Chile national football team: Difference between revisions
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| [[Jaime Valdés]] || 11 January 1981 || 2 || 0 || {{flagicon|ITA}} [[U.S. Lecce]] || 2001 |
| [[Jaime Valdés]] || 11 January 1981 || 2 || 0 || {{flagicon|ITA}} [[U.S. Lecce]] || 2001 |
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| [[Fernando Martel]] | | || || || {{flagicon|COL}} [[Atlético Nacional]] || |
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! colspan="9" bgcolor="#EBC2AF" align="left" | Forward |
! colspan="9" bgcolor="#EBC2AF" align="left" | Forward |
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Revision as of 19:56, 18 August 2007
| Shirt badge/Association crest | |||
| Nickname(s) | La Roja (The Red One) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Federación de Fútbol de Chile | ||
| Confederation | CONMEBOL (South America) | ||
| Head coach |  Marcelo Bielsa | ||
| Most caps | Leonel Sánchez (84) | ||
| Top scorer | Marcelo Salas (35) | ||
| Home stadium | Estadio Nacional | ||
| FIFA code | CHI | ||
| |||
| FIFA ranking | |||
| Current | 47 | ||
| Highest | 6 (April 1998) | ||
| Lowest | 84 (December 2002) | ||
| First international | |||
Argentina 3 - 1 Chile  (Buenos Aires, Argentina; 27 May, 1910) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
Chile 7 - 0 Venezuela  (Santiago, Chile; 29 August, 1979) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
 Brazil 7 - 0 Chile (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; 17 September, 1959) | |||
| World Cup | |||
| Appearances | 7 (first in 1930) | ||
| Best result | Third place, 1962 | ||
| Copa América | |||
| Appearances | 34 (first in 1916) | ||
| Best result | Second place, 1955, 1956, 1979, 1987 | ||
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men’s Football | ||
 |
2000 Sydney | Team |
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men’s Pre-Olympic Football | ||
 |
1984 Ecuador | NA |
|
2000 Brazil | NA |
The Chile national football team represents Chile in all major international football competitions. The team is controlled by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile and is a founding member of CONMEBOL. They have appeared in seven World Cup tournaments.
"La Roja" has been present in seven Fifa World Cups Chile participated in the first World Cup in 1930. They started off well beating Mexico and France without conceding a goal. A 3-1 loss to Argentina in their final game left them in second place in their group, eliminating them from the tournament. In the 1950 World Cup, Chile was eliminated in the first round but defeated the United States 5-2.
Their best World Cup result was a third place finish in 1962, when Chile was the host nation. Chile lost 4-2 to eventual champions Brazil in a semifinals match, but beat Yugoslavia 1-0 in the third place match.
In Copa America play, Chile has reached four finals but has lost in each appearance. Along with Ecuador and Venezuela, they are one of three South American nations who have never won the competition.
In Olympic play, Chile's best result was the Bronze medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, with striker Ivan Zamorano the competition's top scorer.
Chile has attained medals in both the U-17 World Cup held in Japan 1993 and the U-20 World Cup in Canada 2007.
National Team History
Chile at the 1930 World Cup
At the first ever Fifa World Cup held in Uruguay in 1930, Chile was to be among the first of thirteen nations invited to participate in the inaugural tournament.
The manager in charge of the Chilean national team was the young Hungarian Gyorgy Orth. Chile was part of Group 1 that included national teams such as Argentina, Mexico, and France.
Chile had an impressive start defeating the Mexican national team by a score of 3-0 on July 16, then beating France 1-0 on July 19. Sharing the same amount of points, the decisive game was against the neighboring country of Argentina. The game was played on July 22 at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay. The game ended 3-1 in Argentina's favor, and the scoreline prevented Chile from qualifying onto the second round.
