Photo by guille rusconi on the HEGS Flickr pool It's a bit late this year, but with the pre-seasons
well and truly underway it's about time HEGS explained the teams who will be changing divisions
this year. We've got the Copa Sudamericana participants, and every promotion and relegation through
the Argentine league, down to and including [.
Click to continue reading...
If you can remember new year's day, you'll remember that Juan Sebastián Verón was
recently named South America's Footballer Of The Year for 2008 by El País of Montevideo. Well
now, on Soccernet, you can read more about why I was pleased to see him take the award.
'Footballers produced by South America come in all shapes [.
Click to continue reading...
I've looked at 2008 as far as the action between the touch- and goal lines is concerned
already - if you're struggling to remember, the Clausura review is here, and the Apertura
one is here. It's time, though, to take a look at how each of the clubs lived up to the suggestions
I put forward for new year's [.
Click to continue reading...
This week, I've written for ESPN Soccernet on the murder of Daniel López in Colón's
stadium during their match against Banfield on Saturday, along with the death, early on Sunday
morning, of Rodrigo Silva, the Huracán barra who was shot three-and-a-half weeks ago by
members of San Lorenzo's firm. There's also a look at the [.
Click to continue reading...
Diego Simeone will manage his last game as River Plate boss this Sunday against Huracán, after
admitting in the wake of another spectacular continental elimination, and the worst start to a
season in the club's history, that he can't stay until December. Simeone told the River directors
of his decision after Thursday night's match against Chivas [.
Click to continue reading...
Newell's Old Boys got a HEGS headline last week thanks in part to their chairman, Eduardo
López. It obviously affected the air in Rosario, because on Monday a video was made public of
the city's other top-flight football president, Horacio Usandizaga of Rosario Central, engaging in
some extraordinary tirades against his very own players, including [.
Click to continue reading...
The fallout from the clásico against San Lorenzo on Sunday is beginning to die down in
Núñez now, after two days of bitter attacks on Cuervo defender Sebastián Méndez
for his horrific attempt to snap Radamel Falcao García in two at the end of the
match. Now, though, manager Diego Simeone has to look forward to the [.
Click to continue reading...
Now, here's a surprise. For days, his departure has been a given, but on Monday Oscar Ahumada,
who's been arguing with River Plate's directors about his contractual status for over a week,
agreed to a contract extension with the Núñez club which will see him remain with the
champions for the foreseeable future.
Click to continue reading...
A quick note to let you know that during the 2008 winter break (that's summer for our northern
hemisphere readers!), the page formerly known as 'squad lists' has been renamed 'transfers', and
will contain a list, updated as frequently and accurately as I can manage (but please bear with me)
of all the ins and [.
Click to continue reading...
Oscar Ahumada made a bit of a stir during River's successful Clausura campaign, criticising the
club's fans in the aftermath of the superclásico defeat in La Bombonera before going on to be
one of the team's best players in the subsequent matches, superb in particular against championship
competitors Estudiantes.
Click to continue reading...
River Plate may have just won the title after a long wait but manager Diego Simeone already knows
he's still got to find a few missing pieces in the jigsaw to get the side playing the way he'd
like. One very important piece he already had is now out of the equation, though: his passport
[...]
Click to continue reading...
Having left a week aside for Gimnasia de Jujuy and (especially) Racing fans to recover from their
celebrations upon surviving, it's time to look back on another campaign in Primera A. It's been a
momentous one for a number of clubs. Racing's survival joy was doubled by news that Blanquiceleste
were out, River ended a [.
Click to continue reading...
With the completion at the weekend of the Promociónes, the 2007-2008 season is now complete in
Argentina. Racing, of course, are the most notable survivors of the relegations playoffs, but there
have been shocks in other divisions with little-fancied All Boys winning the Primera B
championship, and Nueva Chicago losing their playoff to fall down [.
Click to continue reading...
Following Gimnasia de Jujuy's away draw with Unión on Wednesday evening, Racing got one of
their own in Córdoba against Belgrano to set up a return at El Cilindro on Sunday. In the
first half, Facundo Sava was on his best form, scoring once but missing an absolute bucketload as
Racing more or less shut [.
Click to continue reading...
The first legs of the Promoción between the Primera A and B Nacional are played tonight, and
in the earlier kick off, Gimnasia de Jujuy have got a good result in attempting to defend their
place in the top flight. In front of a full stadium in Santa Fé, El Lobo Jujeño took the
lead [...]
Click to continue reading...
The goals from the final round of matches in the 2008 Torneo Clausura are online now, and you can
watch them right here on the TN sports blog. Lack of individual goal videos online this week means
the normal best goals feature has had to be cut back a little, but I've still managed to [...]
Click to continue reading...
And so it comes to this. Three seasons of struggle against the drop came down to one head-to-head
match to decide who, out of Colón de Santa Fé and Racing Club, would remain in the
Primera A next season, and who would have to enter a two-leg playoff against a side from B Nacional
to [...]
Click to continue reading...
Only one match was played on Friday night to kick off the final round of the Torneo Clausura 2008,
but it had importance in its own right. Argentinos Juniors hosted Rosario Central with the aim of
securing a victory that would qualify them for next season's Copa Sudamericana. In addition, they
had the chance to [.
Click to continue reading...
