Saturday 04 August 2012, 13:00
It feels like just yesterday that last season finished with defeat for Boca in the Copa Libertadores final, but Argieball is back and it’s better than ever (if you believe the AFA). The league has been...
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Wednesday 14 March 2012, 11:45
It is one of the oddities of Argentina’s complicated relegation system that clubs often know their fate many months in advance. Based on a system that tallies the average points attained over three seasons...
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Friday 10 February 2012, 14:23
In the absence of bitter rivals River Plate, Boca Juniors waltzed (or should that be tangoed?) their way to an Apertura title with very little competition. Second place seemed to induce vertigo upon the...
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Wednesday 14 December 2011, 10:34
Ed Malyon rounds up the (half) season action in Argentina... THE CHAMPIONS Boca Juniors broke all sorts of records on their way to winning this title: an unbeaten campaign in which they conceded only six...
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Friday 28 October 2011, 13:21
This week’s three major stories all unfortunately show some of the worst traits of Argentinian football, and all have hit the headlines in spectacular style. Bottinelli, Black Eyes & the Barra Bravas...
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Monday 10 October 2011, 16:23
River Plate’s life in the second tier of Argentine football is going pretty much as planned. Unbeaten after the first nine games, they went top again with a 7-1 midweek win over Atlanta. While the media...
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Wednesday 28 September 2011, 16:18
In recent years, the shiny-suited and delicately-stubbled visages of Sky Sports have been known to talk of 'The Big Four' (a fairly questionable notion itself, given the recent emergence of Manchester...
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Wednesday 31 August 2011, 13:21
Most football fans have probably never heard of Atletico Rafaela. Indeed, having only been promoted to the second tier of the Argentine football in 1989, this may not seem wholly surprising. For those...
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Friday 05 August 2011, 16:54
Yes it's back! After all of the Copa America action (which technically hasn't finished as the ball from Elano's penalty against Paraguay is still travelling through space), the domestic bliss...
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Friday 01 July 2011, 17:14
In a summer of managerial movements and big-money youngsters, much has been made of identity. “Villas-Boas will need to change the identity at Chelsea,” we are told. “Jordan Henderson is a symbol of Liverpool's...
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Tuesday 28 June 2011, 13:14
Ed Malyon on the end of an era in Argentina... It was thought that the Titanic was unsinkable, an impossibility. Yet she sank in April 1912. It was thought that River Plate would never get relegated. They...
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Friday 24 June 2011, 14:40
Ed Malyon tells us why new champs Vélez Sársfield are different to other Argentinian clubs. It’s no secret that many clubs in Argentina are exceedingly badly run. Vested interests, debts and a whole host...
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Friday 10 June 2011, 17:28
South American football writer Ed Malyon tells the tale of Argentina's next not particularly big thing... February 18, 2011 - young winger Juan Manuel Iturbe finally makes his bow at the highest level...
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Tuesday 15 March 2011, 15:43
Not for a month have we had reason to talk about goalkeepers. There’s been the a mistake here and there, the odd flap, the occasional shove or misreading of a situation, but not since Javier García’s misfortune...
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Friday 11 March 2011, 14:00
As if the team heading towards a historic negative league record - with players in the firing line, an unfinished stadium, conceding nine goals in a week and the highly popular coach arguing with journalists...
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Wednesday 09 March 2011, 10:08
Minutes before River Plate kicked off against Argentinos Juniors, the radio confidently informed us that this weekend would be remembered in weeks, months, and perhaps even years to come as one of the...
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Friday 04 March 2011, 15:18
Huge, beautiful, brand-spanking new stadium? Check. Ageing club legend with a point to prove? Check, twice. Figure of one team’s hate sitting in the dugout? Check. Possibility of a historic defeat? Again...
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Wednesday 02 March 2011, 12:56
Matchday 3 results: Olimpo 3-3 Godoy Cruz, Colón 1-3 Gimnasia, Lanús 2-1 Quilmes, San Lorenzo 1-2 Racing, Boca 0-0 All Boys, Estudiantes 0-1 Banfield, Argentinos 1-1 Vélez, Independiente 0-1 River, Huracán...
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Friday 25 February 2011, 15:15
"I don’t give explanations," was all Julio César Falcioni was willing to offer. "It’s not a tactical question, it’s to do with how the team operates," he added, before stating that...
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Tuesday 22 February 2011, 16:26
Our man in Argentina, Joel Richards , gives us his 'Team of the Week' for the second round of the 2011 Clausura, in a 2-5-3 formation - well, why not...? GK Laureano Tombolini (Olimpo) It is pushing...
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Friday 18 February 2011, 09:30
Last weekend’s action in Argentina was closer to battles in the Coliseum during the Roman empire rather than a set of football matches in the 21st century. The gladiators went into combat with full-blooded...
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Tuesday 15 February 2011, 11:48
Weekend rounds ups will be taking the form of Team of the Week this season, but don’t go thinking that it’ll make it a love-in with the great and the good –the weekends winners and, where necessary, losers...
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Friday 11 February 2011, 11:30
It’s Friday. It’s February. There’s a Tory government in power and there’s a royal wedding just around the corner. Perhaps it is difficult to engross oneself in the delicious nuances of a far away league...
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Wednesday 09 February 2011, 13:54
It takes a creative mind to imagine either of them producing a Ron Burgundy kiss-the-guns routine after yet another match-winning display, but this week is the perfect opportunity for the Messis to prove...
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Wednesday 02 February 2011, 10:48
With Torres and Carroll dominating the headlines, several other transfers involving English clubs were largely ignored and exiled to the inner pages. There is, however, a fascinating aspect to one deal...
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Tuesday 25 January 2011, 12:42
Juan Román Riquelme said it was marginally more important than a practise match for Boca. Matías Almeyda promised that River would be treating it as a cup final, but seconds later doubled back with ‘these...
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Tuesday 18 January 2011, 17:24
Five World Youth Championship titles between 1995 and 2007 lends weight to the widely held notion that Argentina is a never-ending conveyor belt of precocious talent. Performances in those tournaments...
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Friday 14 January 2011, 09:30
Usually when an employee breaks the terms of contract with their employers and simply doesn’t show up for work, they are sacked. This is the case particularly when the number of non-appearances for duties...
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Monday 20 December 2010, 16:34
The flip side of the short league format in Argentina providing two champions a year is, of course, two extended periods of mourning. No competitive football, only interminable rumours, friendlies, marketing...
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Tuesday 14 December 2010, 11:48
The irony of Hernán Rodrigo López scoring the goal which sealed the title for Estudiantes was lost on nobody. It was a classic López goal, a classic centre forward’s goal, a brilliant header – his second...
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Friday 10 December 2010, 14:59
Both lost twice in the season, and only the two points dropped in a draw keeps Vélez behind Estudiantes. They have the same goal difference, with the Students scoring one less, and conceding one less too...
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Monday 06 December 2010, 16:05
There are just two rounds to go in the Apertura 2010 - by next Monday it’ll all be over. The title might be decided midweek, if Vélez fail to beat Huracán and Estudiantes beat River on Wednesday. In the...