The 1950 World Cup
The 1950 edition of the Fifa World Cup was held in the South American country of Brazil. The Chilean national team manager at the tournament was Alberto Bucciardi, while the team captain was the starting goal keeper Sergio Livingstone. "La Roja" were located in group 2 and Chile eventually lost their first two games against the countries of Spain and England by the similar score of 2-0. The last match was played with the United States where Chile went on to win by a score of 5-2, even though it was not to be enough for Chile in advancing onto the next round of the tournament.
Chile and the World Cup of 1962
In 1960 the Great Chilean Earthquake would strike the country with the highest recorded magnitude in world history of 9.5 on the Richter scale [1]. Chile was still to be the host nation of this World Cup tournament. They won their first match against Switzerland by 3-1. The second match against Italy (2-0) became known as the Battle of Santiago. Although only two players were sent off by the overly weak English referee Ken Aston, the match saw repeated, deliberate attempts from players on both sides to harm opponents, and the teams needed police protection to leave the field in safety.
Later surprisingly, Chile defeated European champions USSR to land themselves a semi-final game against the World Champions Brazil but a capacity crowd of 76,600 watched Brazil beat the hosts 4-2. This game saw Garrincha sent off for Brazil and Landa sent off for Chile. Chile eventually went on to take third place in a 1-0 victory over Yugoslavia in the playoff.
The team is said to have eaten Swiss cheese before beating Switzerland, spaghetti before beating Italy, and drank vodka before beating the USSR. They also drank coffee before the match against Brazil, although they did not win that match. This has been Chile's best performance in a World Cup[1] [2]
The World Cup of 1966
England was the stage for the eight World Cup. It was also to be the first European World Cup that Chile would participate in. Qualifying for the 1966 edition ended with a play-off between Ecuador in Lima, Peru on the 12th of October 1965. The current Chilean manager at the time Francisco Hormazabal decided to resign from that position. Chile immediately needed a replacement, and Luis Alamos would take the reigns of the national team. The match against Ecuador finished 2-1 in Chile's favor both goals scored by Leonel Sanchez and Ruben Marcos, and the result secured Chile's World Cup berth.
Chile was unable to repeat the same success found in the previous World Cup of 1962. Among the nations congregated in group 4 which included the Soviet Union, Italy, and North Korea, Chile was only able to gain 1 point with a 1-1 draw against North Korea. Chile scored two goals in the 1966 World Cup both coming from Ruben Marcos.
Chile at the 1974 World Cup
Chile qualified for the Deutschland 74 after a controversial play-off with the USSR. Following a drawn first leg in Moscow, the Soviets refused to play the second leg at the Estadio Nacional in Santiago, which had been used as a concentration camp by the military dictatorship of Pinochet. However, FIFA refused to switch the match to a neutral venue, and the Soviets refused to fly to Santiago. The Chilean players kicked off on an otherwise empty pitch, scored into the unguarded USSR net, and because there was no opposition to restart the game, the referee awarded the match to Chile, ensuring they qualified for the 1974 finals.
At the tournament itself, Chile lost their opening game 1-0 to West Germany in Berlin, thanks to a long-range shot from Paul Breitner. Striker Carlos Caszely was controversially sent off in the second half.
Guided by coach Luis Alamos, Chile then fought out a 1-1 draw with East Germany, again in Berlin. Martin Hoffmann put the GDR ahead, but Sergio Ahumada equalised with 20 minutes left. Finally, they got another draw, this time a goalless one, against Australia, which eliminated both teams.
Chile at the 1982 World Cup
At España 82, the Chileans performed poorly with an ageing team in which Carlos Caszely and the 35-year-old central defender Elias Figueroa were still the main men. Guided by coach Luis Santibañez they lost their first game 1-0 to Austria in Oviedo, Walter Schachner scoring the only goal midway through the first half. Caszely missed a penalty soon afterwards.
Chile were then beaten 4-1 in Gijón by a Karl-Heinz Rummenigge-inspired West Germany, with goalkeeper Mario Osbén making a couple of costly errors; Gustavo Moscoso grabbed a late consolation goal. Finally, against Algeria, Chile were overrun in the first half and went in at half-time 3-0 behind, but managed to save some face with second-half goals from Miguel Neira and Juan Carlos Letelier.
