Chile national football team
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| Chile | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nickname(s) | La Roja (The red one) |
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| Association | Federación de Fútbol de Chile | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Confederation | CONMEBOL (South America) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Head coach |  Marcelo Bielsa |
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| Captain | Marcelo Salas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Most caps | Leonel Sánchez (84) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top scorer | Marcelo Salas (37) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home stadium | Estadio Nacional | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIFA code | CHI | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIFA ranking | 47 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest FIFA ranking | 6 (April 1998) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lowest FIFA ranking | 84 (December 2002) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elo ranking | 37 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest Elo ranking | 9 (February 1956) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lowest Elo ranking | 60 (2003) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| First international | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Argentina 3 - 1 Chile  (Buenos Aires, Argentina; 27 May 1910) |
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| Biggest win | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chile 7 - 0 Venezuela  (Santiago, Chile; 29 August 1979)[1] Chile 7 - 0 Armenia  (Vina del Mar, Chile; 1 April 1997)[2] |
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| Biggest defeat | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Brazil 7 - 0 Chile (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; 17 September 1959) |
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| 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 |
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| Olympic medal record | |||
| Men’s Football | |||
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| Bronze | 2000 Sydney | Team | |
| Medal record | |||
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| Men’s Pre-Olympic Football | |||
| Silver | 1984 Ecuador | NA | |
| Silver | 2000 Brazil | NA | |
| Medal record | |||
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| Men’s Pan American Games | |||
| Bronze | 1951 Argentina | NA | |
| Bronze | 1963 Brazil | NA | |
| Silver | 1987 USA | NA | |
The Chilean national football team represents Chile in all major international football competitions. The team is controlled by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile which was established in 1895. They have appeared in seven World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the 1962 World Cup finishing in third place.
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[edit] History
The Federación de Fútbol de Chile is the second oldest South American federation, with 112 years of existence. Its foundation dates back to June 19, 1895 at the port city of Valparaiso. Its first President was David Scott.[3]
Chile is one of the four founding member nations of CONMEBOL which include Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. The members established the South American footballing organization on July 9, 1916.[4] The four associations enacted and participated in the first held South American Championship which would later be re-named the Copa America.
The first official use of a bicycle kick was performed in a CONMEBOL Copa America match between Chile and Argentina gaining footballing notoriety and international appeal. The journalists who had witnessed the event had labeled the move la Chilena[5]. The attributed move has made a worldwide appearance and is labeled differently in other parts of the globe. In Copa America play, Chile has reached four finals but has lost in each appearance.
Chile was one of the original countries invited and accepted to compete in the inaugural 1930 World Cup. 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. Chile went on to defeat Yugoslavia 1-0 in the third place match.
World Cup competition has enabled Chile to be involved in historical incidences. The first player to miss a World Cup penalty kick was Guillermo Subiabre in the 1930 FIFA World Cup in the Chile vs. France match[6]. Carlos Caszely of Chile became the first player to be officially sent off with a red card in a 1974 World Cup game, during their match against West Germany. Red cards were formally introduced in World Cup play in 1970, but no players were sent off in that tournament.
In Olympic tournament 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 and the U-20 World Cup in Canada.
Notable past Chilean players include Guillermo Subiabre, Sergio Livingstone, George Robledo, Leonel Sánchez, Carlos Campos, Elías Figueroa, Carlos Caszely, Patricio Yáñez, and Ivan Zamorano.
[edit] National Team World Cup History
[edit] Chile at the 1930 World Cup
At the first ever Fifa World Cup held in Uruguay 1930, Chile was to be among the first of thirteen nations invited to participate in the inaugural tournament. [7]
The manager in charge of the Chilean national team was the young Hungarian György 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.
[edit] 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 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.
[edit] Chile and the World Cup of 1962
The 1962 World Cup in Chile was to be the third World Cup hosted on South American soil. 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.[8] Despite the natural disaster plans went as followed for Chile to be the host nation of this World Cup tournament.
The host country 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 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. Years later Ken Aston went on to invent the yellow and red cards used in football.[9]
Later surprisingly, Chile defeated European champions USSR that included Lev Yashin to land themselves a semi-final game against the defending 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.[10]
[edit] The World Cup of 1966
England was the stage for the eighth 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 reins 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.
[edit] Chile at the 1974 World Cup
Chile qualified for 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.
[edit] 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.[11]
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. [12] [13]
[edit] 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[14] (although an amnesty was granted in 2001).
[edit] 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.[15] The game was most noted for Roberto Baggio's late equalizer for Italy with a very controversial penalty, banishing memories of his fatal miss in the 1994 final against Brazil in Los Angeles. But due to this 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.[16]
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[17], 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.[18] 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.
[edit] Current National Team Status
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 included many of the players who started in 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 Råsunda Stadium Stockholm. 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.
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.[19] Nelson Acosta's resignation as manager came after a lackluster performance at the 2007 Copa America. Chile had qualified to the quarter-finals after a win against Ecuador 3-2, and a draw against Mexico 0-0. But, two losses against Brazil sealed Acosta's fate. Former Argentina manager Marcelo Bielsa has been given the task of becoming the current Chile national team manager in preparation for the 2010 World Cup qualifiers.[20]
[edit] Latest Results
- (*) With Bielsa
[edit] Upcoming Fixtures
[edit] Current Squad
[edit] National Stadium: El Estadio Nacional
The Chilean national team plays their qualifying matches at the Estadio Nacional de Chile located in Santiago, Chile and can be found at the commune of Ñuñoa. The construction of the stadium began in February of 1937, and opened on December 3, 1938. The official registered capacity is of 65,000 spectators, but has surpassed the 75,000 mark on many occasions when the match is of high demand.[21] An example would be the 1962 FIFA World Cup Semi-final match Chile vs. Brazil, where over 76,000 spectators viewed the game.
It has hosted four Copa America finals, The final of the 1962 FIFA World Cup and the final to the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship.
[edit] Players
[edit] Most appearances
| # | Name | Career | Caps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Leonel Sanchez | 1955 - 1968 | 84 | 23 |
| 2. | Nelson Tapia | 1994 - 2005 | 73 | 0 |
| 3. | Marcelo Salas * | 1994 - | 70 | 37 |
| 4. | Alberto Fouilloux | 1960 - 1972 | 70 | 12 |
| 5. | Elías Figueroa | 1966 - 1982 | 70 | 2 |
| 6. | Ivan Zamorano | 1987 - 2001 | 69 | 34 |
| 7. | Fabian Estay | 1990 - 2001 | 69 | 5 |
| 8. | Javier Margas | 1990 - 2000 | 63 | 6 |
| 9. | Miguel Ramirez | 1991 - 2003 | 62 | 1 |
| 10. | Clarence Acuña * | 1995 - 2004 | 61 | 3 |
- (*) in activity.
[edit] Top goalscorers
| # | Name | Career | Goals | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Marcelo Salas * | 1994 - | 37 | 70 |
| 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.
[edit] Competitive Record
[edit] FIFA World Cup Record
[edit] Copa America Record
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