A Reality for Peruvian Football Clubs

Peruvian futbol finds itself at a crossroads. The national team is doing well (despite back to back losses in WCQ), while other teams, like Juan Aurich and Leon de Huanuco, rise in the ranks of the Peruvian Primera League traditionally dominated by big teams in the capitol, Lima. However, an economic crisis that has left the nation of Peru seemingly unaffected, has ravaged the world of futbol. Teams struggle to pay their players and generate revenue, despite steady attendance, and teams are getting docked points. Among the affected teams you have CNI, Sport Boys, and Sport Ancash and the list doesn’t stop there. Perhaps most surprisingly is the inclusion of Alianza Lima and Universitario de Deportes on that list. Traditionally, Alianza and Universitario are the two biggest clubs in Peru, and historically, are the two most successful which poses the question: how is it possible that the two most popular and successful clubs are in financial trouble? The situation is so dire that Alianza Lima went a month without paying their players due to financial problems, and Universitario has gone over three months and have yet to pay out in full to this day.

The problem is as much a sporting one as it is an economic one. On the one hand you have CNI, Sport Boys, and Sport Ancash, smaller clubs that struggle to fill their stands. CNI and Sport Ancash are teams “de provincia” (meaning they are clubs outside of Lima) where there are smaller markets, while Sport Boys is a Lima club that has to compete with the likes of Alianza, Universitario, Cristal, and UDSM, all of which are heavy hitters in the Primera and boast the largest fan bases in the country. Teams like CNI, Sport Boys, and Sport Ancash will always struggle to become profitable and can really only hope to break even in a good economy and in hard economic times these are the first teams to feel the pinch. On the other hand, you have Alianza and Universitario, who’ve never had problems filling the stands and selling their merchandise even in the hardest of times. These two teams have largest stadiums in the country that can seat 40,000+ each, and sell out their matches, while a team like CNI’s stadium seats under 10,000, and struggles to fill it. The problem with larger teams like Alianza and Universitario is that they simply pay too much for players. The salaries of the players and coaching staff supersede even their large incomes, and while having the best players in the country and continent will win them domestic titles, both teams struggle in international competitions which, everyone knows, brings the greatest financial rewards.

Alianza and Universitario should be the main representatives for Peru in the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana, but neither club has had much success in either competition in recent history. Doing well in these competitions provides vital prize money that keeps teams like Alianza and Universitario afloat, but is only awarded if you win matches. On the sporting level, both Alianza and Universitario have been unable to do what it takes. The last strong performance from either club was two years ago, when Alianza reached the quarter finals of the Libertadores. Most of the players from that squad have been sold at this point to help make ends meet, which is perhaps why Alianza is in less financial trouble than Universitario. Universitario has recently been eliminated from the Copa Sudamericana in the second qualifying knockout round, a very premature exit for one of South America’s most successful clubs.

Universitario’s sporting woes do not end there either. Universitario hasn’t won the Primera in five years, with previous winners being Alianza, UDSM, and Cristal. This season, Alianza is poised to win the competition, provided upstart Juan Aurich stumbles and Alianza can keep their champion-like resolve about them. On the other end of the spectrum, Universitario is facing relegation alongside the likes of CNI and Cesar Vallejo. For a club the size of Universitario, this is devastating. For all you Argentina fans, Universitario’s relegation would be the equal of River Plate’s relegation last season, or could even be considered as surprising as if Boca Juniors were relegated.

Despite Universitario’s rampant problems on the sporting level, it is their economic woes that are hurting them the most. As a result of not paying their players, Universitario has been docked points multiple times this season, despite favorable results on the pitch.  Key players have left, and more threaten to leave poor economic conditions continue, resulting in more bad results on the field. All this is compounded by the very recent match scandal in which Universitario (along with Inti Gas) is being accused of improperly presenting incomplete rosters to ADPF administrators. These allegations, if found to be true, would result in Universitario being docked even more points, sealing their fate for relegation. Personally, I am and always have been an Alianza supporter, Universitario’s sworn enemy, but I languish with the thought of Universitario getting relegated. Having no Univeritario in La Primera would be like losing Barcelona in La Liga, AC Milan in Serie A, or Arsenal in the Premiership; it hurts the overall spectacle of the sport. A season with no Super Classico is no season at all and I would hate to see such a disgrace fall upon Peruvian futbol.

While there is no clear cut solution to fix the economic or sporting woes as of yet, there could be a possible solution in the form of improved youth systems. Alianza and Universitario already have very strong and established youth academies.  Teams like UDSM and Cristal have improved vastly in that regard over recent years, but teams like Cienciano, Juan Aurich, and Leon de Huanuco have yet to produce a player of importance. Cienciano is an old power of La Primera, but has fallen from prominence over the years. Still, though, Cienciano finds itself counted among the strongest of the Peruvian clubs and should look to establish a strong youth system to further that reputation. Juan Aurich and Leon de Huanuco are upstarts in La Primera, and should look to secure that spot with strong, young, homegrown players . The concept of the homegrown player is the most affordable and secure investment for a club. These players require no transfer fee, tend to accept lower wages, and are more loyal than transferred players. In addition to being economically viable, on a sporting level, the production of strong young players elevates the entire country’s footballing standards, thus helping to elevate the league as a whole. For Alianza, Universitario, UDSM, and Cristal this means holding on to young prospects instead of selling them to make a quick buck, as has been the case for these teams for years now. While this may help balance the books from time to time, it hurts the team in the long run as more is spent on transfers for players who may or may not work out for the club. (this paragraph is the best in the entire article, work to make the rest of your work this concise and logically flowing).

The glory days for Alianza and Universitario were when the teams were comprised of all homegrown players, like Teofilio Cubillas for Alianza or Jose Carranza for Universitario. Those days can come again, but the clubs need to be willing to make an investment in youth. If this happens, then perhaps Peruvian league futbol can be saved and maybe someday Peruvians will have the joy of watching the next Cubillas grace the international stage in his local club jersey once again.

By: David Wall
Edited: Matt Tobin