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Tags: Boca Juniors, Huracan, Velez, Estudiantes, Argentinos Juniors, All Boys, Godoy Cruz, racing, Arsenal de Sarandi, Gimnasia, Tigre, Banfield, Colon, Olimpo, San Lorenzo, River, Newell's
Friday 03 December 2010, 13:33
It started with a warning. "THERE IS GOING TO BE A BOMB IN A COUPLE OF MINUTES ON LA RED." While one of local radio station La Red’s journalists may be unaware of twitter etiquette and pointedly...
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Friday 26 November 2010, 16:54
It is the number one club competition on the continent, but the Libertadores Cup has its flaws. It has nothing to do with the final being over two legs, nor does it have anything to do with it being a...
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Tuesday 23 November 2010, 15:12
On the face of it, Racing, All Boys, River and Newell’s are the same this season. Sure, Racing and All Boys have won one more game than River and Newell’s, but River and Newell’s lost fewer and drew those...
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Tags: River Plate, Newell’s, All Boys, racing, Franco Neill, Gabriel Mendez, Carlos Sanchez, Mario Regueiro, Ricardo Fort, David Ramirez, Maxi Velazquez
Friday 19 November 2010, 14:44
The Favourite for the vacant Boca Juniors hotseat knows what it is like to win the league at the Bombonera. His Banfield side won the title there on the last day of the season just over a year ago. The...
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Tuesday 16 November 2010, 13:42
It is not meant to be ironic, but it is. It may be called El Show de Fútbol , but in truth they actually show very little football. In fairness to the Sunday night shout-a-thon, it has graduated from not...
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Friday 12 November 2010, 15:25
In the world of Fútbol Para Todos, where all first division games are broadcast live on national TV, we are used to ‘weekends’ stretching into the working week in order to fit in all the games. Kicking...
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Tags: River Plate, Boca Juniors, Newell’s, Huracan, Velez, Estudiantes, Argentinos Juniors, All Boys, Lanus, Godoy Cruz, Quilmes, racing, independiente, Gimnasia, Tigre, Jonas Brothers, Banfield, Colon, Olimpo, Arsenal, Néstor Kirchner, San Lorenzo
Tuesday 09 November 2010, 15:17
This weekend was the Return of Riquelme. His coach said it was like seeing, as you may have guessed from the above headline, a chick with three breasts (apparently a compliment). Others called it the Second...
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Wednesday 03 November 2010, 17:09
Ricky Martin’s sexuality. There were no WMDs. Santa Claus doesn’t exist. Out there are many, many poorly kept secrets that, when they finally make the light of day and are admitted, turn out to be remarkably...
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Friday 29 October 2010, 15:32
Football is off. There is no marathon of 10 games back-to-back on TV. No second division, no reserve matches, not even the odd under-18 kickabout. Football is cancelled. The death of former president Néstor...
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Tuesday 26 October 2010, 11:12
Despite the promising set of fixtures - clásicos, top-of-the-table clashes - the weekend in Argentina was far from vintage. In amidst the pervading sense of mediocrity on the pitch there was the odd flash...
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Friday 22 October 2010, 16:21
For any sports broadcaster partial to the odd bit of hyperbole here and there, two derbys on the same weekend usally means a barrage of swooshes, fancy graphics and sizzling promos revolving around the...
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Thursday 21 October 2010, 11:45
The specialised press dedicated 21 pages to other matters before finally getting there. The Big Five all had their story – with Independiente winning in the Sudamericana (despite the opposition keeper...
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Tuesday 19 October 2010, 14:34
For those with long memories and limited powers of forgiveness, news that this weekend’s round of fixtures in Argentina was overshadowed by three handballs will come as no surprise. All those and more...
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Friday 15 October 2010, 16:47
San Lorenzo – Tigre The wheels are off Ramón’s Ford Falcon. Three defeats on the trot appeared small fry when compared to the news that one of the San Lorenzo players had money stolen from the dressing...
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Tuesday 12 October 2010, 16:25
Hilario ‘The Ice Truck Killer’ Navarro For some he always looks like he has only just woken up. Others prefer to point out he belongs to the Dmitri Kharine school of keepers by wearing his tracksuit for...
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Friday 08 October 2010, 17:35
The Turk had his feet up at home, sat on the sofa with his son, watching Wrestlemania and eating croissants. The trip to Miami was booked for this week, and after two years in charge of Colón it was time...
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Tuesday 05 October 2010, 11:42
Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool Last week we had 13. This week there were 30. Things started off predictably tepid on Friday night with the duel between Quilmes and Arsenal, who between them had...
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Friday 01 October 2010, 16:28
“You have to respect the glory,” says Alex Sabella. Various sectors of the press, the fans and the world have not exactly been forthcoming in lavishing praise on his Estudiantes side in recent weeks, and...
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Monday 27 September 2010, 16:30
Quilmes is the Argentine national beer. It tends to be quite a divider amongst the foreign legion in Argentina, the main gripe being that it is just too light. The highly contemptuous term ‘shandy’ has...
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Tuesday 21 September 2010, 10:07
The 2007 San Lorenzo side was a Ferrari. So said Ramón Díaz – once of Oxford United fame - who coached that side. He oversaw the likes of Ezequiel Lavezzi, Gastón Fernández and Cristían ‘The Wolf’ Ledesma...
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Friday 17 September 2010, 14:56
The news that Diego Buonanotte has been charged with manslaughter spread on Monday. The judge investigating an accident that happened on December 26th of last year, in which three passengers were killed...
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Tuesday 14 September 2010, 15:55
Far, far away from River Plate, Boca Juniors, Diego Maradona and Leo Messi, there are other teams, other legends, and other players in Argentina. This little known fact is often ignored by those in the...
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Friday 10 September 2010, 16:19
Yesterday’s results in world cups permitted Argentines to indulge themselves in an emotional outpouring that satisfied two opposite extremes of the national character. ‘We are the best’ was swiftly followed...
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Tuesday 07 September 2010, 15:14
Argentina are now the proud scorers of the best goal in World Cup history – for two sports. Maradona’s slalom through the procrastinating English defence in 1986 is rightly considered the greatest goal...
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Friday 03 September 2010, 16:28
We round off Playmakers Week with FourFourTwo.com's Argentine football expert Joel Richards ' tribute to a player who has a habit of falling out with the wrong people... Word was out about a prodigy...
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Wednesday 01 September 2010, 12:06
Boca, who went into the weekend second bottom in the table, beat top-of-the-table Vélez. Second placed River played their worst game of the tournament, failed to score, but still went top. At the same...
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Friday 27 August 2010, 16:34
With a new census just around the corner, exact population figures are unavailable for Argentina. The last time they did a head count was in 2001, but clever people in offices crunched numbers and believe...
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Wednesday 25 August 2010, 14:30
A little over a year and a half ago, Boca brushed off the challenge of San Lorenzo and Tigre to win the Apertura 2008. The title win was historic for two reasons: first, because they won a historic three...
