News of Dan Edwards

Dan Edwards

Argentina's players celebrate at the end of the South American qualification football match against Peru for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, at the Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, on October 14, 2021.

Peru fail to disrupt the Scaloneta as Argentina march on

15-10-2021 00:37 If this Argentina team has one great virtue, and there are plenty to choose from, it is the unshakeable self-belief that courses through its veins.

by Dan Edwards

FOOTBALL

Home crowd awaits for unbeaten Argentina

08-10-2021 00:03 After Italy's defeat to Spain on Wednesday the Albiceleste became the national team with the longest unbeaten record in the world, having last gone down at the 2019 Copa América to Brazil.

by Dan Edwards

It's Superclásico time – River Plate v Boca Juniors

SUPERCLÁSICO SUNDAY

The Superclásico is back – and this time, it's public

01-10-2021 20:54 Long-standing coronavirus restrictions mean that two years almost to the day have passed since supporters were last able to witness this showpiece fixture.

by Dan Edwards

SUPPORTERS ARE BACK

Football fans set to end 18-month Covid exile from stadiums

24-09-2021 21:47 After 18 long, quiet months, the moment has finally arrived: fans will flock back through stadium turnstiles from the start of October onwards.

by Dan Edwards

What is more, their coach, ex-Nacional boss Alexander Medina, has them playing some of the best football in the league, balancing attack and defence to perfection while making full use of the resources at hand.

ARGENTINE FOOTBALL

Rampant Talleres scale top-flight summit in style

17-09-2021 13:51 Talleres’ starting line-up is composed mostly of players who fell short at Argentina's more established giants and moved to Córdoba in search of a fresh start.

by Dan Edwards

Images from Argentina's clash against Bolivia, in which Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick. After the match, the players celebrated their Copa América win with fans, in the first match played before spectators in Argentina since March 2020.

International football

Messi shines as Argentina’s Copa heroes reunite with fans

10-09-2021 02:44 In South America the last two weeks have suffered no such shortage of controversy as the World Cup qualifiers – well, almost all of them – rumbled on.

by Dan Edwards

Lautaro Martínez celebrates his strike against Venezuela.

WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS

Fine return to action for Scaloni's heroes

03-09-2021 03:16 Relaxed and confident Argentina see off Venezuela in the first of three World Cup qualifying matches in seven days.

by Dan Edwards

Football in Argentina

Fans can return to football, but will the players be there?

27-08-2021 23:08 Argentine fans were able to celebrate the prospect of finally returning to the stadium, only to discover that there may not actually be any players on the pitch when they do so.

by Dan Edwards

Football in Argentina

Boca and River’s woes representative of a wider slump

21-08-2021 20:07 Argentina’s two biggest clubs seem to be running a competition to see who can get themselves in a bigger mess.

by Dan Edwards

Lionel Messi poses with a PSG shirt on the pitch at the Parc des Princes.

MESSI MOVES TO PARIS

Messi’s hunger for more means star is sure to shine in City of Lights

13-08-2021 23:03 Argentina's Copa América hero has chosen a PSG side which will give him every tool necessary to keep fighting for the biggest honours.

by Dan Edwards

Boca Juniors' players celebrate after defeating River on penalties.

ARGENTINE FOOTBALL

Familiarity can breed contempt – for Boca, River and fans of football

07-08-2021 08:23 Despite the clash of Argentina's two most fearsome rivals this week, it was difficult to raise even the slightest enthusiasm for proceedings. The concerning fact is that such games have become all too common.

by Dan Edwards

Argentina's Olympic Games Men's Football team on Wednesday joined the long and growing list of competitors to fall short in Tokyo, as a plucky draw against Spain proved insufficient to qualify from Group C ahead of the Europeans and Egypt

OLYMPICS: TOKYO 2020 (in 2021)

So near and yet so far for Albiceleste in Tokyo

30-07-2021 22:17 The young talent in the next generation is out there, even if it was in short supply in Japan.

by Dan Edwards

FOOTBALL: Copa Libertadores

Another chaotic Copa Libertadores clash? Normal service has been resumed.

