The African Footballer of the Year - 8th edition. An interesting classification, providing some understanding of African football, but also darkening it. So far, no player won the prize twice. Only two players appeared more than once among the top three – the Cameroonian Roger Milla (2nd in 1975 and 1st in 1976) and Guinean Papa Camara (second in 1976 and 1977). With the exception of the very first winner, Salif Keita, there was not a single European-based professional player. The absence of professionals and the high turn-over suggests raw talent a plenty. It also suggests raw talent and nothing more... players popped in, but somehow depended only on talent, and therefore unable to sustain, let alone improve, their performance. Almost nobody interested European clubs and none of the winners became recognizable star (Keita was already famous in 1970, fading after that, and Milla became a star after the end of the 1970s). Clearly, European-based players were ignored, which casts some doubt of the true qualities of the African players. There were objective factors, limiting choice: African journalists saw little of most players - mostly they knew their own country's players. Few international games, Internet was not even a dream – television was a dream, but whatever TV existed, it covered little football. Most often good players were not seen at all outside their own country. Subjectivity and bias ruled African voting more than anywhere else on top of everything. It may appear strange, but perhaps best known outside Africa players in the 1970s, and one of the best all-time Cameroonian footballers – Jean Manga-Onguene – so far did not appear among the top three. Was African football that rich on talent to make voting constantly changing and introducing new names? Hardly, if compared to stable professionals in Europe, who did not make the lists: was, say, Paris SG, so stupid a club to keep unheralded Mustapha Dahleb, but not to hire Papa Camara? Anyway, there was new winner again in 1977 – and the interesting thing about it was that the top African clubs of this year were not represented. Only Papa Camara (Hafia Conakry) was voted second – of 4 finalists, one player. Third was the Nigerian Sedun Odegbami – his club, Shooting Star, reached the ½ finals of the African Cup Winners Cup, where they were eliminated by the eventual winners Enugu Rangers, also from Nigeria. It was not clear-cut loss – two scoreless led to penalty shoot-out – but still... Enugu Rangers won the tournament and no player of the team impressed anybody. Was it that, or local bias? After all, who was Odegbami?


Above all came a player, whose presence is even more intriguing, for he played in a country not participating in the African club tournaments at all. Tarak Dhiab, from Tunisia, playing for Esperance. Based on what he was voted number one, then? Since practically nobody saw him play, save for Tunisian journalists? How good Dhiab really was?

Tarak Dhiab, 23 years old in 1977, was talented – no doubt about it. No doubt about it nowadays, for he was voted the best Tunisian player of the 20th century. Obviously he was impressive in 1977, but was his performance actually known to most voters? Or he got most points thanks to Arabic journalists, who were familiar with him, when the rest of players simply got votes only from countrymen? Hard to tell – Dhiab got some international exposure: he played for the national team of Tunisia, and in 1977 qualifications for the 1978 World Cup were in progress, along with the African Championship. His country eventually won the African spot for the World Cup finals, and that counted more than club tournaments. Certainly more voters saw him than those players not included in national teams, or eliminated at early stage. Unlike African legends like Manga-Oungene and Sherif Souleymane (Hafia, Guinea), Dhiab was seen by the world – in 1978 – but he did not impress anybody. He played well, but the competition was stiff and he did not measure up to world-class stars. Local hero. Nothing wrong with that – the point is, African players were still weak by world standards. Yet, there was something else – Dhiab was midfielder and goalscorer. A different type of African player – so far, quality there was understood to be flashing striker. Dhiab was a playmaker, suggesting improvement of African football – still lagging behind, but trying to catch up with modern football. And at the end everything is tainted... the Tunisian Federation claims Dhiab played 107 matches for the national team – FIFA does not recognize them. It is possible, for he played for his country until 1990, but who really knows? Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to find out the real qualities of African players from distant past. Dhiab played only in Tunisia – which somewhat places doubt on his talent, but then again: may be he was paid well, officially or unofficially, at home and did not need to go to Europe. One thing is certain: Dhiab became legendary player in Tunisia. He contributed greatly to the national team, and at the end – to the development of African football. Dhiab was more than just ephemeral African player of the year – but for this 1978 had to arrive. So far – top African player.