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Friday 20 August 2010, 17:21
You’ve just picked up the 14th red card of your career, so you are suspended for the next game. At the ripe old age of 36, it’s basically up to you to make sure the side score goals and win games so that...
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Tuesday 17 August 2010, 17:03
Much like Independiente’s stadium, the grandly named Libertadores of America, the Argentine league is far from ready. Although everyone was desperate to get back to club football after the World Cup and...
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Friday 13 August 2010, 13:18
“I’ve missed you all,” said Riquelme as he sat down in front of the press, shortly after finally signing his four-year contract extension at Boca. If only you knew, Román, if only you knew. It’s us who...
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Thursday 12 August 2010, 18:27
It still feels far too early to be playing international friendlies. Apart from the Spanish, we should all be in mourning after the World Cup. We should be allowing the 24-hour sports channels to be drum...
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Monday 09 August 2010, 17:05
We may be just one round into the Apertura 2010, but there is a heart-warming familiarity to proceedings in Argentina. With over 150 players turning out for new employers – whether they were on the pitch...
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Tuesday 03 August 2010, 14:37
Just for a minute, it is time to forget the magical surrealism of the Argentina national team. Forget the national coach being sacked, then promptly slamming his former employees, who then say they haven...
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Wednesday 28 July 2010, 11:01
He claimed the Argentina national team was a Rolls Royce in need of a service. He told journalists to suck it and keep sucking it. He said that if Obama was allowed to choose his backroom staff then so...
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Monday 26 July 2010, 16:03
The fans who love Boca, love Riquelme. Riquelme loves Boca. Riquelme loves the fans. Boca’s president loves Boca and, presumably, the fans. Given the amount of love being thrown about in this cosy threesome...
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Thursday 15 July 2010, 11:22
Four years ago, Jose Mourinho was in charge at Chelsea, Tony Blair was British Prime Minister, Esteban Cambiasso had hair, Leo Messi was an unused substitute and Carlos Tevez was playing his club football...
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Thursday 27 May 2010, 12:00
One is the classic squad photo. Sparkling ironed kits, all smiles, the coach on the front row flanked by his main men – Messi and Tévez in this case – and the trio of keepers stood in the middle. All good...
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Tuesday 25 May 2010, 08:45
As Argentina celebrates its 200th birthday, the season has finally ground to halt. The relegation playoffs were settled yesterday: Gimnasia ensured there’ll be a La Plata clásico by beating Atlético Rafaela...
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Friday 21 May 2010, 12:47
Flights? Check. Hotel? Check. Match tickets? Check. Bring it on. Ariel had his World Cup all organised, booked and paid for. Along with a couple of friends, 30 year old Ariel was going to travel to South...
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Monday 17 May 2010, 16:43
“When I arrived we were fighting relegation, but now we are champions,” beamed Claudio ‘Bichi’ Borghi on Sunday night in the kind of self-congratulatory manner which would leave even Harry Redknapp blushing...
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Friday 14 May 2010, 16:27
Impressed by La Liga Loca’s Beginer’s Guide to La Liga’s Last Day , there seemed no reason, in much the same way as Argie Bargy’s adopted country copied the language, not to copy the idea from the motherland...
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Wednesday 12 May 2010, 10:26
‘In minutes,’ announced the homepage of the crashed AFA website, ‘the list of the 30 Argentine players will be available.’ The statement was like one of those building site billboards that informs you...
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Monday 10 May 2010, 16:28
“Muerde,” says the 40-something up in the stands at the Argentinos Juniors game on Sunday afternoon. “Put him under” would be the rough translation of what he wanted his team’s player to do, but the literal...
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Thursday 06 May 2010, 13:49
It is hard to know exactly what Wednesday night’s friendly between Argentina and Haiti was for. Most Argentines will tell you that it was so that AFA could drum up the money to pay Maradona’s contract...
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Tuesday 04 May 2010, 10:12
Much like rules and any window in the vicinity of a school playground, records are there to be broken, and round 17 of the Clausura saw two new records established. First up were Boca and Independiente...
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Monday 26 April 2010, 17:13
If there was any weekend when you wanted to be playing at home rather than away, it was matchday 16. Eight home sides won, and the other two hosts ended up sharing the points. It was a bad day for an away...
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Friday 23 April 2010, 15:45
In a few years time, Buenos Aires will in fact be called Palermo. It may take time getting used to, the way that colonial types find it hard to say Mumbai or Myanmar, but it seems the only possible conclusion...
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Thursday 22 April 2010, 12:05
'El que no llora no mama’ – ‘don’t ask, don’t get’ Vélez coach Ricardo ‘el Tigre’ Gareca had a moment this week that verged on the ‘I’m not a racist, but…’ Now, there may have been no Big Ron-isms...
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Tuesday 20 April 2010, 10:49
River Plate Some fans claimed the atmosphere was like a Libertadores Cup final, an observation which points to a decent memory because the last time the Millonarios played one of those was in 1996. All...
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Friday 16 April 2010, 15:00
He may not have been caught relieving himself on the floor of a nightclub, topless models haven’t claimed to have enjoyed a bit of nooky with him in a toilet, he’s not padre del año, but this week Juan...
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Tuesday 13 April 2010, 15:27
Boca have forgotten the ‘fundamental principles’ that took the club to the heights it reached while under the presidency of Mauricio Macri, according to, ahem, Mauricio Macri. Despite a 4-0 win under their...
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Friday 09 April 2010, 09:45
STOP PRESS: Literally moments after sending this to HQ, Abel Alves quit as Boca coach. His record as Boca coach is P13 W2 D5 L6 F18 A27. He leaves them 19th. That's adiós, not hasta luego... ‘Look...
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Wednesday 07 April 2010, 17:00
If you think that Lio had a lot to live up to in his father’s eyes when Mr. Messi named his son after his favourite singer, then spare a thought for Enzo Zidane. With a surname like that he was already...
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Tuesday 06 April 2010, 10:19
The faithful lined up in their thousands, the expectation was high, the fervour was feverish, but there was no Resurrection this weekend. Not for Boca, not for River, and certainly not for Diego Simeone...
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Monday 29 March 2010, 17:28
The suits are what’s wrong with football, right? Blame the Glaziers, blame Florentino Perez, (until Calciopoli) blame Inter’s Massimo Moratti. If they stopped putting their noses into club affairs, the...
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Wednesday 24 March 2010, 15:25
Going to see a football match is one of the must-dos for any visitor to Argentina. For some, it's the only reason to visit in the first place. Once the idea of fitting in visits to the Bombonera and...
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Monday 22 March 2010, 14:28
There were no heroic last-gasp winners. In fact, there were no winners, nor losers, no drawers. There were no debateable off-side decisions. No controversial quotes in the mixed zone. No handbags. No tension...