Disqualification and Banishment from the 1990 & 1994 World Cups
La Roja's most infamous moment known as The Roberto Rojas Scandal came on September 3, 1989. During a 1990 FIFA World Cup qualifying match at Rio De Janeiro's Maracanã stadium, Brazil led Chile 1-0. A defeat for Chile would eliminate them from the tournament. Around the 67-minute mark, Chilean goalkeeper Roberto "Cóndor" Rojas fell to the pitch with an apparent injury to his forehead. A firework, thrown from the stands by a Brazilian fan named Rosemary de Mello, was smouldering about a yard away. After carrying Rojas off the pitch, the Chilean players and coaches refused to return claiming conditions were not safe. The match went unfinished.
After studying video footage of the match showing that the firework had not made contact with Rojas, FIFA awarded Brazil a 2-0 win (eliminating Chile from the 1990 World Cup). The team was banned from the qualifiers of the 1994 Football World Cup, and Rojas was banned for life (although an amnesty was granted in 2001).
Redemption: Chile at the 1998 World Cup
Chile qualified for the World Cup in France in 1998 having been banned from entering the 1994 tournament. They were drawn in Group B, along with Italy, Cameroon and Austria. With much expected of their strike partnership of Marcelo Salas and Iván Zamorano, Chile drew impressively with Italy in Bordeaux in their opening match, 2-2, with Salas scoring both goals in reply to Christian Vieri's opener. The game was most noted for Roberto Baggio's late equalizer for Italy with a controversial penalty, banishing memories of his fatal miss in the 1994 final against Brazil in Los Angeles. Due to bad performance, the referee Lucien Bouchardeau from Niger was dismissed from further matches during the WC.
Chile drew their next two matches 1-1. The first was a cagey game with Austria in St-Étienne. Salas opened the scoring with a disputed goal scored from close range (the Austrians protested his shot never crossed the line), but Austria, as they had in their first match against Cameroon, equalised in the last minute, Ivica Vastic scoring a spectacular long-range effort.
Against Cameroon in Nantes five days later, José Luis Sierra's excellent free-kick gave Chile the lead, but the Africans fought back strongly and equalised with a header from Patrick Mboma. Despite having Rigobert Song and Lauren Etame Mayer sent off, Cameroon played a good second half, and were only denied a victory when Hungarian referee László Vagner disallowed a goal by François Omam-Biyik.
Italy had been the only team to win in the group, so Chile's unbeaten record took them into the last 16, and a tie with South American rivals Brazil at the Parc des Princes in Paris. The Brazilians took Chile to pieces in the first half, despite Zamorano's superb performance (the footage of him passionately singing the national anthem prior to kick-off was one of the most enduring images of the tournament). César Sampaio scored twice early on, and a Ronaldo penalty made it 3-0 before half-time. Chile courageously kept fighting, and Salas got his fourth goal of the competition, heading in a rebound after Claudio Taffarel had saved from Zamorano, but Ronaldo scored again quickly and Chile were out of the tournament. Despite the loss finishing among the top 16 of the tournament was perceived as a prosperous campaign amid the disappointments with controversy and scandal that had disqualified Chile in previous World Cup tournaments.
