About the beautiful game / Jonathan Wilson / 27 August 2009 / Leave a comment

Jonthan Wilson recaps on what has happened in Argentinean football over the summer and tells us why the Argentinean Apertura is one of the most watchable leagues in the world.

"Basile led them to an apertura in
2005 and a clausura in 2006, but with Juan Roman Riquelme and Martin
Palermo ageing is may take some time before his claim that “the
happiness is back” rings true."

Is there any league in the world that offers such drama as Argentina's? It is a league of last-day deciders and triangular play-offs, of dreadful defending and superb attacking, of a bunch of teams of roughly equal ability who you'd have expected to make little
impact on the international stage, until Estudiantes, having finished sixth in the clausura, somehow go and win the Copa Libertadores. The last six titles have been won by six different teams: trying to pick form here is like firing a pea-shooter into a crowd of bluebottles.

And this time they've taken their love of suspense further, delaying the start of the season by a week like a bashful bride leaving her audience nervously checking their watches in the church. But finally, last weekend, the season got under way and, frankly, nobody is much the wiser. All we can say for certain is that River Plate are still
strugglig, two first-half goals condemning them to a comfortable defeat at Banfield.

A quick recap of what has been going on... A number of players are owed wages by clubs who are, almost without exception, dreadfully burdened by debt. The players union protested on their behalf, threatening strikes, and the clubs turned to Julio Grondona, the head of the football federation. He turned to TSC, the television company who have held the rights to broadcast Argentinian league football for 18 years. They offered a £7.1million advance, but the clubs said they wanted a more permanent solution, protesting that the £42.6m the federation will receive annually from TSC for the next six years is too little.

Grondona turned to the government, which offered £94.5m a year for the rights, so long as games were screened free-to-air. Football has, effectively, been nationalised, although it is widely expected that the government will look to sell the rights on. Quite why the government has chosen to take such radical action is the subject of much debate. It is not as though the Kirchner regime is averse to acts of wild and expensive populism, but it probably made their decision easier that TSC is part of the Grupo Clarin, a media group whose outlets have habitually criticised them.

The defending champions, Velez Sarsfield, won 1-0 away to Colon, a fine result given the Santa Fe side lost just twice at home in finishing fourth in the clausura. Having kept their squad more or less intact, they will surely be contenders this time round (they are [1.57] to beat Arsenal on Saturday). So too will Lanus, probably the most
consistent side over the past couple of years. They began by winning 2-1 at Huracan, whose moment in the sun seems to have ended.

Huracan's challenge for the clausura, which ended only amid the hailstones and recriminations of a final-day defeat to Velez, served to alert others to the talents of their young side, leading to a sad but predictable exodus. Seven players have left over the close-season, most notably the elegant playmaker Javier Pastore, who has gone to
Palermo. As Angel Cappa, their coach, noted, the opening day of the season is no time to be improvising, but his squad is, at best, a work in progress.

Estudiantes, continental champions and a mean defensive unit under the former Leeds and Sheffield United midfielder Alejandro Sabella, were composed in a 2-0 victory at Arsenal, and they too must be regarded as a serious threat (they are [1.64] to beat Gimnasia La Plata on Saturday), as should San Lorenzo, losers in that three-way play-off in the last apertura, underwhelming in the clausura, but comfortable 3-1
winners over Atletico Tucuman on the opening day (they are [2.46] to win at Godoy Cruz at the weekend].

So what, then, of Boca Juniors? They are, again (still?), in crisis, and their opening game against Argentinos Juniors seemed to sum up their, well, entire existence. 2-0 down at half-time, they were level within six minutes thanks to two goals from the substitute Guillermo Marino. Then expected surge did not arrive, though, and they ended up
with a deflating 2-2 draw in Alfio Basile's first game back after replacing Carlos Ischia as coach. Basile led them to an apertura in 2005 and a clausura in 2006, but with Juan Roman Riquelme and Martin Palermo ageing is may take some time before his claim that "the happiness is back" rings true. Sunday, away to Lanus, will be a major
test (Boca are [2.66]; Lanus [2.3])