Here it is, ladies and gents: the final weekend of the Primera A Torneo Clausura 2008. River are
already champions, but there's still the small matter of relegation to sort out, and to that end
the weekend's most important match is the winner-takes-all game in Santa Fé, where Colón
host Racing. I'm in Nottingham on [.
Click to continue reading...
Colón vs. Racing in the clash to avoid the relegation playoffs may still be over a week off,
but the off-pitch battle has already begun. La Academia have been angered after the Santa Fé
club's decision to use their home advantage to the greatest possible degree by giving them only
2,200 away tickets.
Click to continue reading...
Following their away goals defeat to LDU Quito in the Copa Libertadores semi-final, and their dreadful campaign in domestic competition in Mexico, Club América are after a manager, and former River Plate, San Lorenzo and... um... Oxford United boss Ramón Díaz looks set to take charge with Miguel Angel Russo likely to replace him in Boedo [.
Click to continue reading...
Independiente aren't yet out of the hunt for a Copa Sudamericana place, but if they qualify for continental competition they'll be playing in it next season without their top scorer Germán Denis, whose transfer to Napoli is looking more and more like a done deal. Colón manager Antonio 'El Turco' Mohamed, meanwhile, is refusing to apologise [.
Click to continue reading...
There were only 19 goals in the Primera A this weekend, but a lot of them were vital ones, and none more so than Facundo Sava's to help Racing avoid direct relegation, Diego Buonanotte's brace which gave River Plate the title, or Gonzalo Bergessio's hat-trick to hand San Lorenzo qualification for the Copa Sudamericana at [.
Click to continue reading...
With one match remaining of the Torneo Clausura 2008, two issues at least are cleared up: River Plate are champions thanks to two goals from Diego Buonanotte, and San Lorenzo are in the Copa Sudamericana courtesy of a Gonzalo Bergessio hat-trick. Racing's defeat of Huracán means they won't be going down automatically, and thanks to [.
Click to continue reading...
It took a lot of digging deep in Sunday's match against a spirited and highly motivated Olimpo, but
after four long years River Plate are finally able to call themselves champions of Argentina again.
Thanks to a stellar performance from young gun Diego Buonanotte, Diego Simeone's side claimed
the club's 33rd professional league title, beating the [.
Click to continue reading...
At the end of a long, hard, terrible season, Racing Club can finally be sure of one thing that is,
at least slightly, positive. A Facundo Sava goal ten minutes before the break gave them a 1-0
victory over Huracán in El Cilindro, and with it the certainty that they won't be in the
direct [...]
Click to continue reading...
The penultimate round of the 2008 Torneo Clausura has arrived. The international break for World
Cup qualifiers next weekend means that the final round won't be played for two weeks, but whilst
relegation issues in the Promedio will go right to the wire, the title could be decided this
weekend. If River beat Olimpo in [.
Click to continue reading...
Germán Denis has been banging the goals in for Independiente regularly for some time now, so
it's no surprise to hear him linked with a European club, and according to Italy's Corriere dello
Sport, he could be on his way to join Ezequiel Lavezzi at Napoli. Diego Maradona's former club are
reportedly preparing an €8 [.
Click to continue reading...
The goals from the seventeenth round of the 2008 Torneo Clausura are online now, and you can watch
them right here on the TN sport blog (ignore the 'Nacional B fecha 36′ in the link address,
this will take you to the Primera A goals). As usual, read on for the running order, and my [...]
Click to continue reading...
Central began the weekend by virtually assuring themselves of safety, whilst Olimpo, in the
penultimate match of the round, came from nowhere to leap out of the automatic relegation spots for
the first time this season. Boca came from behind to beat Arsenal de Sarandí on Sunday
evening, and thus stay in the fight for [.
Click to continue reading...
With two matches remaining of the 2008 Torneo Clausura, River Plate edged narrowly ahead of
Estudiantes in the table, and with the opening of a two-point gap at the top of the table they can
keep alive their dream of claiming a first trophy in four years, in Diego Simeone's first campaign
in charge.
Click to continue reading...
San Martín de Tucumán will be replacing, rather than joining, their namesakes from San
Juan in the Primera A next season. We knew that was looking likely but it was confirmed on Saturday
evening after the sanjuaninos lost 3-1 away to Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy, with César
Carranza (twice) and Héctor Desvaux getting the [.
Click to continue reading...
Independiente were the home side in Vélez's stadium for the clásico de Avellaneda on
Saturday afternoon, and the result was one that didn't really suit either side. A win for
Independiente would have put them in the Copa Sudamericana - one for Racing would have kept them in
with a chance of avoiding a relegation [.
Click to continue reading...
Rosario Central put a little bit more pressure on Racing prior to Saturday's derby between La
Academia and Independiente, as they beat Tigre 4-2 in El Gigante Del Arroyito to move clear of
their rivals in the Promedio. Tomás Costa, who's moving to Portugese champions Porto after
this weekend, signed off with a goal.
Click to continue reading...
The Avellaneda derby between Independiente and Racing won't be taking place in Avellaneda this time
round, on Saturday. In part that's because Independiente are the home side and, well, you can't
very well play the derby at home when you're renting out your rivals' stadium for the season, can
you? So instead, Diablos Rojos and [.
Click to continue reading...
