History of the Peru national football team

The history of the Peru national football team dates back to the late 19th century, when English sailors and Peruvian travelers returning from England introduced the sport into Peru. It would take the early 20th century, in the year 1927, for Peru to finally create their first official national football team.

Introduction of football

Football was brought to Peru by English sailors in the late 19th century during their frequent visits to Callao, which was then an important port of the Pacific Ocean. During their free time, the English sailors played football and invited the local Chalacos (people from Callao) to participate. Allegedly, it was during these early games that the creation of the popular move known as the chalaca (short for "Chalacan Strike"), or bicycle kick, took place. By the 1890s, British sporting clubs in the Peruvian capital such as Lima Cricket and Lawn Tennis were already playing football. Football in Peru grew thanks to its practice by British residents and by Peruvians returning from England.

The growing sports rivalry between foreign visitors and local Chalacos soon gained the attention of Peruvians outside the port. Football was originally played outside of formal organizations, such as sport clubs or leagues, but the early 20th century saw the birth of clubs which continued the sport's practice. Among these early clubs of the amateur era were the English community's Lima Cricket and Football Club (Lima, 1859), later followed by the Peruvian Ciclista Lima Association (Lima, 1896), and Club Atletico Chalaco (Callao, 1899).

In the 1900s, the construction of the Panama Canal limited the flow of foreign sailors and travelers into Callao, minimizing the port's influence as a center of cultural diffusion. By then, football clubs and leagues had sprouted in other Peruvian cities, including Lima, Cusco, and Arequipa. Some of the new clubs founded at this time were Alianza Lima (Lima, 1901), Cienciano (Cusco, 1901), FBC Melgar (Arequipa, 1915), the Italian community's Circolo Sportivo Italiano (Lima, 1917), Atletico Grau (Piura, 1919), Alianza Atletico (Sullana, 1920), Universitario de Deportes (Lima, 1924), Sport Boys (Callao, 1927), and Coronel Bolognesi (Tacna, 1929). Peru's most important amateur league, the capital province's "Peruvian Football League," housed the growing rivalry between Callao clubs and those from the nearby capital of Lima. The lack of a centralized organization led to constant conflicts between the teams, and one such conflict resulted in the creation of the Peruvian Football Federation in 1922, along with a new Peruvian Football League tournament under the regulation of said organization in 1926.

First national team

The Peruvian Football Federation joined CONMEBOL in 1925, but internal and economic problems prevented the creation of a national team that would officially represent the country internationally. In 1922, an unofficial national team played against an Uruguayan team sponsored by the Uruguayan Football Association. Subsequent years saw talented Peruvian football players gain international interest in their skills, which inspired Peruvian clubs to tour with success throughout South America to places such as Colombia, Venezuela, and Chile. Thanks to significant numbers of British residents in Peru, the acceptance of the game by the local elites, and the rapid development of the sport among the urban poor of La Victoria district in Lima, Peru formed the strongest footballing culture in the Andean region at this time.

In 1927, the Peruvian national football team was officially created. The team hosted the 1927 South American Championship, and Peru reached third place after losing to Uruguay by 4–0 in their debut match, defeating Bolivia 3–2, and losing to Argentina 1–5. Nevertheless, due to internal corruption and the commotion surrounding the Great Depression, the team that played in the 1929 edition was selected by social favoritism rather than player skill, and lost all games. A year later, la Blanquirroja was invited to participate in a new intercontinental competition, to be held in Uruguay: the first World Cup.

1930s Golden Generation

The 1930s proved to be Peru's best early years as the national team participated and won a variety of different tournaments. The squad followed a 5-3-2 formation and was generally composed of Alejandro Villanueva, Teodoro Fernández, Adelfo Magallanes, Arturo Paredes and Jorge Alcalde as the forwards; Segundo Castillo, Carlos Tovar, and Pablo Pasache as the midfielders; Arturo Fernández and Raul Chapel as the defenders; and Juan Valdivieso as the goalkeeper.

In the 1930 FIFA World Cup, although the Peruvian team was not able to get past the group stages, the general populace of Uruguay was surprised by the good performance of the Peruvians. By 1934, the skill of the Peruvian players attained popularity beyond Peru's borders, and in March of that year the Blanquirroja squad (composed mainly of players from Universitario de Deportes, Alianza Lima, and Atletico Chalaco) united with the Chilean squad (formed mainly by players from Colo Colo) to form the Combinado del Pacífico. The squad would make a tour in the European countries of England, Germany, France, and Spain until August 1935; and Teodoro Fernández became the team's top goal scorer with 48 goals in 39 games.

Later, during 1936 Berlin Olympics, Peru made a great start by defeating the Finland national football team with a margin of 7-3. Even more surprisingly, the Peruvians defied all odds and managed to defeat Austria on a 4-2 result during over-time. However, the team formally withdrew due to a controversial situation with the International Olympic Committee and the German government that led to the nullification of Peru's victory against Austria and the ordering a re-match.