Little can be said for the rest of the football world – that is Africa. The disappointing performance of Zaire at the 1974 World Cup diminished already miniscule interest – the miracle did not happen and the game appeared in decline. One was able to get some information, like results, final tables, and brief commentaries from French magazines, but that was all. Except France, nobody else showed interest and African players appeared almost exclusively in the French leagues by 1977. Some were good – like the Congolese Francois M'Pele (30 years old), the Cameroonian Jean-Pierre Tokoto (29), and the Algerian Mustapha Dahleb (25), all playing for Paris SG, but none became big European star. There were no African players among the very best players in Europe – players like Larbi Benbarek in the 1940s-1950s, Rachid Mekhloufi in the 1960s, Salif Keita in the late 1960s and early 1970s, not to mention giant like Eusebio. Without high profile players, African football faded from European minds. The continent was not doing well politically and economically too, so it was a miracle that African countries managed to maintain regular domestic and international championships. The most organized was the football in the Northern Arabic countries, yet, they did not dominate the sport – which suggests low quality. It was amateur football everywhere, badly affected by politics with specific African flavour: tribalism. No country was able to get its best players in the national team, let alone clubs. Good players were spread in many clubs, depending on tribal boundaries – thus, no country was able to build strong club, and in turn many skilful players remained local, lacking international exposure. Tribalism plagues African football to this very day – especially national teams, but the main problem is club football, eternally suffocated. A small problem, yet a problem, is the difficulty to find reliable information, particularly pictorial one. An irritating problem, for there were interesting events:


The African Champions Cup culminated with a final between Hearts of Oak (Accra, Ghana) and Hafia (Conakry, Guinea).

One of the oldest and well established African Clubs, traditionally strong, popular, Hearts of Oak represented arguably the country with best football on the continent. Yet... Ghana repeatedly failed to qualify for World Cup finals and so far failed to impress on international club level. Hearts of Oak continued the tradition of disappointment... they lost both legs of the final: 0-1 at home in Accra, and 2-3 away in Conakry.

Hafia triumphed – but there was more. In 1977 Hafia became the most successful African club: they won their 3rd African Champions Cup, more than anybody else. There was regularity to their victories: 1972, 1975, and 1977, suggesting that Hafia had well made squad. The same squad, give or take two-three players. It was spectacular success, for Guinea was not among the top African countries in football. Perhaps they got the best players of the country in the team and well rounded squad, getting more and more experienced, was bound to win. None of the Hafia players made it to Europe, as far as I know, but they were uncommonly steady in Africa.

African Cup Winners Cup was new tournament – it started in 1975, so it was only the 3rd issue in 1977. Too young to trace patterns – quite naturally, every year had new winner. One of the better known outside the continent clubs reached the final – Canon (Yaounde, Camerun).

Camerun was not yet well known, nor it was all that powerful in Africa, but Canon ranked among the strongest African clubs. It was steady club, becoming even stronger – it was regular, and therefore experienced, participant in the international tournaments. A favourite, at least to outside eyes.

The other finalist was almost the opposite of Canon:

Enugu Rangers was young club – founded in 1970. Already very successful at home, though: three times champion and three times Cup winner in 1977. Remarkable success, but... in Nigeria. Nigeria did not rank high in Africa yet. On the other hand, who really ranked high? There was representative of the 'strong' Arabic countries at any of the Cup finals. Ghana lost to lowly Guinea – African club football was entirely unpredictable. The first leg of the final was played in Enugu and mighty Canon was destroyed 4-1. Was it skills or enthusiasm? Doesn't matter really – Enugu did not lose the second leg either. In Yaounde, they managed to tie the match 1-1 and the Cup was theirs!

Astonishing success for a club not even ten years old. Yet... the players were and remained anonymous, apparently nobody was all that great even by African standards. No player of Enugu Rangers was voted among the top African players of the year – a Nigerian was third, but Segun Odegbami played for Shooting Stars. Never mind – Enugu Rangers won the Cup.