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Friday 19 March 2010, 17:14
River’s 4,000 tickets sold out in 120 seconds. Tourists are charged £260 for a seat up in the stand – 50 times more than for ‘normal’ games. One coach is rubbing his hands at the prospect of winning and...
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Tuesday 16 March 2010, 16:20
The forthcoming Superclásico will soon occupy every available second of radio and TV airtime and every available column millimetre/pixel. Argie Bargy won’t shy away from jumping on that particular bandwagon...
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Friday 12 March 2010, 17:20
We're fast approaching the midway point of the season, which means two things: the Superclásico is upon us, and the firing squad is limbering up. Conveniently, the two feed off each other. Boca play...
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Wednesday 10 March 2010, 16:16
Racing Club de Avellaneda are the first club to win an Oscar. Well, their fans are. So says, ahem, Racing Club de Avellaneda’s website after El Secreto de sus Ojos won the best foreign-language film Oscar...
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Friday 05 March 2010, 17:45
There may have been thousands of international friendlies around the globe thanks to FIFA week, but the ravenous Argentines were far from having their football appetite sated by the sight of the national...
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Thursday 04 March 2010, 16:30
"This is like a chess match!" With Argentina in action on one channel, and England on the other, and after taking a quick peek at the respective coach’s CVs, you’d expect the comment to have...
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Tuesday 02 March 2010, 16:30
‘In an uncommon reaction, Russo wasn’t angry with the referee, despite losing’ – Sunday newspaper headline Coaches blaming referees for a defeat is par for course around the world. But the knife-sharpening...
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Friday 26 February 2010, 12:30
It is, as Mr Editor pointed out last week, Libertadores o’clock. The finger tapping has been heard and duly noted, the frown has been imagined, and the hint has been taken. It's update time. (Crack...
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Tuesday 23 February 2010, 09:45
RESULTS Sat Feb 20 Newells Old Boys 1-1 Lanús, Tigre 1-1 Gimnasia La Plata, Vélez Sarsfield 3-0 Independiente Sun Feb 21 Atlético Tucumán 1-1 Argentinos Juniors, Banfield 0-0 Rosario Central, Racing Club...
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Friday 19 February 2010, 17:30
It’s that time of year again. Over a million Argentines stop what they’re doing, bring out the form guides, the league tables, the season guide book, call up that mate who works at the Big Club to find...
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Wednesday 17 February 2010, 17:00
"One less problem," wrote Olé yesterday, next to a photo of a frowning Maradona. Brilliant! Let's guess: The full-back situation has been fixed! Messi has publicly apologised for only giving...
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Monday 15 February 2010, 17:00
What with Valentine's Day at the weekend, the post-five-a-side debrief quickly turned to matters of the heart. Sweeping generalisations about the señoritas of this country followed, along with heroic...
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Wednesday 10 February 2010, 14:00
"Right then, muchachos , our work here is done!" High fives aplenty at AFA HQ last week, where the latest Argentina squad list had been discussed, thought through, agreed upon, typed up and duly...
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Thursday 04 February 2010, 15:00
For those who can’t get their heads around why another season is starting in Argentina, here’s a quick round-up of why the short-season format reigns. The theory goes like this: Smaller clubs have more...
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Friday 29 January 2010, 17:00
They’re fighting fit, lean, tanned, and raring to go. Gruelling double sessions over the summer have prepared Argentina’s players for the Clausura 2010. Diego Simeone, far from content with punishing his...
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Friday 22 January 2010, 16:30
Possible typos/factual errors/abnormally incoherent blog disclaimer: It’s late afternoon. A load of menacing-looking mettlers have just parked outside, opened up the boot to allow a stadium rock-sized...
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Wednesday 20 January 2010, 10:30
Astronaut. Brain surgeon. Formula 1 driver. Spy. FourFourTwo.com editor. Until Monday, commonly-held wisdom deemed (some of) these occupations amongst the hardest on the planet. But that was before Mauricio...
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Friday 15 January 2010, 17:00
Summer’s in full swing down south, which in Argentina means lots of things. First of all it means taking part in extensive, engrossed and gesticulatory conversations about the heat. ‘News’ channels, having...
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Friday 08 January 2010, 17:00
Because you are a mercenary. Because you were rubbish at Manchester United. Because you were rubbish at Chelsea. Because you can’t dribble round a lamp post. Because you are too old to keep playing. Because...
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Wednesday 06 January 2010, 11:00
Paternity is a big issue in Argentina, and it is not just to do with a dispute over the true identity of the children adopted by the nation’s largest media group owners . No, sticking to football, it is...
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Wednesday 30 December 2009, 12:00
Like a group of screaming, goading and bloodthirsty primary school kids, Argentina’s football fans tuned into The Bilardo Hour late on Monday night en masse. There was going to be a fight, and it was going...
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Thursday 24 December 2009, 10:00
Given that Catalunya have the same chance of competing at a World Cup as Tibet, Argentina losing 4-2 to Johan Cryuff’s side on Tuesday night needs to be considered more than just a blip. Granted, there...
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Monday 21 December 2009, 16:00
1) Estudiantes vs Barcelona Two minutes. That was how tantalisingly close Estudiantes came to writing the most glorious chapter in the club’s already-impressive history at the weekend. The Club World Cup...
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Wednesday 16 December 2009, 16:00
Clubs on strike, AFA unilaterally ripping up the long-standing contract for TV rights that had their signature on the dotted line, Fútbol para Todos broadcasting every single top flight match live on TV...
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Tuesday 15 December 2009, 15:00
When Martín Palermo scored the last-gasp goal against Peru in torrential rain at the Monumental, it was, according to the Argentine press, just one more episode in the remarkable career of Palermo that...
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Thursday 10 December 2009, 15:00
Given that Banfield are on the verge of winning their first league title in 113 years, you'd have thought that Julio César Falcioni would be in good spirits. The club may not be used to winning titles...
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Tuesday 08 December 2009, 10:30
Olé said it's the most politicised club in the world. They obviously don’t know how things work at Real Madrid, think Celtic wear green because it looks good, and would argue that there is no conflict...
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Thursday 03 December 2009, 11:30
As of Thursday night, school’s out for summer in La Plata. Estudiantes take on Chacarita on Thursday and in doing so, finish their commitment to the domestic league. Most, in fact all, other teams still...
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Monday 30 November 2009, 15:30
RESULTS: Rosario Central 1-1 Atlético Túcuman; Independiente 2-0 Huracán; Chacarita 2-1 Godoy Cruz; River 1-1 Estudiantes; San Lorenzo 3-0 Boca; Tigre 0-3 Vélez; Banfield 1-2 Racing Metallica are coming...
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Friday 27 November 2009, 15:00
Ángel Cappa Rather than an interview with one of the big sports channels, Ángel Cappa did it his own intimate way. Cappa announced he was leaving his post as Huracán coach on his modestly designed blogspot...
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Monday 23 November 2009, 15:00
RESULTS: Estudiantes 3-1 Tigre, Lanús 3-0 Colón, Huracán 0-2 San Lorenzo, Atlético Tucumán 2-1 Chacarita, Independiente 1-2 Banfield, Newell’s 2-2 Central, Boca 4-0 Gimnasia, Godoy Cruz 1-1 River A total...
