Frederic P Miller

Football in Argentina Frederic P Miller

Publisher Marketing: Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Football is the most popular sport in Argentina, it has more registered players than any other sport (540.000 in 2002, equivalent to 1.4% of the population) and it is the most popular recreational sport played from childhood into old age. The percentage of Argentines that declare allegiance to an Argentine football club is about 90%. Football was introduced to Argentina in the latter half of the 19th century by the British immigrants in Buenos Aires. The first Argentine league was contested in 1891, making it one of the oldest leagues outside Great Britain . The Argentine Football Association (AFA) was formed in 1893 and is the eight oldest in the world. Argentina is one of the seven countries to have won the football World Cup having done so in 1978 and 1986. They have also won the continental tournament Copa America on fourteen occasions. At youth level the Argentina Olympic football team has won two Gold Medals (2004 and 2008) and the Argentina Under-20 team has won a record six FIFA U-20 World Cups. At club level Argentine teams have won the most Intercontinental Cups and the most Copa Libertadores.