Rosario Central

For the former train station, see Rosario Central Station.

Rosario Central

Full name	Club Atlético Rosario Central
Nickname(s)	Los Canallas (The Scoundrels) La Academia rosarina (The Academy of Rosario)
Founded	December 24, 1889
Ground	Estadio Gigante de Arroyito, Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina (Capacity: 41,824)
Chairman	Norberto Speciale
Manager	Juan Antonio Pizzi
League	Primera B Nacional
2010-11	12th
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Club Atlético Rosario Central is a sports club based in Rosario, Argentina. Its football team currently plays in the Primera B Nacional, the second tier of the Argentine football league system, after being relegated in the 2009-10 season.

Rosario Central is the most successful football team not based on Buenos Aires. The club has won the Argentine's First Division four times; their last domestic title was the 1986-87 season. In addition, they have won the Conmebol Cup once. After the 2010 Clausura, Rosario Central's poor form over the past three years forced them into a relegation/promotion play-off against Nacional B side Club Atlético All Boys. All Boys won the tie over two legs 4–1 on aggregate, relegating Rosario Central to second tier football for the fourth time in their history.

The club was officially founded in 1889, being one of the oldest Argentine teams, and took its name from the British-owned Central Argentine Railway company. Rosario Central has a strong rivalry with Newell's Old Boys. The matches played between them are named "El Clasico Rosarino", and is amongst the most heated rivalries in the sport due to both teams and due to Rosario Central's local popularity. Rosario Central's home stadium is Estadio Dr. Lisandro de la Torre, known simply as "El Gigante de Arroyito", which is the largest stadium in the city.

History

The Central Argentine Railway Athletic Club was founded on December 24, 1889 by English railway workers of the British-owned Central Argentine Railway company. The first president was Colin Calder, and all club activities were carried out in the English language. When the company took over the Buenos Aires and Rosario Railway company in 1903, the name of the club was formally changed to Club Atlético Rosario Central.

The original jersey colors were red and white; later, the club would change to a checkered blue and white, and finally settle on the blue and gold vertical stripes design used to this day.

Alternate logo

The team played in the local Rosario league until it joined the Argentine league in 1939 together with rivals Newell's Old Boys. Rosario Central was relegated in 1942 and again in 1951; both times, it was promoted on the very next season.

Rosario Central won the Nacional championship in 1971 with Angel Labruna as coach, and again in 1973, being the first of many such achievements won by the coach Carlos Timoteo Griguol.

For the 1974 season, Central acquired striker Mario Kempes from Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba (Kempes and Instituto mate Osvaldo Ardiles were to be reunited in the national team that won the 1978 World Cup).

After seven years whitout titles, Central won the 1980 Nacional with veteran Ángel Tulio Zof on the bench. That team was called "La Sinfónica" (the symphony orchestra) because they played very good, beautiful football.

After a few years with bad seasons, the team was relegated in 1985, but returned to first division the following year, and won the 1986/87 Championship. This was a first in Argentine football (oddly, Central Español performed a similar feat in Uruguay in the years 1983/84, also a first).

In 1995, Rosario Central won the CONMEBOL Cup (the precurssor of the current Copa Sudamericana), the only international title of a Santa Fe Province based team to date.

The club has participated in ten editions of the Copa Libertadores, and is currently tied for fifth place with Estudiantes de la Plata and Vélez Sársfield, all of which trail participation leaders Boca Juniors, River Plate, Independiente, and San Lorenzo de Almagro.

In the year 2010, Rosario Central is relegated for the fourth time from the first division after losing against All Boys in home-away matches (global score All Boys won 4-1).

Rosario Central fans display a gigantic banner

Stadium

Rosario Central plays in the Gigante de Arroyito stadium, located in the confluence of Avellaneda Boulevard and Génova Avenue, in the Lisandro de la Torre neighborhood (popularly known as Arroyito), in north-east Rosario. It has an official capacity of 41,654.

In that tournament, all three second-round games of the Argentine squad were played in the Gigante. Local hero Kempes enjoyed the support of the fans and went on to become the top scorer of the tournament.

Nicknames

Central's common nickname is canallas ("scoundrels", which is a rather mild insult in Argentina) because it is said that the club refused to play a charity match for a leprosy clinic in the 1920s; rival side Newell's acquired the leprosos (lepers) nickname when it did play in that event.

Rosario Central team picture from 1919

In a January 2007 press conference presenting the new jersey, Rosario native Roberto Fontanarrosa revised the definition and spelling of Central's nickname. The new spelling he gave was canaya, because according to him, people from the city of Rosario do not use the Spanish word canalla for any other reason than referring to the club.

Central is also known as La Academia (like the Argentine team Racing Club) due to the amount of players that become professional from the youth teams, and to the amount of consecutive Rosario's League titles that the club won in the amateur era, in comparison to Racing Club (called La Academia), that won a lot of championships in the Buenos Aires´ League at the same time too.