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Friday 20 November 2009, 15:00
With its poles, its silicone, and its thongs, Marcelo Tinelli’s Bailando por un sueño – Dancing for a Dream – is, for some obscure reason, a particularly successful TV show in Argentina. But when Tinelli...
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Monday 16 November 2009, 15:30
In normal circumstances – i.e. a football match in which the referee applies the laws of the game – England would have ended the match against Brazil without Ben Foster after he brought down Nilmar in...
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Friday 13 November 2009, 13:00
INVASION ALERT! With Spain facing Argentina in a friendly, La Liga Loca blogger Tim Stannard has his say on Spanish attitudes to the 'South American' side... Technically speaking, Spain should...
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Monday 09 November 2009, 13:00
RESULTS Fri Nov 6: Argentinos Juniors 1-1 Rosario Central Sat Nov 7: Atlético Tucumán 4-2 Tigre , Godoy Cruz 3-1 Racing Club , Independiente 1-0 Gimnasia La Plata , Lanús 0-3 Chacarita Juniors , Newell's...
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Friday 06 November 2009, 16:00
As readers (or perhaps that should be ‘the reader’) of this blog will know, Argie Bargy isn’t the biggest fan of the Sudamericana. It’s a bit like a pre-season friendly, or a supercup, or its European...
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Wednesday 04 November 2009, 14:00
George Bush senior wanted him silenced – his vocal support of the Cuban Revolution was an embarrassment to the yanquis . The Italian government wanted him silenced – his criticism of the Pope was causing...
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Monday 02 November 2009, 16:00
WEEKEND(ish) RESULTS: Sunday Nov 01: Gimnasia La Plata 2-2 San Lorenzo, Chacarita Juniors 2-2 Argentinos Juniors, River Plate 0-1 Lanús, Rosario Central 2-1 Boca Juniors, Arsenal 1-0 Independiente. Saturday...
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Friday 30 October 2009, 17:00
Yesterday it was the underground drivers. The day before it was the teachers. Today it’s the footballers. Unlike their compadres, however, football isn’t on strike. There was no service on the tube because...
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Wednesday 28 October 2009, 15:30
"God is everywhere, but his office is in Buenos Aires," goes the popular porteño phrase used by locals to proudly point out the capital’s regional and national supremacy. Perhaps it is with this...
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Monday 26 October 2009, 15:00
When all was said and done – and Olé considered there was enough saying and doing to fill 39 pages of its Monday edition on the subject – the River-Boca Superclásico was what we all expected. There was...
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Friday 23 October 2009, 14:00
Forget the glaciers in Patagonia, the waterfalls at Iguazú, the Andes, sipping on mate , trying your hand at tango or just sitting down to enjoy a XXL steak and bottle of Malbec in Buenos Aires. When it...
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Monday 19 October 2009, 14:00
NEW! South America fixtures & results It is said to be a major flaw in the constitution of the male of the species that he is incapable of multitasking. If that is the case, then the Argentine media...
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Friday 16 October 2009, 15:00
‘Pssst. What did he just say?’ The European journalist, sent over to South America to cover Argentina’s final two World Cup qualifiers, clearly hadn’t brushed up on the leisure activities unit of his Spanish...
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Wednesday 14 October 2009, 12:00
Security checks: two Attire: no club colours Plastic bottles: prohibited Flags: allowed, but no poles Mate: permitted So reads the official information for home fans ahead of the battle of the River Plate...
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Tuesday 13 October 2009, 10:00
Monday was Columbus Day, meaning a bank holiday. Five hundred and seventeen years ago to the day, the Americas were "discovered" [sic] by Christopher Columbus. To avoid infantile jokes about...
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Thursday 08 October 2009, 08:00
‘¿Qué es Arrrrrgie Barrrrrgy?’ a friend here in Argentina recently asked. After a quick explanation, the conversation then veered into potentially troublesome waters when the amigo pointed out that naming...
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Monday 05 October 2009, 11:00
River Plate have won 23 of the last 35 competitions. In the tournaments they didn’t win, they either ended second, or plummeted to the unheard depths of a disgraceful third place. The last five trophies...
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Friday 02 October 2009, 15:00
"In Argentina, people only talk about football and sex," says Argentinos Juniors coach Claudo ‘Bichi’ Borghi. "And they think they are good at it." "Good at it" could refer...
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Wednesday 30 September 2009, 17:08
The Ten is angry with Big Nose and The Boss for scheming behind his back. The Boss knows that The Ten is impossible to control, but puts up with him because he is, after all, The Ten. The people love him...
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Monday 28 September 2009, 15:00
A fortnight ago, rumour spread that AFA were going to make Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola an offer he couldn’t refuse – to take over the Argentina national team. Señor Guardiola is, apparently, the only...
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Friday 25 September 2009, 11:48
“There was a talk held in Montevideo last week,” explains Huracán coach Ángel Cappa. “They invited the coach from La U in Chile and Nacional in Uruguay, as they had both won the league title. And they...
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Wednesday 23 September 2009, 16:00
Argentine sports presenters are always on the phone. This isn't information gleaned from rubbing shoulders with them in mixed zones, nor from trying to hold a conversation with one of them, nor is...
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Tuesday 22 September 2009, 10:59
If you’re tired of the EPL's Big Four, or whether it’ll be Barcelona or Real Madrid, or whether Inter will win the scudetto again, fear not, there is hope. Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez has a dream...
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Friday 18 September 2009, 09:48
Get some exercise, detox, cut out the carbs, avoid mindless eating, eat slower, eat less, try old favourites like stapling your stomach , or steal a trick from (Brazilian) Ronaldo and get some liposuction...
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Thursday 17 September 2009, 09:30
It's the week everyone’s been waiting for. Glitzy, glamorous and guaranteeing gazillions of Euros, the world’s top club championship got going. A mouth-watering Inter-Barcelona in week one, Ronaldo...
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Tuesday 15 September 2009, 09:30
More than ever, Argentina has become a nation of football managers. After the national team’s debacle in the World Cup qualifiers, there’s not a taxi driver, aunt or random acquaintance on the tube who...
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Thursday 10 September 2009, 12:00
Wednesday night was business as usual for the Albiceleste against Paraguay. Another game, another defeat, another woeful performance, another team celebrating qualifying for the World Cup at their expense...
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Monday 07 September 2009, 17:00
To avoid the possibility of accidentally forwarding them to local friends, Argie Bargy spent most of Monday morning deleting the deluge of emails that, with varying degrees of abuse and humour, poked fun...
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Friday 04 September 2009, 11:00
I NVASION ALERT! Ahead of the crucial Clasico qualifier between Argentina and Brazil, Celso de Campos Jr – writer of FourFourTwo.com blog The Noise From Brazil – gives his view from the other side. Including...
