Peruvian football and the corrupt fuckos

The slide of Peruvian football

* Tim Vickery
* 10 Nov 08, 03:01 PM

When Peru burst on to the scene with beautiful and vibrant football in the 1970 World Cup, some compared them to the great Hungarian side of the 50s, most compared them to Brazil and all agreed that a new power had emerged.

Five years later they were South American champions - but it soon proved to be a tale of one generation, which had some good moments in the 1978 World Cup and fizzled out four years later. Peru were not too far off making it to Mexico 86, and only goal difference kept them out of France 98. But they have not been back to the World Cup since 1982, and barring a sporting miracle, they are not going to be in South Africa in 2010. With 10 of the 18 qualifying rounds completed, Peru are bottom of the table.

In 2005, when the country hosted the World Under-17 Cup, I had the privilege of running into Teofilo Cubillas, Scotland's executioner in 1978 and the brightest star of that 70s generation. Where, I asked him, had Peruvian football gone wrong?

He sighed and began by saying, "that's a big subject."

Three years later I suspect that an answer to the same question would be prefaced by a longer, deeper sigh. Peruvian football is now in utter chaos.

The country was set to stage the South American Under-20 Championship next January. On Friday it was replaced by Venezuela. The tournament could not go ahead in Peru because the government, through its sports institute (IPD) is in open conflict with the local FA (PFP), and especially its president Manuel Burga.

First elected in 2002, Burga and his team are accused of not bringing the FPF statutes in line with Peruvian law. The IPD gave him a five-year suspension, but in defiance of this Burga stood for re-election (a year late) and won a second mandate. As a consequence the IPD does not recognise Burga. It owns the stadiums that were to be used in the Under-20 Championship, and will not hand them over for use by a FPF under his administration.

It gets worse. Fifa traditionally takes a hard line on anything seen as government interference in FA matters. It has given a deadline of 21 November for problems to be sorted out or else Peru is facing a suspension.

It seems that the majority of Peruvians are in favour of the IPD's stance (I'm writing this while looking at an opinion poll where 87% blame the FPF for the current situation, and only 11% blame the IPD). Burga will hope that the support of Fifa will compensate for any lack of domestic backing, especially as a suspension from Fifa will exclude Peruvian clubs from international competition - which could prove a persuasive argument to rally forces to his side.

Whatever the rights and wrongs of the situation, if Burga has lost the confidence of those in Peruvian football then his continued presence is surely counter-productive. But it is equally clear that changing the head of the PFP will not get close to solving all the problems.

One of the most striking aspects of contemporary Peruvian football is the cloying culture of negativity. Alone in South America, Peru has over the last 25 years developed a seedy tabloid press which specialises in grubby and falsely moralistic stories about footballers drinking and womanising.

After supposed high jinks following last year's draw with Brazil, some of Peru's top players were suspended from the national team - Pizarro (who still angrily declares his innocence), Farfan, Acasiete, Mendoza - players that Peru can hardly afford to leave out. One of Peru's top TV presenters is currently in prison after making unfounded remarks about the off-field behaviour of striker Guerrero. She was chasing the audience that such items seem to guarantee.

There is something very unhealthy about this fascination. There is no doubt that standards of professionalism in Peruvian football could improve. But there seems to be a dose of self-hatred in the local obsession with footballers straying off the straight and narrow, as if the reader is confessing that he too would succumb to the same temptations if he was in the same situation.

Former Peru player and coach Juan Carlos Oblitas has drawn attention to the insecurity and lack of self-esteem of the Peruvian players. His point is emphasised by the team's campaign in the current World Cup qualifiers.

They have yet to lose at home - despite playing Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, among others. They haven't played much football, but they have run and tackled and scrapped and tried to show the Lima crowd that they are not just a bunch of drunkards.

In their 5 away games, without the same emotional backing, they have collapsed, losing all 5, scoring 1, conceding 17.

"My generation were stronger physically and mentally," Cubillas told me three years ago. And there were other things on his mind - like the fact that in his day there were good coaches working in the state education system. As he says, the sad state of Peruvian football is a big subject.

De Guzman wrote:What was the exact reason for FIFA banning your FA. Burga being chosen or Garcia objecting to it?

Kimbo wrote:RIP!! They will be missed, i can't imagine a world cup without Peru.

Peru's players have acted in a bid to arrest a decline in standards, writes Brian Homewood



The Peruvian players' union has come up with some constructive suggestions to improve the state of the game.



By Brian Homewood

Peruvian players have threatened they will boycott the national team
unless sweeping and deep-rooted changes are made to the way football is
run in their country.


The Peruvian Players Union have sent a document to the federation
(FPF) setting out what it sees as the reforms which are needed to end
the seemingly interminable decline.


Interestingly, the document is detailed, to-the-point and
constructive – a refreshing change from the attitude of the directors,
whose only response in the face of bad results is to sack the coach and
maybe punish the players for alleged “indiscipline.” Divided into six
sections, the report deals with the first division, second division,
amateur football, youth divisions, the FPF itself and the discredited
disciplinary system.


In the case of the first division, the union complains that no
minimum standards are required for the first division clubs, working
conditions for players are appalling, contracts are not respected and
that clubs fail to pay social security contributions for the players.


Just an example of what this means, many clubs list in a state of
virtual reality with no headquarters, no stadium and, in many cases, no
training facilities.


The lack of training facilities forces the coaching staff to waste
much of their time looking for somewhere to practice often at the last
moment.

Even champions Deportivo San Martin, regarded as one of the better-run outfits, do not have a regular stadium.


Meanwhile clubs fold, merge, move and re-form with bewildering
frequency. One of the most recent examples concerns the Arequipa-based
team Total Clean, who won promotion last year but then merged with
Callao-based second division side Atletico Chalaco. The new club was
named Total Chalaco but it was Callao, not Arequipa, which got the
first division team.


“There is no protection for the coaches and their staff against
tempestuous sackings by the directors, even though they are not allowed
to coach another club in the same season,” adds the union's report.


“Competitive matches are scheduled at times of extreme heat on
artificial pitches without taking into account the health of the
players.”

As for the second division, the union argues that players should be
considered professionals under FIFA guidelines but are in fact treated
as amateurs with clubs running roughshod over labour legislation.


One of the union's biggest bugbears is the Copa Peru, a huge FA-Cup
style nationwide tournament involving more than 100 teams which rewards
the winners with a place in the first division.


“The system mixes professional players with amateurs. It's so
absurd that it allows a club which is founded in January to take part
in the first division the following year,” says the union.


On youth development, it said there was no control over youth team
coaches, no competitive youth football outside Lima and no football
schools to develop top-level players. “There are no centres for the
development of top level youngsters. There is no system for appointing,
controlling or certifying youth team coaches.”


The union's initiative was given a generally positive response.
“We're not turning our backs on Peru,” said midfielder Roberto
Palacios. “On the contrary, we're doing this so that the national team
improves and to change the image. We're trying to look for solutions.”


Universitario coach Juan Reynoso said: “The union's stance is a
good way out. This is not about getting rid of (FPF president) Manuel
Burga, it's about improving the administration of the game and giving
Peruvian football a better future.”

“There will be casualties but, hopefully, there will be a turning point and we can qualify for a World Cup.”



Shortly after the union's announcement, the FPF gave another example of
their bumbling approach. Following the 1-0 defeat away to Colombia in a
World Cup qualifier (Peru's eighth successive loss), the delegation
left striker Hernan Rengifo behind in the team hotel in Medellin. The
directors only noticed his absence when their plane touched down in
Lima. And they had his passport for “safe keeping.”