Current Chile National Football Team
The team currently is in the process of acquiring a new manager. The team had an impressive return to the international stage in 2006. They ended it with 4 wins, 2 ties, and 2 losses. It all started with the friendlies preparing teams for the 2006 World Cup. Their so-called European tour was very positive. The tour excluded many of the players who will start in the Copa America 2007 as well as the 2010 World Cup Qualifiers. They beat the Republic of Ireland 1-0 in Dublin, tied the qualified Cote d'Ivoire 1-1 in Paris, France and tied the qualified Sweden 1-1 in the Rasunda Stadium Stockholm, Sweden. Chile lost to Colombia 2-1 in Santiago de Chile but beat Peru twice, 3-2 in a home game in Viña del Mar and 1-0 in an away game in Tacna, Peru, a few days later. The team then beat Paraguay 3-2 in Viña del Mar, Chile. The year ended with a 1-0 loss to Aragón in Zaragoza, Spain with Elías Figueroa as a guest coach and a "B" team. In 2007 "La Roja" had a decent start. In February, they earned a 1-0 victory over Venezuela, but in March, in the return to Sweden(this time in Gothenburg), the team suffered a heavy loss against powerhouse Brazil 4 to 0. The next week, in Talca, the team gets another disappointing result, in a 1-1 draw against Costa Rica. But the team gave a good impression in their last match, another draw, this time 0-0 against border neighbors Argentina, in Mendoza, Argentina. The team's currently best known player is Matias Fernandez who played impressively for Colo Colo winning the Chilean Apertura 2006 and Clausura 2006 tournaments and ending as finalists in the Copa Sudamericana 2006. He now plays in Spain's Villarreal, which has gained a berth for the upcoming UEFA Cup.
On 11 July, 2007, the Chilean Football Federation banned six of the national team players, because of "internal indiscipline" during the Copa America tournament, for 20 international matches each and none of the players will ever be allowed to captain the national team. The players banned were captain Jorge Valdivia, defenders Álvaro Ormeño, Rodrigo Tello, Jorge Vargas and Pablo Contreras and striker Reinaldo Navia.[2]
Attendance and Atmosphere: Estadio Nacional
The Chilean attendance and atmosphere at home games is impressive. The attendance was the second highest in the world during the 2006 World Cup Qualifiers, beating all countries from Europe, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas. Northern, Central, and Southern America. The home games are played in the Estadio Nacional located at Santiago, Chile
Current Squad
Listed are all players who made at least one appearance for the national team during 2006-2007.
| Name | Date of Birth | Apps | Goals | Club | Debute | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | ||||||||
| Claudio Bravo | 13 April 1983 | 16 | 0 |  Real Sociedad |
2004 | |||
| Nicolás Peric | 19 October 1978 | 4 | 0 | Audax Italiano |
2003 | |||
| Miguel Pinto | 4 July 1983 | 6 | 0 | Universidad de Chile |
2006 | |||
| Defense | ||||||||
| Ismael Fuentes | 4 August 1981 | 11 | 0 |  Jaguares de Chiapas |
2004 | |||
| Miguel Riffo | 21 June 1981 | 3 | 0 | Colo Colo |
2007 | |||
| Jorge Vargas | 18 February 1976 | 38 | 0 |  Red Bull Salzburg |
1999 | |||
| Pablo Contreras | 11 September 1978 | 41 | 1 | Celta Vigo |
1999 | |||
| Gonzalo Jara | 29 May 1985 | 9 | 0 | Colo Colo |