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Thursday 03 September 2009, 12:00
It’s the victors who get to write history, or so the saying goes. That certainly seems to be the case when it comes to internationals between Argentina and Brazil. The clásico is just around the corner...
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Tuesday 01 September 2009, 16:00
With a punctuality that would make AFA proud, Argie Bargy is up and running once again. The season is barely two weeks old but already shaping up nicely – an open title race, lots of goals and plenty of...
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Sunday 31 May 2009, 12:00
River Plate may have been getting all the attention recently for their poor plight, but even further down the table lie their arch rivals Boca Juniors. The Argentine media, never ones to hold back an opinion...
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Thursday 21 May 2009, 09:00
It doesn’t quite have the same ring to it as some of it's English equivalents on the terraces (especially given the woeful healthcare service – but that’s another story), but it still isn’t a pleasant...
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Saturday 09 May 2009, 12:00
Now that’s service... Usually, service in the Argentine capital can be a little brusque. Steaks, stunning though they are, are usually dumped before you by a 130-year-old waiter in a dirty tux, and wine...
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Thursday 23 April 2009, 16:00
Yes I know I say it a lot, but there really is no league in the world quite like the Argentine Primera. Why? Well, lets take a peek at San Lorenzo, one of the most supported teams in the country. After...
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Tuesday 21 April 2009, 12:00
As the taxi drivers huddled around bar windows, deftly ignoring anyone wanting to go anywhere, they watched as the cheers went up, firstly, for those in blue and yellow and then red and white. However...
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Thursday 16 April 2009, 15:00
It appeared for a while that River Plate would bounce back from the horrors of last season's pathetic performance. After finishing bottom of the Apertura last time out, they started the new campaign...
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Friday 10 April 2009, 12:00
Argentine football is a distressingly uncaring rollercoaster of a ride. The ups are up and the downs are subterranean. And if you are an Argentine, who are not generally known for their reserve and stiff...
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Monday 09 March 2009, 11:00
Style, that’s what Argentine football players do well. Oodles of style. They may struggle as a team, but Argentine football has never been about the team, more individual brilliance. So here are a selection...
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Thursday 05 March 2009, 12:00
Unlike many national rivalries, England vs Germany, Turkey vs Greece, USA vs Iran, there is little history between Argentina and Brazil that goes beyond football. The Portuguese-speaking Brazilians and...
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Wednesday 04 March 2009, 10:00
History has an ugly habit of rearing its head in football. Diego Maradona is fond of stating that the Mano de Dios (Hand of God) was revenge for the Falklands/Malvinas war. And as an Englishman living...
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Sunday 22 February 2009, 12:00
It's in the big games where heroes and legends are born, and Saturday was Lucas Pusineri's day. The 32 year old played the game of his life to help Independiente beat bitter rivals Racing 2-0,...
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Thursday 19 February 2009, 13:00
The new season's underway in Argentina, with last weekend seeing the second round of fixtures completed and a few surprise names topping the table. Newell's Old Boys lead the way, while Huracan...
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Tuesday 10 February 2009, 15:00
Before Wednesday night's game in France, Diego, sporting greased back mullet and half of Sierra Leone's diamond deposits in his ears, relaxed on the Med. He told Ole , Argentina's daily sports...
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Monday 02 February 2009, 14:00
With only seven days to go until the beginning of the season, it's surely time to hit the big red panic button on the River Plate chairman's desk. Morale in the camp is at an all-time low. Having...
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Thursday 22 January 2009, 15:00
Having occupied antipodean places in last year's Apertura league table, Boca and River appear miles apart. But, in fact, their plights are far more similar than it may appear. River all but imploded...
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Thursday 15 January 2009, 10:00
OK, so it's only a win in the summer tournament. But when you've had a couple of seasons like Racing, any win is a glorious one or at least an extreme relief, especially when it is against San...
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Tuesday 13 January 2009, 10:00
The Argentinian Football Association don't believe in giving their players much of a break. No sooner have they hit the beaches of Uruguay after driving across with their model girlfriends in their...
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Wednesday 07 January 2009, 16:00
It's a time for reflection in Argentina. The season has ended and now is the time to uproot, leave the stinkingly hot city and head to the beaches of Uruguay. Entire football clubs decamp to Argentine...
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Monday 22 December 2008, 08:00
And so the plot thickens. Boca Juniors beat San Lorenzo in the second game of the three-way play-off. Lowly Tigre remain in third place, and now play Boca Juniors on Wednesday with a win, draw or even...
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Friday 19 December 2008, 15:00
"Why use two words when you can use 20?" someone once said, I think, probably a politician. But the point was there. Sometimes overcomplicating things is good, more exciting. Argentine football...
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Thursday 11 December 2008, 12:00
Three teams tied on 36 points and one game to play. Welcome to the most eagerly anticipated final day in Argentine footballing history. San Lorenzo, arguably the country's fifth biggest team, lead...
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Tuesday 02 December 2008, 10:30
This has been, undoubtedly, River Plate's worst ever season. Out of 17 of the season's games (leaving three left to play), the Millionarios have won only two. To say it is a crisis is perhaps an...
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Tuesday 18 November 2008, 16:00
Kick-off in Diego Maradona's first ever game as coach of the Argentine Seleccion is growing ever nearer, but in the meantime here's a little treat for you... the best, sorry worst, goalkeeping...
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Monday 17 November 2008, 09:00
Remember the Peanuts character Pig-Pen? Wherever he went, the poor kid always had a ring of dust and dirt surrounding him. Similarly, Diego Maradona has a ring of muck the size of Saturn's spinning...
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Wednesday 29 October 2008, 11:00
At the moment it seems a very God-like coup. It was a perfectly executed piece of political manoeuvring that even the snakelike Argentine president Christina Kirschner would have admired. Speaking in Tblisi...
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Thursday 23 October 2008, 16:00
Blogs always run the risk of blurring the boundaries between fact and opinion... and Argie Bargy is no different. A nugget of information here, a misguided prediction there (I recently saw a quote of mine...
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Monday 13 October 2008, 09:00
Argentine spectators left the Monumental stadium on Saturday again feeling exasperated by another mediocre performance by their national team, but more-so worried about playing Chile on Wednesday without...
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Friday 10 October 2008, 11:00
Uruguay is a relatively small patch of country that borders both behemoths Brazil and Argentina. Derided as a province by most Argentines, it is often said that Uruguayans have a bit of a chip on their...
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Wednesday 08 October 2008, 15:00
Well it's that time again folks... when tales of the 'World's Greatest Derby' rear their head ahead of Boca Juniors vs River Plate. The clash of the titans of Argentine football return...
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Friday 03 October 2008, 16:30
There are few fans in the world quite as high profile as Diego Maradona. Forever in his blue and yellow shirt, the former player follows his team around the world and is often spotted hanging over an executive...
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Wednesday 01 October 2008, 17:00
It was another clasico, another local derby. This time it was the 'millionaires' of River playing the league's paupers Racing (who recently held a prize draw among the players to win a PlayStation...
