Soccer in Spain

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Spanish fans celebrate the 2008 European Championship in Barcelona.

Football (Spanish: Fútbol or Balompié ) is the most popular popular and public sport in Spain . 869,320 players from 21,027 clubs (as of 2012) are registered with the Real Federación Española de Fútbol , the national association that controls both club football and the national team of Spain.

On May 21, 1904, Spain was one of the founding members of FIFA . The country was not represented by the national association, which was only founded in 1913, but by the football club Madrid FC , now Real Madrid . On June 15, 1954, Spain joined UEFA , also as a founding member .

The Spanish league system is divided into the Primera División , the top division, the Segunda División (also Segunda División A ), Segunda División B (4 groups) and Tercera División (18 groups divided into regions). The Primera División is one of the strongest leagues on the continent. In the Champions League and Europa League , the country's big clubs, such as Real Madrid , FC Barcelona and Atlético Madrid , regularly play for the title.

At the national team level , Spain was mostly on the favorites list at the European and World Championships , but often failed earlier than expected. For decades, winning the European Championship in 1964 was the only title the Spaniards were able to win. It was only in the new millennium that the team was able to do justice to the role of favorites several times by winning the 2010 World Cup and the two European Championships in 2008 and 2012 .

history

Report on the first meeting of Recreativo Huelva in the newspaper La Provincia on December 20, 1889.

Modern football was brought to Spain in the 19th century by British immigrants, seafarers and Spanish students who had returned from Britain .

The first association Recreativo de Huelva was founded on December 23, 1889 by Alexander McKay and British workers from the Rio Tinto Group . Today's football club Gimnàstic de Tarragona was founded as a sports club in 1886, but it wasn't until 1914 that it had a football section. On March 8, 1890, the first official soccer match took place at the Hipódromo de Tablada racecourse in Seville . The Recreativo de Huelva team competed against Colonia Inglesa Sevillana , a team made up of British workers. With the exception of two Spanish players on the Huelva side, all players were of British origin. The selection from Seville won this game 2-0.

The first Spanish competition was the Copa de la Coronación , a predecessor of the current Copa del Rey , which was held on the occasion of King Alfonso XIII's assumption of office . was held in 1902. Until the start of the first Spanish championship in league mode in February 1929, the cup was the highest national competition; The regional championships, such as the Campeonato Centro or the Campionat de Catalunya, were mostly used as qualifying tournaments .

With the start of the league, the regional championships increasingly lost their importance and were largely discontinued after the Spanish civil war . The Primera División rose to one of the most important national leagues on the European continent with the founding of the first major European competition for club teams, the European Cup for National Champions in the 1950s. Spanish club teams have since won numerous titles at international level.

Spanish league system

League association logo

The highest category of Spanish club football is the Primera División , which consists of 20 teams. The last three placed each season relegate to the Segunda División (also Segunda División A ). This consists of 22 clubs. The three best rise at the end of the championship in the first division and the last four in the four-membered Segunda División B from. The league association Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , which operates largely independently of the Spanish association , is responsible for the organization, event, licensing and marketing of the two top divisions . The next category is the Segunda División B , which consists of four groups of 20 teams each. After a basic round in league mode, the top four in each group qualify for a play-off . The four promoted to the Segunda División are determined. The four bottom of each group and two other teams, which are determined in a play-off between the fifth bottom, are relegated to the Tercera División . This league in turn consists of 18 groups, divided into regions, each with 20-22 teams. The Segunda B and the Tercera División are directly subordinate to the Spanish Football Association (RFEF). Below the above-mentioned divisions follow the so-called Divisiones Regionales , which are subordinate to the regional associations of the autonomous communities . These are in turn made up of one to five different game classes, depending on the region.

level League / Division groups societies
1 Primera División 1 20th
2 Segunda División 1 22nd
3 Segunda Division B 4th 80
4th Tercera División 18th 364
5-9 Divisiones Regionales variable variable

Organized by:

  • Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional (LFP)
  • Real Federación Española de Fútbol (RFEF)
  • Regional Associations of the Autonomous Communities

    • The Spanish championship

    Men's

    Venues of the Spanish Primera División 2017/18
    1 Real Sociedad
    2 Deportivo Alavés
    3 Valencia CF, Levante UD

    In the Primera División , the highest Spanish division, the Spanish champions are determined. The first season took place in 1929, the title won by FC Barcelona . Since then, the championship has been held without interruption - apart from an interruption in the years 1936 to 1939 due to the Spanish civil war . After 88 seasons so far, Real Madrid are record champions with 33 titles.