In 1938, Peru's first international title would finally come during the first Bolivarian Games, which Peru won after winning all their games against the football teams of Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela. Then, the Blanquirroja won Peru's first South American Championship (later known as Copa America) in 1939. Once again, the national squad lost none of its matches in their path to the final by defeating Ecuador, Chile, and Paraguay. The last game was played against Uruguay, and the Peruvians managed to beat the Uruguayans by a close score of 2-1. Thus, Peru became the fourth nation after Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil to win the famed South American tournament.

Good Football, Few Titles

Peru's early football years after the 1930s did not involve any other major accomplishments. In 1941, Peru and Argentina played a series of three games for the Copa Roque Saenz Peña in Lima, and a struggling Peru managed to tie Argentina twice in two games to finally lose in the third match by 3-0. The national squad's slow change and bad situation was most obvious during the early South American Championships of the 1940s. By 1941, the Blanquirroja still had effective but old players like Teodoro Fernández in their lines. In 1947, the squad regained their title of champions at the Bolivarian Games. However, Peru would not even get close to achieving another international title until 1949, when Peru gained third after defeating Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, and Uruguay in the South American Championship held in Brazil.

Suddenly, by the 1950s, Peru once again found itself a major protagonist in South American football. In the Pan-American Championship of 1952 the Peruvians defeated Panama and Mexico, tied Brazil, and lost to Chile and Uruguay by minimal differences. Players such as Alberto Terry, Guillermo Barbadillo, Valeriano López, Felix Castillo, and Óscar Gómez Sánchez brought in a competitive game to the Peruvian team of the 1950s. During 1953 and 1954, Peru achieved its only two titles of the 1950s thanks to the Copa del Pacífico after losing and winning two times against Chile. In the South American Championship of 1955, this national squad led a campaign that made them reach third place in Chile. Nonetheless, 1956 turned out as more of a slip for the team as they failed to win games in the Pan-American Championship held in Mexico and the South American Championship of Montevideo. The last years of the 1950s continued the good football of the Blanquirroja as they reached fourth place in the South American Championships of 1957 and 1959, and for the first time defeated the The Three Lions squad of Walter Winterbottom by a score of 4-1.

During the 1960s Peru began to slowly show signs of further improvement as the team won the Bolivarian Games of Barranquilla and qualified for the 1960 Summer Olympics held in Rome. Yet, these were the only achievements of this decade as Peru failed to place in the top four spots of the 1963 South American Championship, failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cups of Chile and England, and failed to regain the title of the Copa del Pacífico. Nevertheless, this story would soon change once in the 1970s.

1970s Golden Generation

The story of this generation started in late 1969, when the Blanquirroja managed to qualify for the Mexico 1970 World Cup. Thanks to the goals of "Cachito" Ramirez, the squad managed what seemed impossible by tying Argentina at a game popularly known as "La Bombonera" (in reference to the Estadio Alberto J. Armando where the game was played). The squad managed by "Didi" Pereira followed a 4-2-4 formation and was generally composed of José Fernández, Orlando de la Torre, Héctor Chumpitaz, and Nicolás Fuentes as the defenders; Ramón Mifflin and Roberto Challe as the midfielders; Julio Baylón, Pedro Pablo León, Teófilo Cubillas, and Alberto Gallardo as the forwards; and Luis Rubiños as the goalkeeper.

The participation of Peru in the 1970 FIFA World Cup remains as one of the most memorable as the squad caused surprise as they advanced into the quarterfinals after defeating Bulgaria 3-2 after trailing 0-2, defeating Morocco 3-0, and losing 3-1 to Germany. Although Peru lost the quarterfinal game to Brazil by 4-2, the Blanquirroja would go on to win the Copa del Pacífico, were invited to participate in the Brazil Independence Cup, and won the Copa Mariscal Sucre. Additionally, the squad would achieve South American glory as they achieved their second Copa America in 1975.

In 1978, the Blanquirroja once again qualified for a World Cup. The squad led by Marcos Calderon was somewhat different in structure from the early 70s with a 4-4-2 formation. Jaime Duarte, Héctor Chumpitaz, Rubén Díaz, and Germán Leguía were on the defense; César Cueto, Percy Rojas, Teófilo Cubillas, and José Velásquez on the midfield; Juan José Muñante, Juan Carlos Oblitas, Guillermo La Rosa, and Hugo Sotil on the attack; and Ramon Quiroga as the goalkeeper.

Prior to the World Cup, the national squad defeated varied opponents such as China and Hungary. Once into the World Cup finals, Peru reached the top of their group after defeating the Scotland of Ally McLeod (3-1), tying with the Netherlands, and defeating Iran (4-1). However, once into the second round, Peru lost its earlier energy and ended last in the group after losing to Brazil (0-3), Poland (0-1), and to Argentina (0-6) in a controversial match that some claim was bought by Argentina's military junta. Afterwards, the squad would go on to play some international friendlies to prepare for the Copa America of 1979; they would tie Scotland at Glasgow (1-1) and defeat Uruguay in Lima (2-0). Nonetheless, by the time this new tournament started, Peru was eliminated by Chile. This great era in Peruvian football would end with a 1-0 loss against Mexico at Monterrey.