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Tuesday 16 September 2008, 10:00
Red cards, handballs, good goals not given... ah yes, Argentine football at its best. Argie Bargy has long said the fascination of Argentine football may not necessarily be its quality but its sheer entertainment...
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Friday 12 September 2008, 18:00
Diego's mouth has been uncharacteristically quiet (full of pizza?) for a quite a while now. But it is with a heavy sigh that we return to our irregular God Watch feature for all things Maradona. Yep...
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Monday 08 September 2008, 22:00
If it happens again, you could almost say it is becoming a habit. And while there is no way we could ever prefix the words 'Carlos Tevez' with 'Bad boy' (he is such a nice lad) another...
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Monday 01 September 2008, 15:00
Boca Juniors, it could be argued, are moving into a new era. No Riquelme, no Palacio and no Palermo. None of Boca's big three were available on Sunday to play Huracan, but the chicos ran away with...
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Monday 25 August 2008, 13:00
Argentina's Olympic squad retained their gold medal in a close encounter with Nigeria. Beating the African rivals 1-0, Argentina finished off a convincing campaign that saw them fend off fierce rivals...
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Saturday 23 August 2008, 09:00
In the August 2008 issue of FourFourTwo magazine, Argie Bargy reported on the intense rivalry between Independiente and Racing. At the end of last season Racing were a goal away from being relegated, but...
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Wednesday 20 August 2008, 12:30
In Argentina there is only one thing that is sweeter than beating England... thrashing Brazil. Long the poorer siblings to the Brazilian behemoth, Argentina finally got one over their bitter rivals with...
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Wednesday 13 August 2008, 17:00
Another game, another win for the Argentine Olympic squad and with it qualification to the next round. The game could easily be picked apart and was, again, far from convincing, but it was an overall solid...
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Sunday 10 August 2008, 23:07
Stood amongst the spectacular fireworks of the Olympic opening ceremony was one Lionel Messi. After weeks of wrangling that involved FIFA, the highest levels of the clubs and a sports arbitration board...
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Thursday 07 August 2008, 10:00
With Argentina making their final preparations for the opening game against the Ivory Coast in the Olympics, the wrangle of Messi shows no sign of abating. Barcelona at first refused to allow the forward...
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Friday 01 August 2008, 11:48
Did you feel that slight breeze at around 2pm yesterday? That was the collective sigh of relief from 35 million Argentinians as Lionel Messi was freed by Barcelona for the national Olympic squad. Slight...
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Wednesday 30 July 2008, 12:30
While the weather may have disrupted the first Argentinian friendly warm up in Tokyo yesterday, the storm continues over Lionel 'the Flea' Messi. The ongoing dispute between Barcelona and the AFA...
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Thursday 17 July 2008, 12:42
When this blogger lived in Argentina in 2001, the rush for European passports was immense. As the country teetered on the brink of collapse – which came, sure enough – hundreds of thousands of residents...
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Wednesday 16 July 2008, 18:00
Well this blog might not have too much to do with football, but what is happening in Argentina today is quite unlike anything I have ever seen. My office is located on a wide Parisian avenue that connects...
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Thursday 10 July 2008, 14:15
Can you remember how incensed you were when all-seater stadiums became law? "It's going to lose the atmosphere of the terrace!" they shouted. And well, I think it has. So as FIFA demand that...
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Friday 04 July 2008, 12:29
So now we are in the off-season and have six weeks to enjoy idle gossip about transfers until the first game of the new season on August 8. Thankfully, this blog won't be filled with such meaningless...
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Monday 30 June 2008, 18:04
Well all the praying to the virgin and various other, slightly non-authorised saints seems to have worked as Racing stayed in the Primera thanks to a horrendous miss by Belgrano. Not that anything should...
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Friday 27 June 2008, 11:32
"I've been hassling the Virgin Mary a lot," Racing's manager Juan Llop told the press before the first leg of the playoffs to determine whether his side stays up. 24 later Llop was back...
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Thursday 26 June 2008, 11:34
It's the last game of the season and Argie Bargy drags itself down to La Republica de Boca. It was all in the name of spreading the word about football. Yep, there are actually people who have not...
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Wednesday 18 June 2008, 15:10
There may have been no wars and no sneaky handballs. But for Argentines, the 'clasicó' against Brazil is more important than any game against England. There has been little trouble between the...
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Wednesday 18 June 2008, 07:00
Argie Bargy recently braved a freezing Buenos Aires evening - is it always four degrees colder on a football terrace? - to watch the national side take on Ecuador in a World Cup qualifier; the sold out...
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Monday 09 June 2008, 14:37
The presumptuous barra brava had the fireworks ready. And with 10 minutes to go, River Plate's jam-packed Monumental stadium erupted in flame. In the penultimate game of the season the Millionarios...
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Tuesday 03 June 2008, 14:30
River Plate have extended their lead over Estudiantes after a comfortable home win against mid-table Colon , despite playing most of the game with 10 men. River are now two points clear with two more games...
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Thursday 29 May 2008, 17:00
With two games to go the domestic league is wide open, with six teams within six points of each other. But however important it is to Argentine football fans for their team to win the championship, each...
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Thursday 22 May 2008, 11:57
Even in Argentina the Champions League final threatened to push Boca's quarter-final win over Mexico's Atlas off the city's café screens... but not quite. Anyway, for those not flicking through...
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Wednesday 21 May 2008, 14:00
Argentina is an undeniably macho society. Men wolf-whistle, stare and call out comments at pretty much any female passing. Women generally stay at home - granted this is changing, but we are still looking...
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Friday 16 May 2008, 18:15
Just take a look at this . There are few bloopers that may have such lasting effects. In the first - and home - leg of San Lorenzo's Copa Libertadores quarter final, the team from the Almagro neighbourhood...
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Wednesday 14 May 2008, 15:20
'He wore the Argentina flag, he wore the Argentina flag,' was a phrase that I think, with only a little bit of exaggeration, was what every one of my Argentine friends said to me on Monday morning...
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Friday 09 May 2008, 15:54
It was billed as the battle of the season and, judging by the scuffles on and off the pitch, it lived up to its name. Nine-man San Lorenzo came from 2-0 down against River Plate to draw 2-2 and progress...
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Thursday 08 May 2008, 14:14
It's turning out to be a pretty good week for Boca Juniors. On Sunday they beat title favourites and local rivals River in the superclasicó . And last night, they took on Cruzeiro in Brazil and won...
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Tuesday 06 May 2008, 10:26
There were fireworks, enough ticker to cover parading liberators of all the wars put together and odd bombs that spurted blue and gold smoke. It was the closing season's superclasicó and it was the...
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Friday 02 May 2008, 10:45
Well what a week for football. Champions League antics maybe dominating the European scene, but in this small corner at the end of the world it's one hell of a weekend for football. Buenos Aires giants...
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Tuesday 29 April 2008, 09:30
Boca's season is not on fire. Scraping through to the final 16 in the Libertadores, Sunday's defeat by San Lorenzo and struggling (for Boca) in third place in the league – all after this blogger...