    The league currently consists of 20 teams who play the champions in a round trip. This currently results in 38 game days. The positions in the table are based on the points scored in the games: three points for a win, one point for a draw and zero points for a defeat. Unlike in the Bundesliga , if there is a tie, the goal difference does not immediately decide on the placement, but the outcome of the direct clash between the teams with the same number of points. Due to the hot summer, the championship usually doesn't start until the end of August or the beginning of September and ends in June. If a World or European Championship finals follow the season, it usually ends in mid-May. There is no winter break, there is always a short break over Christmas and New Year's Eve . The games usually take place on Saturday and Sunday, only rarely during the week.

    According to the current status of the UEFA five-year ranking , the champions, second, third and fourth -placed players play in the Champions League . The clubs in fifth and sixth place qualify for the Europa League . The last three placed are relegated to the second division ( Segunda División ).

    Honors

    Please refer:

    Women

    Athletic Bilbao celebrates winning the 2006/07 championship

    Women's football has long played a subordinate role in Spain compared to Central and Northern Europe and the United States . A championship has been played since the 1982/83 season, but only in league mode from 1988/89. Record champions are Athletic Bilbao and UD Levante with four wins each.

    The mode of the championship is very complex in the 2009/10 season after numerous reforms. 22 teams are eligible to participate in three groups of 7–8 teams each, playing a basic round with a home and away leg. As with the men, the rankings are based on the points scored in the games: 3 points for a win, one point for a draw and zero points for a defeat. In the event of a tie, the goal difference does not immediately decide on the placement, but the results of the direct clashes of the teams with the same number of points. After the basic round, three groups are formed again, in the first the first and second placed, as well as the two best third placed, each group play for the championship, which is ultimately played in a play-off between first and second.

    youth

    In Spain, various youth championships divided into regional groups and age groups are played. The highest youth age group is called Juvenil A (U-19), the lowest Pre-benjamín (U-8). An all-Spanish competition organized by the Spanish Association will only be played in the A-Youth. In the Copa de Campeones de Liga Juvenil , the champions of the seven regional groups of the top division, the so-called División de Honor Juvenil , meet and determine the champions of the season in tournament mode. In addition, the best two in each regional group and the two best thirds in the group take part in the Cup-based Copa del Rey de Juveniles .

    Cup competitions

    Men's

    Spanish Cup

    Athletic Bilbao with the cup they won in 1903

    The Copa del Rey (German: Königspokal) is the oldest Spanish competition for club teams. He was in 1902 as Copa de la Coronación (German: Coronation Cup), to celebrate the takeover of official business by King Alfonso XIII. , held for the first time. The winner was Bizcaya , a team made up of players from Athletic Bilbao and FC Bilbao , two clubs that merged a little later. As a result, the cup competition had different names due to the changing political situation. Between 1903 and 1932 Copa de Su Majestad el Rey , from 1932 to 1936 Copa del Presidente de la II República . After the end of the Spanish Civil War in 1939 and Franco's takeover of power , the trophy was named Trofeo de Su Excelencia El Generalísimo or later Copa de SE El Generalísimo and, since 1976, shortly after Juan Carlos I took over the throne , finally Copa de again SM el Rey or Copa del Rey for short . The record winner is currently FC Barcelona with 28 titles.

    The mode changed very often throughout history. In the 2009/10 season , three rounds were played in which the winner was determined in just one game. The clubs of the first division only intervened in the round of the last 32, from which a return leg is played in each round. The final traditionally takes place in one game at a neutral location. The winner of the cup is currently eligible to play in the UEFA Europa League .

    Supercup

    There was a cup competition between the Spanish champions and the cup winners as early as 1940 under the name Copa de Campeones . In 1945 such a competition was held again, it was named Copa de Oro Argentina (German: Argentine Gold Cup) and was donated by the Argentine embassy. As Copa Eva Duarte , named after the Argentine first lady Eva Perón , the Supercup existed again from 1947 to 1953, when it was discontinued due to the death of the namesake. The Supercopa de España has been held without interruption since 1982.

    The winner is currently determined in a return match between the champions and the cup winners. If a club wins the double , it usually competes against the cup finalists.

    League Cup

    A league cup was only played in Spain from 1983 to 1986. The first eight in the league, who played the title in play-off mode, with a return leg, were eligible to play. However, due to the tight calendar, the competition was discontinued.

    Women

    Spanish Cup

    The cup competition was held for the first time in the 1982/83 season under the patronage of the Real Federación Española de Fútbol and determined the Spanish champions until the league was founded in the 1988/89 season. Since then it has been called the Copa de Su Majestad la Reina (German: Cup of Her Majesty the Queen), or Copa de la Reina for short .

