualify for the 2006 World Cup following a heartbreaking penalty-shootout defeat against Australia, but Uruguayan clubs have flopped in nearly every recent South American club competition.
Nowhere is this more evident than with Montevideo powerhouse Club Atlético Peñarol, which historically has been one of the greatest clubs in the world. Over its 115-year existence, the Manyas have won 47 Uruguayan championships, five Copa Libertadores and three Intercontinental Cups.
The new generation of soccer fans across the world may not have heard of Peñarol, but it’s a club that — along with Real Madrid, AC Milan, São Paulo and Boca Juniors — makes up a select group of the most successful organizations on the planet. Even though Peñarol’s last world club championship was back in 1982, when it beat Aston Villa for the Toyota Cup, it still has strong ties to the elite clubs of Europe. Successful players who once donned the Peñarol black-and-yellow stripes include Villarreal’s Diego Forlán, Real Madrid’s Pablo Garcia and Carlos Diogo, Juventus’ Marcelo Zalayeta and former Juve enforcer Paolo Montero.
That’s not all. How about this for a list of Peñarol alums thriving in Europe? Walter Pandiani (Birmingham), Dario Silva (Portsmouth), Fabian Canobbio (Celta Vigo), Gonzalo de los Santos (Valencia), Fabian Estoyanoff (Cádiz), Marcelo Romero (Málaga), Diego Perez (AS Monaco), Jean Jaques Pierre (FC Nantes), Eduardo Lago (Rosenborg), Dario Rodríguez (Shalke 04), Guillermo Giacomazzi (Lecce), Joe Bizera (Cagliari), Carlos Bueno and Cristian Rodríguez (both of PSG).
A squad boasting that kind of talent would likely compete for the European Cup every year. For a time, it was like that — Peñarol dominated world soccer. But good things don’t always last.
When I visited Montevideo in 2000, it seemed as if the whole nation was at a standstill as Peñarol succumbed to archrival and eventual title-winner Nacional after a thrilling playoff series. When I returned last year to live in Uruguay, I noticed an enormous change. Fans had stopped flocking to stadiums in large numbers, and TV sets and radios were tuned to other stations. In November, Nacional and Peñarol faced off in what should have been the most anticipated match of the year, but fewer than 30,000 fans attended a game that usually guarantees a sellout of 75,000. Fittingly, the match ended scoreless and further disillusioned a once-proud soccer population.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out why Uruguayan clubs can’t draw fans in their own country, much less compete in major South American tournaments. Put simply, the exodus of players abroad has had a negative effect on clubs like Peñarol. Sure, it’s nice for Uruguayan fans to see their favorite players competing with the elite of European soccer, but what’s left for the local game? The answer is not much — especially for Peñarol, which was unable to mount a title challenge in the Uruguayan league in ’05 or qualify for the Copa Libertadores for the second consecutive year.
In the past, Peñarol attracted the best players in Uruguay, allowing it to dominate the league (including five straight titles from ’93 to ’97) and compete every year in South American club competitions. Since then the club — as well as Nacional, the other member of Uruguay’s “big two” — has fallen back to mediocrity. Smaller clubs have passed them by, including ’04 champions Danubio. Last month, Rocha FC won the ’05 Apertura Championship, becoming the first club from outside Montevideo to win a national title.
What’s happened to Uruguay’s glamour clubs? It’s fairly easy to explain. The less privileged clubs are wiser and no longer sell their top players to the big two, preferring to hold onto them until they can negotiate more lucrative paydays with bigger clubs from Europe, Argentina or Mexico. Meanwhile, Peñarol and Nacional are forced to sell off their best players to European teams to guarantee revenue streams.
Not surprisingly, Uruguay’s big teams have been highly uncompetitive in recent South American tournaments. While Peñarol has struggled, Nacional has done just as poorly. In last year’s Copa Libertadores, it finished in last place of its group with only three points from a possible 18 — Nacional’s worst-ever finish in South America’s premier club competition.
With those kinds of results, it’s hard to argue with CONMEBOL’s decision to allow a maximum of three Uruguayan clubs in the Copa Libertadores, while neighbors Brazil and Argentina potentially can grab up to 11 places between them. It’s bad enough that Uruguay has lost its place in the hierarchy of South America’s elite, but now it finds itself below second-tier players Paraguay, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile — even permanent guest Mexico.
Tradition may actually be an enemy of Uruguayan clubs at this point. While clubs like Peñarol are in a state of destitution, the somewhat remorseless European clubs continue to invite them to participate in friendly tournaments in the Old Continent. But whereas in the past, Peñarol would return from European tours undefeated, the Manyas are far from a hot ticket.
Last August, the club participated in a handful of exhibition cups in Spain and, not surprisingly, was outplayed by every single team. The only positive result the Manyas recorded was a 2-2 draw against Villarreal — although they went on to lose on penalties. Even so, the cynic might call their participation a success in terms of marketing — they were able to sell two of their key players as a result of their Spanish holiday.
For the Uruguayan soccer fan, this has become the norm. It’s hard to find pride in your nation’s game when your teams can’t compete or create the same enthusiasm they did in the past. This definitely has had an effect on a nation of 3.4 million that prides itself on soccer.
Once-great Peñarol has become a microcosm of what’s wrong with Uruguayan soccer. Its tradition is rich, but mismanagement and greed have ruined its chances of competing on a national stage. Fans who are hoping for their team and their country to come up with a solution may have a long wait ahead of them.
Gregory Sica
Loading ...
Leave a Reply