Regular season ended, every club got their 100 and more points, their percentage, and so on, and play-offs started – first the 'divisional' ones, then 'conference championships'. In plain language – cup format. Winners advance. After that – two-leg semi-finals. Cosmos vs Rochester Lancers and Seattle Sounders vs Los Angeles Aztecs. A glance at the final tables of the regular season spots something strange: not only none of the semi-finalists won their regular 'division', but the highest placed was Cosmos – second. The rest all finished third. Direct elimination has its own logic, quite the opposite of prolonged round-robin tournaments, yet the sharp difference between regular season and play-off results begs the question what was the purpose of the regular championship? Was it taken seriously at all? Evidently, it did not matter at all – so why playing it? And it was not taken seriously at Cosmos: the rag-tag team divided into many fractions pulling into entirely different directions. It is even tough to start – who was the biggest complainer and schemer? Pele was angry – the deal was to build a team around him. Seeing that the promise was not fulfilled, the aging King simply stopped paying attention to football matters. He was preoccupied with business deals and gave the basic minimum required by his contract: appeared on the pitch and kicked the ball a little. He skipped the whole training camp before the 1977 season, arriving from Brazil only a week before the first game. Overweight and out of form. Chinaglia was angry too – his easily ignited temper fired at two fronts: one was the South Americans, who ignored him on the pitch, passing only to Pele. The other was the British bunch, who played what they knew – rushing on the wings and bringing high-ball crosses. Chinaglia disliked that – the legend says he had no taste (understand 'skill') for headers, but this is not true. Chinaglia, trained in England as a child, was not only familiar with the English kind of football, but he was deadly in the air , a typical English centre-forward, not an Italian kind at all. But he was also skilful and clever player – with South Americans and continental Europeans in the squad, it was pointless to play English football. There was an opportunity for something more interesting and diverse – the English guys, Tony Field, Steve Hunt, and Keith Eddy, plainly robbed the team of variety, making it predictable at best. Another reason was the artificial turfs, widely used in North America, which made air battles very dangerous – hard landing almost guaranteed injuries. The Brits angered the native American contingent – Shep Messing, Bobby Smith, and Werner Roth. Until Firmani took charge (if he did), coaches were English – and they played English players no matter what. A new Brit arrived – and Smith was benched immediately. Shep Messing, the goalkeeper, complained bitterly in an interview from the 'British mafia' in the league. It was everywhere, not only in New York. Before the arrival of Firmani Smith was indefinitely suspended by he British coach Gordon Bradley after a violent locker room tantrum over Smith's relegation to the bench in favour of British player. The many feuding camps found common enemy in the Yugoslavs – they did not fit anywhere, and were viewed by all as lazy. Then Ertegun brought Yasin and personally (at least that was the perception) placed him among the regulars, putting Messing on the reserve's bench. When Beckenbauer arrived, he was utterly horrified of what he saw – such chaos his German mind was not even able to imagine. Probably it took all of his German character and discipline to resist returning to Munich at once, for Beckenbauer was practically greeted with insult : in the only league in the world using personified jersey numbers , he was not given his famous number 5, but number 6. Somebody named Eddie had number 5, so the Kaiser had to chose another number. And this was not all – later, when Carlos Alberto arrived, there was no favourite number for the captain of the 1970 World Champions either – he got number 15. But the arrival of Carlos Alberto further irritated the Kaiser – Firmani moved Beckenbauer to midfield to make place for the Brazilian. Pushed around like that is not something a German can take, but it worked – now there was somebody creative and precise in midfield, and Beckenbauer's passes rejuvenated Chinaglia. Chaos it was, but the mega-stars were justly great: they saw the mutual advantage and even fun in combining together. Eventually, they took the reigns of the rag-tag team and improved it. Mediocrities no longer ruled – the masters inevitably shaped the game. Carlos Alberto stabilized the leaky defense. Beckenbauer – the midfield. Chinaglia started scoring again. And Pele? The King woke up after the regular season – he was nearing the end of his contract and retirement, perhaps he wanted to end his career exactly as a King – with victory. So far, he won nothing in USA – and let's face it: aging, lazy, playing in mediocre league, great players are ambitious. They like to win, hate to lose. Pele led by example and Beckenbauer, Carlos Alberto, Chinaglia needed just that spur to ignite themselves into action. Good football immediately attracted crowds – a record 77 691 attended the second leg of the play-off against Fort Lauderdale. Cosmos won.