2006 | |||
| Rodrigo Rivera | 1 | 0 | Universidad de Chile |
2007 | ||||
| Arturo Vidal | 22 May 1987 | 4 | 0 |  Bayer Leverkusen |
2007 | |||
| Alex Von Schwedler | 17 February 1980 | 4 | 0 |  CS Maritimo |
2000 | |||
| Midfield | ||||||||
| Álvaro Ormeño | 22 May 1979 | 5 | 0 | Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata |
2007 | |||
| José Luis Cabión | 14 November 1983 | 6 | 0 | Colo Colo |
2007 | |||
| Rodrigo Tello | 14 October 1979 | 27 | 2 |  Besiktas JK |
2000 | |||
| Jorge Valdivia | 19 October 1983 | 24 | 1 | Palmeiras |
2004 | |||
| Mark González | 10 July 1984 | 20 | 3 | Real Betis |
2003 | |||
| Matías Fernández | 15 May 1986 | 12 | 3 | Villarreal |
2005 | |||
| Manuel Iturra | 23 June 1984 | 18 | 1 | Universidad de Chile |
2005 | |||
| Arturo Sanhueza | 11 March 1979 | 16 | 0 | Colo Colo |
2001 | |||
| Rodrigo Meléndez | 3 October 1977 | 26 | 1 | Colo Colo |
2001 | |||
| Gonzalo Fierro | 21 March 1983 | 5 | 0 | Colo Colo |
2006 | |||
| Carlos Villanueva | 5 February 1986 | 6 | 1 | Audax Italiano |
2007 | |||
| Antonio Luis Jiménez | 17 June 1984 | 15 | 2 |  F.C. Internazionale Milano |
2004 | |||
| Luis Pedro Figueroa | 14 May 1983 | 9 | 1 | Banfield |
2004 | |||
| Claudio Maldonado | 3 January 1980 | 36 | 1 | Santos |
2000 | |||
| Hugo Droguett | 2 September 1982 | 3 | 0 | UAG Tecos |
2006 | |||
| Gary Medel | 2 August 1987 | 1 | 0 | Universidad Católica |
2007 | |||
| Mathias Vidangossy | 2 August 1987 | 4 | 0 | UD Almería |
2006 | |||
| Forward | ||||||||
| Humberto Suazo | 10 May 1981 | 16 | 7 | CF Monterrey |
2005 | |||
| Reinaldo Navia | 10 May 1978 | 40 | 10 | Racing |
1999 | |||
| Juan Gonzalo Lorca | 15 January 1985 | 8 | 1 | Colo Colo |
2006 | |||
| Luis Núñez | 20 January 1980 | 1 | 0 |  Universitario |
2007 | |||
| Alexis Sánchez | 10 February 1988 | 7 | 0 | River Plate |
2006 | |||
| Leonardo Monje | 16 March 1981 | 1 | 0 | U. de Concepción |
2006 | |||
| Luis Flores Abarca | 16 March 1981 | 2 | 1 | Ñublense |
2007 | |||
| Roberto Gutiérrez | 18 April 1983 | 4 | 2 | Universidad Católica |
2007 | |||
Other outstanding players (in activity)
Players
Most appearances
| # | Name | Career | Caps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Leonel Sanchez | 1955 - 1968 | 84 | 23 |
| 2. | Nelson Tapia | 1994 - 2005 | 73 | 0 |
| 3. | Alberto Fouilloux | 1960 - 1972 | 70 | 12 |
| 4. | Fabian Estay | 1990 - 2001 | 69 | 5 |
| 5. | Ivan Zamorano | 1987 - 2001 | 69 | 34 |
| 6. | Marcelo Salas * | 1994 - 2005 | 64 | 35 |
| 7. | Javier Margas | 1990 - 2000 | 63 | 6 |
| 8. | Miguel Ramirez | 1991 - 2003 | 62 | 1 |
| 9. | Clarence Acuna * | 1995 - 2004 | 61 | 3 |
| 10. | Juan Carlos Letelier | 1979 - 1989 | 57 | 18 |
- (*) in activity.
Top goalscorers
| # | Name | Career | Goals | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Marcelo Salas * | 1994 - 2005 | 35 | 64 |
| 2. | Ivan Zamorano | 1987 - 2001 | 34 | 69 |
| 3. | Carlos Caszely | 1969 - 1985 | 29 | 49 |
| 4. | Leonel Sanchez | 1955 - 1968 | 23 | 84 |
| 5. | Jorge Aravena | 1983 - 1989 | 22 | 36 |
| 6. | Juan Carlos Letelier | 1979 - 1989 | 18 | 57 |
| 7. | Enrique Hormazabal | 1950 - 1963 | 17 | 42 |
| 8. | Alberto Fouilloux | 1960 - 1972 | 12 | 70 |
| 9. | Jaime Ramirez Banda | 1954 - 1966 | 12 | 46 |
| 10. | Hugo Rubio | 1985 - 1992 | 12 | 29 |
- (*) in activity.
Competitive Record
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