    Club successes at international tournaments

    FC Barcelona celebrates the 2004/05 Champions League title

    Spanish clubs have played a leading role since the establishment of the first international club team competitions. In the Coupe Latine (1949-1957), a predecessor of the 1955 European Cup of National Champions , in which the respective national champions from Italy , France , Spain and Portugal participated, teams from the Spanish league won four of the eight competitions. FC Barcelona was successful twice and Real Madrid just as often . With the establishment of the European Cup, Real Madrid began to become the most successful club in the highest continental competition. The first five tournaments in a row were won by the “White Ballet” and another title was won in 1965/66. At the same time, Spanish clubs were also able to celebrate successes in the Exhibition Cities Cup , with FC Barcelona winning three times, FC Valencia twice and Real Zaragoza once . To date, the clubs of the Primera División have won 69 of the most important European and intercontinental trophies. The two largest sports clubs in the country, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, ​​are among the most successful clubs in the world with 26 and 20 titles respectively.

    club UCL EPP UEL MP USC WP HFC total
    real Madrid 13 0 2 0 4th 3 4th 26th
    FC Barcelona 5 4th 0 3 5 0 3 20th
    Atlético Madrid 0 1 3 0 3 1 0 8th
    Sevilla FC 0 0 6th 0 1 0 0 7th
    Valencia CF 0 1 1 2 2 0 0 6th
    Real Zaragoza 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2
    total 18th 7th 12 6th 15th 4th 7th 69

    Legend:

    UCL : UEFA Champions League and European Cup
    EPP : UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
    UEL : UEFA Europa League and UEFA Cup
    MP : Exhibition cities cup
    USC : UEFA Super Cup
    WP : World cup
    HFC : FIFA Club World Cup

    National team

    Men's

    Ceremonial parade to win the 2008 European Championship

    The Spanish men's national team represents Spain at internationals and international tournaments. The first official match was played during the 1920 Olympic Games , where they won 1-0 against Denmark on August 28, 1920 in Brussels .

    In the course of history, the Spanish team has often been said not to be a tournament team, as they were often eliminated early and disappointed despite the fact that they almost always went to big tournaments like the world and European championships as one of the favorites . This was especially true for world championships, where, apart from fourth place in 1950, they did not get past a quarter-finals for a long time. It was not until the soccer world championship in 2010 that the spell was broken and the title won. At European Championships, Spain has the second-best record of all national teams on the continent after Germany , with three titles in 1964 , 2008 and 2012 as well as participation in the finals in 1984 . With a total of 15 participations in world and ten European championship finals (as of August 2019) , the men are ultimately among the most successful national teams in Europe.

    World championships

    Spain's first participation in a soccer world championship took place in Italy in 1934 , where they were eliminated in the quarter-finals in an extremely dramatic game against the hosts . With a total of 15 participations in the finals so far, the Spaniards became soccer world champions for the first time in 2010 ; previously, the team was mostly unable to meet expectations.

    The various junior categories won the U-20 title in 1999.

    Placements at FIFA World Cups
    team World Champion finalist 3rd place total
    Seniors 2010 - - 1
    U20 1999 1985
    2003     		- 3
    U17 - 1991
    2003
    2007     		1997
    2009     		5
    total 2 5 2 9

    European championships

    After Spain refused to play in the Soviet Union in the course of qualifying for the first European championship in 1960 , for which they were considered to be one of the great title contenders, in the round of eight, at the behest of the fascist government under General Franco at the time, the matches were held rated 3-0 by UEFA for the USSR team . The first participation in a final took place in 1964 in their own country. After beating Hungary in the semi-finals and the Soviet Union in the final, the Spaniards won their first major national team title. Twenty years later, at the European Championships in 1984 , the next success came when they reached the final, but there defeated the hosts France 2-0. In 2008 , the second European title finally followed. Spain played a convincing tournament and beat Germany 1-0 in the final. In 2012 , the Iberians became the first team in history to successfully defend the title by beating Italy 4-0 in the final.

    Placements at UEFA European Championships
    team European champion finalist 3rd place* total
    Seniors 1964 , 2008 ,
    2012     		1984 - 4th
    U21 1986 , 1998
    2011 , 2013     		1984 , 1996 1994 , 2000 9
    U18 / U19 1995 , 2002 ,
    2004 , 2006 ,
    2007 , 2011 ,
    2012 , 2015     		1996 , 2010 1990 , 1993 ,
    1994 , 1997 ,
    2001     		15th
    U16 / U17 1986 , 1988 ,
    1991 , 1997 ,
    1999 , 2001 ,
    2007 , 2008     		1992 , 1995 ,
    2003 , 2004 ,
    2010     		1985 , 1998 ,
    2006     		16
    total 23 10 10 44

    * Was only played in some tournaments

    Confederations Cup

    At the Confederations Cup , the Spanish national team took part so far again. As the winner of the European Championship in 2008 they qualified for the 2009 tournament in South Africa , where they failed in the semi-finals against the United States , which ended a series of 35 matches without defeat and 15 wins in a row. In the game for third place, the Spaniards defeated South Africa 3-2.