23-07-2021 16:12 Boca’s brawl in Brazil stole headlines across the continent this week...

by Dan Edwards

Copa América

Argentina overcome odds in Brazil – and inspire hope for future

17-07-2021 00:37 Victory over Brazil in the Maracanã represented a rare moment of joy in these troubled times – and the Albiceleste’s Copa América triumph will raise hopes ahead of Qatar 2022.

by Dan Edwards

Argentina's players are seen during a training session in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 9, 2021.

Copa América

Argentina hope to upset the odds (and Bolsonaro) in Copa clash with Brazil

09-07-2021 17:57 Argentina will start the Copa América final against Brazil as comfortable outsiders after squeezing past Colombia. But the Albiceleste have grown in unity and confidence throughout the tournament, and with Lionel Messi in fine form, defeat is anything but inevitable.

by Dan Edwards

Copa América

Argentina on right track ahead of Copa América knock-outs

02-07-2021 14:44 After sailing through their Copa América group, Lionel Messi and Co now face Ecuador in the quarter-finals, aware that just one slip will be enough to send them home.

by Dan Edwards

ARGENTINE TURNS 34

Lionel Messi: Elder statesman, but just as essential as ever

26-06-2021 00:30 The Barcelona and Argentina wizard turned 34 on Thursday, an age which usually signals the beginning of the end for professionals. The event was accompanied by an outpouring of tributes, acknowledgement of the towering impact Messi has had since first bursting onto the scene.

by Dan Edwards

Argentina's Lionel Messi walks by Copa América trophy before the Albiceleste's clash with Chile at the Nilton Santos Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 14, 2021.

The Covid Copa

Zero margin for error for Argentina in Copa América clash with Chile

18-06-2021 00:51 There are high expectations on either side of the Río de la Plata for today's Copa America derby, the first between Argentina and Uruguay in a competitive clash since August 2017.

by Dan Edwards

Argentina's Lionel Messi takes on Colombian defender Davinson Sánchez during the two sides' recent World Cup qualifier.

NATIONAL TEAM

Argentina lay foundations ahead of Copa América’s kick-off

11-06-2021 00:36 Draws in World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Colombia remind the Albiceleste that there’s little margin for error. But there’s still grounds for optimism ahead of the Covid Copa in Brazil.

by Dan Edwards

Argentina's Lionel Messi and Chile's Gary Medel greet each other after drawing 1-1 in their South American qualification football match for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 at the Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades stadium in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, on June 3, 2021.

INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL

Chile, Argentina warm up for Brazil's Covid Copa with 1-1 draw

04-06-2021 02:11 This week has seen a wave of activity in international football, most of which occurred far away from the confines of the pitch. But Thursday night's 1-1 draw keeps Argentina's unbeaten qualifier record intact and on track for a place at Qatar 2022.

by Dan Edwards

Copa Libertadores matches continued this week in Argentina, despite the health crisis.

FOOTBALL IN ARGENTINA

CONMEBOL ensures show must go on in Argentina

29-05-2021 11:17 When is a ban on football not a ban on football? Apparently, when CONMEBOL decides to flex its muscles.

by Dan Edwards

River Plate's emergency goalkeeper Enzo Pérez, pictured during his side's Copa Libertadores football tournament group stage match against Colombia's Independiente Santa Fe at the Monumental in Buenos Aires, on May 19, 2021.

ARGENTINE FOOTBALL

Enzo Pérez dons the gloves as River overcome Covid catastrophe

20-05-2021 22:14 A rookie lining up in the Superclásico, and Enzo Pérez donning the gloves for a key Copa Libertadores match, all in the space of 72 hours – it has been an eventful week indeed for River Plate between the goal-posts.

by Dan Edwards

Boca and River face-off this. Sunday in another Superclásico.

FOOTBALL

Boca bid to break River hoodoo in Sunday Superclásico

15-05-2021 12:18 Seventeen years almost to the day have now passed since Boca Juniors last got the better of River Plate in a knock-out tournament, in the 2004 Copa Libertadores.

by Dan Edwards

CARLOS TIMOTEO GRIGUOL (1934-2021)

Griguol may have departed, but El Viejo’s teachings will live on

08-05-2021 00:22 Carlos Timoteo Griguol, legendary coach of Ferro Carril Oeste, River Plate, Rosario Central and Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata, died Thursday aged 86, after a month-long struggle with coronavirus.

by Dan Edwards

FOOTBALL

Argentine sides off to good start in Copa Libertadores ties

30-04-2021 02:18 A total of five Argentine sides currently occupy qualifying spots for the next round of the Copa Libertadores.

by Dan Edwards

Football

Vigilance and activism can blunt ambitions of greed

24-04-2021 09:33 For the past week, all football conversations were dominated by one particular theme: the Super League.

by Dan Edwards

Referee Mauro Vigliano found himself at the centre of a media furore after awarding a soft penalty.