Supporters

Rosario Central's supporters are considerated one of the most significant of Argentina. The Newspaper Olé was published last January 5, 2008 by a recent study realized by the English magazine UK Football. The same one, published that a ranking with the 50 most vibrant supporters of the world. The results were the following ones: as first, Milan represents the supporters of the AC, then that of Real Madrid, and third that of the Galatasaray of Turkey. Between the Argentinians that of Rosario Central turns out to be like first in the position 14, second that of River Plate in the position 20, third turn out to be the supporters of Boca Juniors in 23, and fourth that of Racing Club in the place number 48.^[1]

It is provided also with certain proper rituals, as being the « Throwing of Towel », on November 23 in recognition to the party that Rosario Central imposed on his rival for 4 on 0 and this one was considered finished to 11 minutes of the second half, is known as the day of the abandonment, or the celebration of the « Day of the Friend Canaya », which is celebrated on July 19 (date of death of Roberto Fontanarrosa) and the most important, the celebration of the Little dove of Poy, who celebrates all on December 19 in different cities of the world, raised an order so that between to the book Guinness as the most celebrated goal of the history

In popular culture

Rosario Central have featured in many films, books, songs and plays. The club has also featured on several occasions in prose. Roberto Fontanarrosa's story "19 de diciembre de 1971" is about a fan who travels to Buenos Aires for a Semi-Final match against Newell's Old Boys.

Celebrity fans include Alberto "El Negro" Olmedo, Rita la Salvaje, Libertad Lamarque, some writers such as Osvaldo Bayer and Roberto Fontanarrosa, and some musicians as well as Fito Páez, Juan Carlos Baglietto, Joaquín Sabina are all fans of the club.

Ernesto "Che" Guevara, a major figure of the Cuban Revolution, was a Rosario Central fan.

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors

Since July, 2009, the clothing of Rosario Central is provided by the company Puma, who takes from the sports uniform up to the extra-sports clothes. In turn, the jacket is sponsored by the company City Bank Ingeconser from August, 2009

Kit

Period Provider 1977–1982 Adidas 1983–1992 Topper 1992–1993 Uhlsport 1993–1995 Penalty 1995–1998 Le Coq Sportif 1998–2000 Umbro 2000–2006 Puma 2006–2009 Kappa 2009- Puma

Sponsor

Period Provider 1985–1986 Zanella 1986 Aurora Grundig 1987–1992 Zanella 1992–1998 General Paz Seguros 1998–2001 Cablehogar 2001–2002 - 2002–2005 Transatlántica 2005–2009 Paladini 2009–2011 Ciudad Ribera 2011- Ingeconser

Honours

The squad that obtained the 1971 Torneo Nacional.

The 1973 Torneo Nacional champion.

The team that won the third National title in 1980.

Amateur titles (1905–1938)

National

• Concurso por Eliminación: 1

1913

• Copa Dr. Carlos Ibarguren: 1

1915

• Copa de Honor: 1

1916

• Copa de Competencia Jockey Club: 1

1916

• Copa de Competencia: 1

1920

Regional

• Rosario's League: 12

1908, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1919, 1923, 1927, 1928, 1930, 1937, 1938

Professional league titles (1939–present)

• Argentine First Division: 4

Campeonato Nacional 1971, Campeonato Nacional 1973, Campeonato Nacional 1980, Argentine Primera 1986-87

Runners-up (4): Nacional 1970, Metropolitano 1974, Nacional 1974, Apertura 1999

• Argentine Second Division: 3

1942, 1951, 1985

International titles

• Copa Conmebol: 1

1995

Runners-up (1): 1998

Players

Current squad

Current squad of Rosario Central as of August 28, 2011 (edit)
Sources: Official website and BDFA

No. Position Player —  ARG GK Emiliano Bovero —  ARG GK Jorge Broun —  ARG GK Manuel García —  ARG GK Facundo Lupardo —  ARG DF Rafael Delgado —  ARG DF Paulo Ferrari —  ARG DF Cristian Godoy —  ARG DF Matías Lequi —  ARG DF Brian López —  ARG DF Franco Peppino —  ARG DF Gerardo Pérez —  ARG DF Germán Rivarola —  ARG DF Leonardo Talamonti —  ARG DF Nahuel Valentini —  ARG DF Mario Vallejo —  ARG MF Reinaldo Alderete —  ARG MF Matías Ballini —  ARG MF Pablo Becker

No. Position Player —  ARG MF Federico Carrizo —  ARG MF Ricardo Gómez —  ARG MF Lucas Lazo —  URU MF Maximiliano Lombardi —  ARG MF Diego Migueles —  URU MF Julio Mozzo —  ARG MF Martín Rivero —  ARG MF Federico Vismara —  ARG MF Omar Zarif —  ARG FW Santiago Biglieri —  ARG FW Gonzalo Castillejos —  ARG FW Fernando Coniglio —  ARG FW Ramiro Costa —  ARG FW Adrián de León —  ARG FW Matías Galvaniz —  ARG FW Antonio Medina —  ARG FW Rodrigo Salinas —  ARG FW Javier Toledo

Manager: Juan Antonio Pizzi

Former players

Main category: Rosario Central footballers

References

1. ^ http://edant.ole.com.ar/notas/2008/01/05/01578521.html

External links

• (Spanish) Official Site
• (Spanish) Canalla.com (fan site)
• (Spanish) RosarioCentral.Org (fan site)
• (Spanish) Canalla a Muerte (fan site)
• (Spanish) La Akd (fan site)
• (Spanish) de Rosario y de Central (fan site)
• (Spanish) De Central (fan site)