Vélez may have stumbled to finish line, but are worthy champions

As it turned out, Sunday was not the thrilling end to the Liga Profesional de Fútbol that fans (at least the neutral ones) had dreamed of. But on balance, it was probably the fairest way to say goodbye to 2024 with a new and deserving champion crowned.

For Vélez Sarsfield, the overwhelming sensation was one of relief. Having fought their way to the Copa de la Liga final at the start of the year and losing out to Estudiantes, there subsequently seemed to be no stopping Gustavo Quinteros' charges as they went on an incredible run of nine wins and one draw to pull away from any other challengers. By early October the only question was when the Fortín would sew up their first title since 2013.

Things in Argentine football rarely run so smoothly, however. The wheels fell off for Vélez with a series of poor results, as the likes of Talleres, Huracán and Racing Club chipped away at their lead. The Copa Sudamericana champions fell out of the running prior to the final weekend, but Vélez still looked in serious danger of missing out after going down to Unión in the penultimate league game. To make matters worse, Quinteros also saw his team fold to Central Córdoba in the Copa Argentina final, a disaster which turned into farce when Vélez’s fans, directors and players got into fisticuffs in the Santa Fe stands at the final whistle.

Luckily for everyone connected with the Liniers club, Sunday ran rather more smoothly. Any concerns that Huracán would finally get revenge for that controversial 2009 title decider were dissipated when Claudio Aquino crowned a year to remember for the midfield veteran by firing Vélez into the lead. Damián Fernández added another before the break and it was all smooth sailing from there, while in Córdoba, Talleres were collapsing to a humiliating 3-1 defeat to lowly Newell's to squander any last chance they had of their first national top-flight title, sending the Fortín faithful into jubilant celebrations.

It perhaps could have been easier, but Quintero and the Vélez hierarchy should be proud of a fine 2024. The team's potent mix of seasoned pros like Aquino and Liga second top scorer Braian Romero and promising youngsters proved a match for anyone in the division, while the team was ultimately rewarded for a consistency shown by few over the course of the year which helped them stagger over the finishing line. If Vélez can keep this side together and strengthen in the summer, they have a great chance of fighting for honours again in 2025.

Racing fans choose Milito

Sunday was also an auspicious day for retired footballer Diego Milito, who gears up for a fourth spell at his beloved Racing Club. 

Milito started at La Academia as a fresh-faced striker in the late 1990s and early 2000s, came back in 2014 as captain and club standard-bearer, then again in 2018 in a sporting director-esque role. Now, having won Racing's elections by an overwhelming margin of 60-40, the ex-Inter and Argentina star will act as president for the next term.

Milito is the latest in a series of high-profile former players who have chosen the boardroom over coaching. Two of his old Albiceleste team-mates, Juan Sebastián Verón and Juan Román Riquelme, club legends both, are currently at the helm in Estudiantes and Boca Juniors respectively; Belgrano are headed by Pirata idol and all-time top scorer Luis Artime, also the son of one of the stars of Argentina's 1966 World Cup campaign.

His appointment comes at a crucial juncture in Argentine football, with Claudio ‘Chiqui’ Tapia and the AFA entrenched in opposition to government privatisation plans while also facing severe (and mostly) criticism from their erratic running of the local game. One of the sharpest barbs Milito had to face in an election campaign that got nasty in the final stretch is that he will be a Trojan horse in the Racing halls of power, ushering in private ownership through his alliance with politicians like ex-PRO Economy minister Hernán Lacunza, a vice-president on the ticket.

He has strenuously denied these allegations and pledged to keep Racing in members' hands no matter what, but the spotlight will be on the ex-player to see what kind of course he charts; whether he lines up close to Tapia like his predecessor, Vïctor Blanco, or Riquelme, or chooses the role of the dissident in the vein of Verón and Talleres' Andrés Fassi. 

Milito will enjoy the huge windfall La Academia received in winning the Sudamericana, but also faces the challenge of following one of the most successful presidents in Racing history on promises of building further on that recent glory. The patience afforded to a club favourite will only take him so far: fans will want to see results, and quick.