From Glory to Decadence

The Blanquirroja continued to show signs of shine in the 1980s. The team managed to successfully qualify for the 1982 qualifiers at the expense of Colombia and, the favorites and Mundialito winners, Uruguay. Under the direction of Elba de Padua Lima, the Peruvians won the Copa del Pacífico and led a European and African tour in which the Blanquirroja defeated Hungary at Budapest (2-1), France at Paris (1-0), tied Algeria at Algiers (1-1), and upon their return defeated Romania at Lima (2-0). Tim's squad was composed of a 4-4-2 formation with Jaime Duarte, Ruben Díaz, Salvador Salguero, and Jorge Olaechea in the defense; César Cueto, José Velásquez, Julio César Uribe, and Teófilo Cubillas on the midfield; Gerónimo Barbadillo and Juan Carlos Oblitas as the forwards; and Ramón Quiroga as the goalkeeper.

Once in the World Cup of Spain, the team did not perform well as they tied with Cameroon and Italy, and lost 5-1 against Poland. Afterwards, Peru would face a string of bad results, but nearly qualified to the 1986 FIFA World Cup. The Peruvians needed a victory against Argentina in order to directly qualify to the World Cup, but the Argentina of Diego Armando Maradona pulled off a tie that led Peru to seek qualification through a play-off game against Chile. The Chileans defeated the Blanquirroja both at Chile and Peru, and that put an end to Peruvian aspirations for this tournament. From that point on until the 1990s, Peru's only major victory was that against India in the Nehru Cup.

The terrible 1987 Alianza Lima air disaster further crushed the hopes for the team as a series of good players ready to play for Peru and coach Marcos Calderon (among others) died. The situation of Peru would not improve from that point as a series of ties and defeats came one after the other. However, a change took sudden place in the late 1990s as Peru reached fourth place at the 1997 Copa America and nearly qualified to the 1998 World Cup as they simply lost a chance to appear in the tournament due to a goal difference with Chile. Later, the team would win the Kirin Cup in 1999 and reached the quarterfinals of the Copa America of that same year. Players like Nolberto Solano, Andres Mendoza, Flavio Maestri, Roberto Palacios, Claudio Pizarro, and Jose del Solar made somewhat of a positive difference during these years.

Present

The 21st century began with the same Peruvian squad of the late 90s. In 2000, Peru was invited to compete in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, where the team enjoyed a surprisingly good performance, reaching the semifinals of the North American competition. Peruvian football showed signs of improvement as time went on. Peruvian league teams had good performances in international competition, including Cienciano's 2003-04 conquest of the Copa Sudamericana and the Recopa Sudamericana. Peru won another Kirin Cup in 2005, but was unable to get past the quarterfinal stage of three consecutive Copa Americas in 2001, 2004, and 2007. The team did not qualify for the 2002 or 2006 editions of the FIFA World Cup.

In 2007, Peru's U-17 squad surprised the nation by qualifying for and reaching the quarterfinals of the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup. In contrast to this success, 2008 saw the main team at the bottom of the CONMEBOL qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup. A corruption and indiscipline scandal shook the national team as Peruvian journalists Jaime Bayly and Magaly Medina revealed that a series of Peru's most recognized players, including Claudio Pizarro, Andrés Mendoza, Santiago Acasiete, Paolo Guerrero and Jefferson Farfan, were seen at nightclubs and parties only days before the team was scheduled to play qualifier matches. Several players were banned from playing for the national team while others were put under investigation.

In a further blow to the team's reputation, in November 2008, FIFA suspended several officials of the FPF and the Peruvian football league, the referees of the latter, as well as barring the national team from participating in international competition, under allegations of irregularities between the FPF, the IPD, and the Peruvian government. The president of the IPD, Arturo Woodman, and the Peruvian government had made re-election of FPF president Manuel Burga illegal under allegations of corruption. The FPF later reappointed Burga, with the backing of FIFA. After the FPF and IPD agreed to discuss the matter and reach a solution, FIFA president Sepp Blatter lifted the bans and restrictions.

As a result of the debacle, Peru was stripped of its opportunity to host the 2009 South American Youth Championship; the tournament was held in Venezuela instead. Peru's hopes of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup were dashed early on, as the team was the first CONMEBOL squad to be eliminated from the finals. The Peruvian sports press dubbed the current squad the "Sons of Burga", in reference to the FPF's president, who was blamed for Peru's terrible qualifying campaign. The press went on to name the squad the worst in the national team's 82-year history, additionally calling for Burga's resignation.