Cosmos won, but... they lost the first leg 0-3. The second match was tough 3-2 win, and since only wins counted, there was shoot-out to decide the final winner. Cosmos prevailed. The other three winners of the 'conference championships' – or ¼ finals in other structures – were Seattle Sounders, Los Angeles Aztecs, and Rochester Lancers. All of them won both legs, only Cosmos lost a match. The United Nations of New York were still shaky.

In the ½ finals Cosmos was finally supreme – they defeated Rochester 2-1 and 4-1. Seattle eliminated a team considered a contender, Los Angeles – 3-1 and 1-0. To a point, it was a team vs single star (George Best), and if somebody paid attention, the lesson of consistent and careful work was clear. So far the tournament followed strict divisional lines – teams from East and West did not mix. Apart from obvious practicality, the idea was to build tensions to grand culmination: champions of the East vs champions of the West, and public dying to see the grand finale. Named in true American fashion 'Soccer Bowl'. The final was tightly contested, Cosmos clinching 2-1 win.

For all grand 'championships' during a single year, second best counted for nothing. Were Seattle Sounders 'silver medalists'? Or mere 'finalists'? Well done anyway – for rather modest and unassuming team, it was wonderful run. The 'English mafia' was well presented in Seattle, but Sounders lacked big names – Mike England was the only one. The future great coach Harry Redknapp was also part of the squad – played 5 matches total. The giant and not looking like athlete Mike Ivanow was the reserve goalie, confirming the laughable approach of NASL to professional sport. He played 2 matches. Local heroes, however, made Sounders solid – like the reagular goalie Tony Chursky. Boris Bandov also appeared in few matches. Mike Ivanow was still listed as Chinese player, and most of the squad was British, but Seattle were the antithesis of Cosmos, pointing at other and more productive way for NASL, alas, nobody wished to follow.

The model to follow were the champions. Cosmos won their first title since 1972. Superstars proved their worth, and the message was clear – get together kings, kaisers, world champions, no matter how old, and success will come. Cosmos had the best gates in the league by far. If there was a football player somewhat getting close to the public exposure of the stars of the big North American sports, it was Pele. If American public was attracted to soccer, it was only to see big names showing some flashy skills. If TV was to warm up to the sport, it was to be showing great individuals. Cosmos, not the Sounders, was the model for the future of the league. Champions are to be followed, for they show by example... to the peril of the league.

The regular team of Cosmos shaped up somewhat, but it was ironic development: Pele was promissed of building the team around him, which meant getting Brazilian players. This happened, but only few months before the retirement of the King. Carlos Alberto and Rildo did not come from Santos, but both played together with Pele for Santos some years before. The other Brazilian – Nelsi Morais – and the Peruvian Ramon Mifflin were also suitable for the style of the King. Beckenbauer had no problems playing with Pele and Chinaglia, bringing discipline and authority as well – Yugoslavs certainly were more willing to follow him than the Brits. As for the British gang, they were reduced to providing sturdy support to the real stars – which they were perfectly capable of doing. Erol Yasin was not an European star, but still he was professional player for years and if anything, with better understanding of the game than local enthusiast Messing. Cosmos got a solid back bone. Pele finished his career with a victory – his only US title, but the timing was right: champion to the end, King to the last second. The Kaiser started his American spell just as great, champion in his first season, proving that the departure of Pele would not mean the end of Cosmos. And Chinaglia proved himself right – obviously his unofficial management brought success. The season ended with a tribute to Pele – his retirement was celebrated with a match between Cosmos and Santos. The King played for both teams in front of 75 000 braving the cold rain. Cosmos won 2-1, Pele scoring against Santos. The show continued... the wrong self-destructing direction of NASL.