ARGENTINE FOOTBALL

Spare a thought for the man in the middle

17-04-2021 08:19 Top-flight referee Mauro Vigliano found himself in the middle of media furore this week, after an honest error in the high-profile Racing Club-Independiente derby.

by Dan Edwards

ARGENTINE FOOTBALL

AFA’s restrictions may prove too little, too late for local football

10-04-2021 08:28 A costly shutdown looks inevitable for Argentina’s top flight, after more than 100 players test positive for Covid-19.

by Dan Edwards

ARGENTINE FOOTBALL

Tinkering leaves Argentina’s lower leagues stripped bare

27-03-2021 08:06 A stampede has formed at the AFA’s gates on Viamonte Street as clubs battle for one for a one-in-four-decade chance.

by Dan Edwards

One year since games were first cancelled due to pandemic.

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Long winter lies ahead for Argentine football

20-03-2021 07:12 One year on from the Covid lockdown, it would be comforting to think that normality, or something approaching it, should now be on the horizon. On this first anniversary, however, there is little optimism on that front.

by Dan Edwards

FOOTBALL

Boca, River gear up for another Superclásico without fans

13-03-2021 08:33 La Bombonera set to host its second derby match against River Plate in the space of two months – the atmosphere remains far from normal, but is another thriller on the way?

by Dan Edwards

Luis ‘Pulga’ Rodríguez, football player.

ARGENTINE FOOTBALL

'Pulga' Rodríguez deserves his dream move to Boca

06-03-2021 08:53 Out of every crisis arises possible opportunity. And at the Bombonera, a tantalising prospect: that local legend Luis 'Pulga' Rodríguez could finally receive his chance to shine at one of Argentina's biggest football institutions.

by Dan Edwards

Argentinos and Vélez locked horns in the first domestic match screened on the TV Pública.

FUTBOL PARA TODOS

Echoes of the past as football returns to TV Pública

27-02-2021 07:58 Last night Argentinos and Vélez locked horns in the first domestic match screened on the TV Pública for almost four years, a throwback to the ‘Fútbol para Todos’ era which appeared to have gone forever.

by Dan Edwards

Aldosivi and Godoy Cruz clash at the Estadio “José María Minella,” in the opening round of Zona A of the Copa de la Liga Profesional.

ARGENTINE FOOTBALL

Emotions run high on opening weekend of season

20-02-2021 07:24 Ricardo Zielinski was one of 10 new coaches on display on the opening weekend, and each fared mixed fortunes.

by Dan Edwards

BOCA JUNIORS

Boca and evergreen Tevez aim big, amid unwelcome distractions

13-02-2021 09:29 It would not be a Boca pre-season without at least a few rumours of both Tevez's dissatisfaction and general unrest in the club camp.

by Dan Edwards

LOCAL FOOTBALL

Argentine football continues to come back in torrents

06-02-2021 09:16 The dust has barely settled on the Copa Diego Armando Maradona but in just one week's time, the 26 Primera teams will lock horns once more in a brand-new tournament.

by Dan Edwards

ARGENTINE FOOTBALL

Platense desperate to end 22-year stay outside top flight

30-01-2021 09:03 To teams and their fans stuck in the lower reaches of the football pyramid, every moment away from the promised land of the top flight can feel like an eternity. Platense know that sensation better than most.

by Dan Edwards

Football players Pedro de la Vega and Jose Sand.