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Friday 25 April 2008, 16:17
Peronism. Argentina's dominant political movement is about as easy to understand as geothermal physics. There are Peronists and then there are Peronists. And they hate each other. Named after Juan...
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Wednesday 23 April 2008, 15:05
River fans call Boca 'swines'. Last night they became lucky swines, qualifying for the last 16 of Latin America's holy grail: the Copa Libertadores. They went into the game needing a five-goal...
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Friday 18 April 2008, 14:32
Cough, cough, splutter, splutter... as Buenos Aires is enveloped in a soup of acrid smoke from farmers burning land (I can see less than 100 metres across the roofs of the city; see it here River Plate...
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Thursday 17 April 2008, 14:36
Managers come and go, but one always remains a fan of the team. It's the law. And no matter how much you hate the gaffer, you wish the team well. Maradona, never one to hide his rancor, hates Boca...
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Wednesday 16 April 2008, 10:55
For Independiente, the unthinkable has happened. The rivalry between Racing and Independiente is one of the most intense in Argentina. It's difficult to express how much they hate each other. And yet...
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Friday 11 April 2008, 10:31
The Boca wibble-wobble Boca Juniors' wobble continued during a bizarre Copa Libertadores match against Mexicans Atlas on Tuesday, courtesy of what might be the worst miss in the history of football...
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Monday 07 April 2008, 14:23
Well, finally, cause for celebration: A violence free weekend. OK, last time I hailed a few days like this it was followed by all sorts of trouble. But, nevertheless, lets take this opportunity to talk...
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Wednesday 02 April 2008, 17:12
An email arrived in my inbox this morning from a fellow Argy football fan with the title F.*.*.K.I.N.G M.U.P.P.E.T. Half expecting an amateur YouTube clip of Miss Piggy in an inappropriate clinch with...
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Wednesday 02 April 2008, 10:04
First there was fear and loathing, now we have chaos and violence. It has been one of the saddest couple of weeks in Argentine football for years. At the best of times, Argentina feels like a society hanging...
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Tuesday 25 March 2008, 09:27
After a weekend of horrendous violence, leaving two dead , the Easter weekend games were peaceful and mostly sober affairs. At the Vélez game against a resurgent River, fans packed the stand and held up...
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Wednesday 19 March 2008, 16:38
In the wake of two deaths related to football violence, a new fight amongt the highly orgaanised Boca Juniors barra brava 'El Doce' has broken out, resulting in the non-fatal stabbing of a 44 year...
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Wednesday 19 March 2008, 10:20
Two young fans killed in seperate incidents, bringing the total number of football violence related deaths to 224. This has been a sad, sad weekend for Argentinian football. Yet again, football, a sport...
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Friday 14 March 2008, 14:40
It features in every '646 things to do before you become worm food' list. It is on the itinerary of every visit to Latin America. Machu Piccu. Tick. Guinea pig for lunch. Tick. Football game in...
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Tuesday 11 March 2008, 16:13
Buenos Aires is a wonderful city. I, personally, would say it is one of the greatest and most vibrant cites in the world. Of course I'm biased, but ask anyone who has been to Argentina's capital...
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Friday 07 March 2008, 11:46
Nausea, malaise, swelling of hands and feet (sometimes the brain), shortness of breath, occasionally fatal. Not symptoms you would necessarily want to be characteristic of your football team. This is what...
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Thursday 06 March 2008, 13:30
To say it has been a pretty bad couple of weeks for Racing Club is like saying the year 1939 was a bit of a bummer for international peace. Without so much as a win in weeks, the fans of Racing, marched...
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Monday 03 March 2008, 16:19
El Loco reaches record, San Lorenzo break goal drought, the rain, the rain... Half of Buenos Aires currently lies under a metre of water, and I can barely hear myself type, let alone catch what's being...
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Thursday 28 February 2008, 09:10
I was once talking to some sort of delegate of the European Union. He was from Slovenia, I from Britain, so we were discussing how our national characteristics affect our debating skills. "Each country...
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Tuesday 26 February 2008, 10:00
Trust River to wait until a big one to start winning. Disciplined, practical and no longer running around like kids in an Easter egg hunt, Simeone's team thoroughly overcame their past problems, by...
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Friday 22 February 2008, 11:25
Hugs and relief for Riquelme's Boca As fellow Four Four Two blogger Celso de campos Jr wrote in his excellent post yesterday the Copa Libertadores is a hugely important title for any Latin American...
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Tuesday 19 February 2008, 09:50
Boca blitz Argentinos La Bombonera, the Chocolate Box, is one of the most intimidating stadiums in the world. Its vertiginously sided terrace, that jut steeply into a sky the colour of Argentina's...
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Friday 15 February 2008, 17:31
Lanús win Libertadores game Lanús, a small team from the southern suburbs, firstly shocked the Argentine footballing world by winning their first ever championship last year. They are now the only Argentine...
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Tuesday 12 February 2008, 09:40
Today: Two reportedly stabbed at River game, small teams continue to shine, full weekend results, and an amazing goal of the weekend. Violence continues at River After a well-deserved break (they were...
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Sunday 10 February 2008, 19:47
Today: Boca to win new season, San Lorenzo in surprise loss, Estudiantes score two in eight minutes, Argentina beat Guatamala 5-0. Boca to win title At the risk of turning this blog into a Mystic Meg/Russell...
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Friday 08 February 2008, 16:13
Today: D'Alessandro returns, admission prices "From the First World", and the rest of the opening fixtures. D'Alessandro arrives to celebrations Andrés D'Alessandro landed in Ezeiza...
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Thursday 07 February 2008, 11:02
Today: The season kicks off, a goal makes up for love tiff, and Maradona gets the insults out It's here!!! Yay!!!! Pah-Pah!!! Toot toot! The football season has arrived!!!!!!!!!!!!! No more of the...
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Wednesday 06 February 2008, 08:35
Featuring: Arsenal (no not that one), football players to scared to practice, River Plate copy Manchester United, Little teams, Big Cup. El *** in the Libertadores The Copa Libertadores, the greatest competition...
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Friday 01 February 2008, 09:46
Well, finally 'God' has apologised, sort of. In an interview with The Sun , Maradona said with customary modesty, 'If I could apologise and go back and change history I would do. But the goal...
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Tuesday 29 January 2008, 20:47
Featuring: A not very clásico clásico; Monkey man goal referred to FIFA; God watch: Look who Maradona has upset now; Team focus: Independiente; Sporty girls in very short skirts A not very classic clásico...
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Monday 28 January 2008, 10:16
Boca Juniors versus River Plate. The Superclasico. Perhaps the most fiercely fought derby game in the entire world. Yesterday these two teams clashed in the five-team 'Summer tournament' in the...
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Tuesday 22 January 2008, 21:11
Hola, y benvenido to the first ever blog for Four Four Two solely dedicated to everything related to Argentine football, directly from, a frankly sweltering, Buenos Aires. One thing's for sure, we're...
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