    Placements in the FIFA Confederations Cup
    winner finalist 3rd place total
    - - 2009 1

    Olympic games

    The 1920 Olympic Games were the first official appearance of the Spanish national team, which surprisingly won the silver medal. From 1952 onwards , the A national teams no longer took part, but instead amateur teams, and finally , since 1992 , an expanded U-23 selection. Spain took part in a total of nine Olympic soccer tournaments and won silver in 1920, gold in 1992 and another silver medal in 2000 .

    Placements at the Olympic Games
    gold silver bronze total
    1992 1920 , 2000 - 3

    Women

    In contrast to the men, the Spanish national team of women managed to catch up with the leading nations much later. It has never been possible to qualify for the Olympic Games, the first participation in the finals at a world championship was not possible until 2015 and ended with elimination in the preliminary round. The Spanish women’s greatest success was reaching the semi-finals at the 1997 European Championship . So far, titles have been won by the U-19 team, which defeated Germany 2-1 in the 2004 European Championship final , as well as the U-17 team, which prevailed against Ireland in the 2010 final of the continental competition and won the title with a 1 : 0 defended against France in 2011 . The third title in this age group followed at the U-17 European Championship in 2015 .

    Placements at FIFA World Cups
    team European champion finalist 3rd place total
    Seniors - - - 0
    U18 / U19 - - - 0
    U17 - 2014 2010 2
    total 0 1 1 2
    Placements at UEFA European Championships
    team European champion finalist Semi-finalist total
    Seniors - - 1997 1
    U18 / U19 2004 2000 , 2012 2001 4th
    U17 2010 , 2011 , 2015 2009 , 2014 2013 6th
    total 4th 4th 3 11

    Soccer variants

    Futsal

    While indoor soccer , as practiced in German-speaking countries, is less popular, the indoor sport futsal, recognized by FIFA and UEFA , enjoys a comparatively high status. At club level, Spain has a separate professional league, the División de Honor de Fútbol Sala . Spanish clubs have celebrated numerous successes in the most important international tournaments, the UEFA Futsal Cup and the Futsal World Cup .

    The Spanish national futsal team is subordinate to the national football association Real Federación Española de Fútbol and is the most successful national team on the continent with five European championship titles to date . The title was won at Futsal World Championships in 2000 and 2004 .

    Indoor soccer

    In Spain, indoor soccer, unlike futsal, is more of a show sport and is not subject to the Spanish Football Association. During the short league break, mainly during the Christmas holidays, benefit tournaments were held several times between clubs of the Primera División in the past, but were discontinued due to the tight schedule. In 2002 and 2004–2007, a competition between former players from Real Madrid , Atlético Madrid , Betis Sevilla and FC Barcelona was organized under the name Torneo de Reyes (German: Epiphany Tournament) . Due to the great interest of spectators, a separate league was created in 2008 with the name Liga de Fútbol Indoor or the sponsor name Liga Placo , which is managed by the Asociación de Fútbol Indoor Association. Numerous famous former soccer players take part in it. The record champions are Deportivo La Coruña with two championship titles (as of 2010). In addition, a cup competition and a super cup will be played.

    Beach soccer

    Due to the numerous beaches and the mild climate near the coast, beach sports are popular in Spain, including beach soccer . So far, the national team has won two silver and one bronze medals at Beach Soccer World Championships , at the Euro Beach Soccer Cup , the European Championship, the title has been won three times, Spain has achieved second place four times and third place once. In the Euro Beach Soccer League , which also serves as a qualifying tournament for world championships, five wins and one second place.

    Placements at Beach Soccer World Championships
    World Champion finalist 3rd place
    - 2003
    2004     		2000
    Placements at the Euro Beach Soccer Cup
    European champion finalist 3rd place
    1999, 2008,
    2009     		1998, 2001,
    2002, 2004     		2003
    Placements in the Euro Beach Soccer League
    winner finalist 3rd place
    1999, 2000,
    2001, 2003,
    2006     		2002 -

    Fútbol siete

    Fútbol siete (German: seven-a-side football) is played on half a football field, there are seven field players per team. The variant is widespread in Spain mainly as a popular sport and in the youth sector.

    Web links

    Commons : Soccer in Spain  - collection of images, videos and audio files

    Individual evidence

    1. ↑ Licencias y clubes federados en 2012. (PDF; 1677 kB) In: Spanish State Secretariat for Sport. Retrieved December 20, 2013 (Spanish).
    2. ↑ History of FIFA - Foundation. (No longer available online.) In: fifa.com . Archived from the original on May 27, 2010 ; Retrieved May 13, 2010 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / de.fifa.com
    3. ↑ When Spain and Russia almost blew up the EM. In: Spiegel Online . June 9, 2008, accessed January 23, 2010 .