But in a way NASL was the precursor of today's football – huge, constantly changing rosters; emphasis on individual stars, not the team; focus on player's other activities and business, not on their performance on the pitch; merchandise and advertisement more important than the game; individualized jerseys with personal numbers and player's names – clearly representing these concepts. It was too early to really work – neither players, nor coaches were able to deal with the demands of making a winning team in a few months. The culture was different – everybody knew only steady building, requiring permanency. The negative part of the new concept was also already in place: fans hardly knew their own teams. Few overblown stars was all they knew – the rest of the squad was unmemorable. And really... how to remember constantly changing players? No wonder sports magazines don't publish the names of players when they publish team photos in 21 century – they are here today, gone tomorrow... without a trace. For all the hype of names on the back of the shirts and private numbers... nobody can remember meteoric appearances. Pele and Beckenbauer won. They attended this and that. Did Bobby Smith won too? Just ask the fans, bombarded with something else. And don't ask me who plays for Real Madrid today... before I get familiar with roster, half of it is long gone. Mourinho knows how to do it – it is just the constant whine 'I have no players'. The outcry in NASL back in 1977 – after all, Cosmos needed players, badly needed players, after using 38 in 1977. 38 players used in 35 official matches...

Simple game, football. All you need is great players and a great coach. And lots of money to buy stars. The North American approach. NASL clubs fell short on good coaches, but spent lots of money on players. The 'strategy' kind of worked – 18 teams played in the 1977 championship. The public was kind of getting larger, although the numbers did not mean gains at the gates. So far, American 'soccer' was losing money – an 'investment', hoping to win fans. And television time. But the NASL version of 'soccer' was becoming a freak show – North Americans prefer their native sports, and soccer was no more then temporary amusement before 'real' sports start. Soccer is unsuitable for American TV – there are no convenient breaks for commercials. Major American sports are designed and redesigned to fit TV format – redesigning soccer was not possible because of the hawkish FIFA, threatening with expulsion. It is not that the Americans did not try – in 1977 they introduced new rule: no ties. Every match had to end with a winner, as becoming to any American sport. Overtime was to break the tie, and if not succeeding, weird shoot-out. Not penalty kicks, but free attack from 35 yards. The striker had to shoot the ball in 5 seconds time. May be entertaining, but the bulk of foreign players hardly took it as more than freakish fun. Even such innovations did not help – in a closed league, the only relegation is a literal one: bankruptcy. Two clubs were into receivership in 1977 – Boston and Philadelphia, and few others relocated, which means they were close to bankruptcy. The season started without Miami, San Antonio, San Diego, and Hartford, but with Fort Lauderdale, Hawaii, Las Vegas, and Connecticut.

New or old? Team Hawaii. Standing : Dan Counce (15), Chris.J Carenza (2), Ismaël Moreira (3), Hilary Carlyle (20), Peter Fox (1), Jimmy Joerg (0), Bert Bowery (17), Peter Nover (6), Tommy Taylor (7)
Sitting : Jim Henry (9), Keith Robson (10), Axel Neumann (11), Keith Coleman (8), Mark Stahl (4), Charlie Mitchell (5), Victor Kodelja (14), Brian Tinnion (16), Yilmaz Orhan (18), Pat Holland (19)