COPA SUDAMERICANA

Pepe and Pepo head Lanús’ push for second Copa Sudamericana title

23-01-2021 10:40 The financial devastation caused by the events of the last 12 months prompted Lanús to look even more closely at their young talent.

by Dan Edwards

COPA LIBERTADORES

Libertadores: River's heroics fall just short, timid Boca fail to get going

15-01-2021 01:25 Any hopes (or fears) of a repeat of 2018's Superclásico Copa Libertadores were extinguished over the course of 48 hours this week.

by Dan Edwards

COPA LIBERTADORES

Boca and River fail to get going in Libertadores semi-finals

09-01-2021 08:37 Xeneize retain hopes of advancing, although they will have to up their efforts significantly. For the Millo, only a near-miracle will secure passage to Rio.

by Dan Edwards

La Pulguita and La Pulga, preparing for a capybara asado.

2021: THE YEAR IN PREVIEW

What lies ahead for Argentine football in 2021

02-01-2021 08:57 Your (tongue-firmly-in-cheek) guide to what lies ahead for Argentine football in the next 12 months.

by Dan Edwards

Alejandro Sabella, pictured after signing for Sheffield United in 1978 and Diego Maradona, pictured playing for Argentina in 1977.

A LA CANCHA

What might have been: Sabella and Maradona in Sheffield

19-12-2020 09:23 Late footballer and national team coach Alejandro Sabella was a fans favourite during his time with English side Sheffield United – and he was nearly joined in South Yorkshire by Diego Maradona.

by Dan Edwards

COPA LIBERTADORES

Argentine sides remain in running as Copa Libertadores nears end

12-12-2020 10:00 By the time the Libertadores finally bids farewell to 2020 on the eve of Christmas Eve, there will be at least one Argentine team among South America's four top sides.

by Dan Edwards

Maradona, 1986, versus England in Mexico.

DIEGO ARMANDO MARADONA (1960-2020)

Maradona: Out of this world

28-11-2020 07:35 Diego Armando Maradona, the popular icon that Argentina was crying out for, blessed us mortals with 60 years in his magnetic presence. But now, the ‘Cosmic Kite’ has finally been called back to his home planet.

by Dan Edwards

A LA CANCHA

Stormy waters in Avellaneda as sudden crisis engulfs Racing

21-11-2020 09:32 A run of defeats has plunged Racing Club into crisis. Such is the scale of the disaster that it now looks set to take with it one of the club's most beloved figures: Diego Milito.

by Dan Edwards

Argentina's Lionel Messi (R) and Paraguay's Gustavo Gomez vie for the ball during their closed-door 2022 FIFA World Cup South American qualifier football match at La Bombonera Stadium in Buenos Aires on November 12, 2020

WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS

Argentina's perfect start cut short by ever-competitive Paraguay

12-11-2020 23:43 Argentina went into Thursday's World Cup qualifier hoping to extend their perfect start to the competition, but had to settle for a tense 1-1 draw against a combative Paraguay side

by Dan Edwards

Supporters of Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata and Diego Maradona gather outside the private clinic in Olivos, where the legendary former footballer underwent brain surgery for a blood clot.

Liga Profesional de Fútbol

Opening weekend overshadowed by Maradona’s health woes

05-11-2020 13:05 Top-flight football returned to Argentina last weekend, but most of the nation’s fans were focused on events in La Plata and row over River’s search for a temporary home.

by Dan Edwards

Football's back – and on Maradona's birthday too.

FOOTBALL IN ARGENTINA

Top-flight football returns in Argentina, but Covid's presence looms large

30-10-2020 02:00 The long wait is over. After more than seven months of wistful stares at empty stadiums Argentine football is back, on none other than the 60th birthday of wayward legend and Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata coach Diego Maradona.

by Dan Edwards

FOOTBALL

Argentina’s footballing authorities pick a fight with Disney

24-10-2020 09:27 AFA and new-look Liga de Fútbol Profesional – a.k.a. the powers that be in local football – pick a fight with Mickey, Donald, Pluto & Co, with another broadcasting rights battle in the courts the only obvious outcome.

by Dan Edwards

Lionel Messi takes on two Bolivia players during Argentina’s 2022 FIFA World Cup South American qualifiing match this week.

INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL

Snarling skipper Messi sets tone for Argentina

17-10-2020 09:10 Lionel Messi was back to his vociferous best this week, and the Albiceleste captain's transformation from shrinking violet to snarling porteño cabbie stuck in rush hour traffic has been gestating for some time now.

by Dan Edwards