Same franchises, different names and location – for the fanatic non-American public this provided clear answer why the sport was not popular: how possibly one can support a club which may change its name every new season and move across the country just as often? The whole structure was weird – 18 clubs make a perfect league elsewhere, but not in North America, where everything has to look bigger and more important. Hence, the eternal love of divisions in North American sports - one league is too plain. The scale must be grand – two 'conferences', divided further into two 'divisions' each. Mini-celebrations – winners of the leagues, winners of the conferences, eventually winners of the Universe. And statistics, running endlessly – the goalscorers, the leading goalkeepers (where 1170 minutes playing time minimum was needed to qualify), and who knows what else. Plenty of information, but the game? Well, NASL increased the championship games of the 'regular' season to 26. Don't ask who was playing with whom, for 26 games match nothing. Certainly not traditional 2-leg championships. As for points, this is purely fantastic: Fort Lauderdale Strikers finished the 'regular' season with 161 point. And as if bombastic points were not enough, there were also percentages... what they did and to what end, I have no idea. Toronto Metros-Croatia finished with .500 % Seven clubs had higher percentages than them, but so what – Toronto finished first in the Northern Division of the Atlantic Conference. But even if they were not first no big deal – 16 out of 18 total qualified for the next stage. First or last, 160 points or no points, 100% or 0%, practically everybody advanced. As for Toronto, the champions of 1976 finished with 13 wins and 13 losses the regular season – in a normal league, they would be mid-table, far away from the top. But separate divisions with cross-division games provided for teams even with negative record to be first. For whatever this first place counted... for after that play-offs for 'divisional' title started, then – the 'conference', then – national title. And every stage seemingly provided some titles... Nobody was left empty handed. The inflation hardly helped the quality of the game, but the view of building a team did not at all. It was naïve at best and plain ignorant at worst: instead of careful and gradual building a team, North Americans evidently thought that a bulk of players, mostly foreign must suffice. Rosters were huge, largely thanks to constant transfers in a single season – often over 30 players were involved. Cosmos used over 40 in 1977. With players coming and going all the time, meaningful building of a team was a gas. Add to this the case of many English players, who are difficult to describe – they played in England, arriving in NASL for the summer, between the old and new seasons in England. Technically, they played for two clubs in a single year, but who they belonged to? Were they in USA and Canada on loan? Or on their own, despite contracts with English clubs? Or were they signing entirely separate contracts for portions of the year? One thing was clear – their main interest was in England, and it was hard to imagine they gave their best after the grueling English season. For them it was more like well paid vacation, but coming in mid-season, they simply took the places of others for awhile – how was to build a team in such conditions. If coaches tried to build anything, for they were well aware of the ignorant approach of the owners, and since they were mostly British, they preferred British players no matter what. Often it looked like one foreign mega-star was enough for success – Eusebio arrived and Toronto won the NASL championship in 1976. Now the owners of Las Vegas Quicksilver decided to follow the example and hired Eusebio – only to finish last in their 'division' and to be one of the two clubs missing the play-offs. Gambling did not work well in football, but most foreign players entirely enjoyed playing in USA and Canada. George Best was the prime example – he was happy to be anonymous, without journalists following his every step and mischief, without coaches disciplining him, without fans booing him. Best was happy to bask in the sun, to chase the girls, to drive his car fast, and mostly to booze in cozy bars. And because of his name Los Angeles Aztecs were considered contenders for the title. Their performance was something quite opposite to predictions, though. In the weak league veteran stars, even boozers like Best, were capable of occasional stellar moment and making a difference. Some even managed to revive their careers - Gordon Banks came out of his untimely and unhappy retirement, and almost recovered his form. But many did not bother to do much, and still got plenty of money. Nobody was actually building a team and Cosmos was the best example.

Eight foreign players arrived in 1977 – one was the mega-transfer of the year, creating a buzz all over the world: Franz Beckenbauer (32 years old) from Bayern. Cosmos already had the King, now added the Kaiser. Carlos Alberto ( 33), the captain of Brazil in 1970, arrived from Flamengo. Another Brazilian, a lesser star, yet a star, came from CEUB – Rildo (35). From Galatasaray – the Turkish national team goalkeeper Erol Yasin (29). Two Yugoslavians as well – Vito Dimitrijevic (29) from Radnicki (Nis), and Jadranko Topic (28) from Velez (Mostar). The usual English player – Steve Hunt (21) from Aston Villa, and finally – a South African: Jomo Sono (22) from Orlando Pirates. Almost a whole new team, but the players did not even arrive at the same time – Beckenbauer came in May, when the German season finished. Carlos Alberto - in mid-July. As a whole, the newcomers were rag-tag bunch – just bulk, for there is nothing to suggest any meaningful idea for acquiring them: too many, too diverse, from world superstars to complete unknowns. Mismatched.

Jadranko Topic, far left, crouching, with Velez (Mostar) in 1975. This is arguably the best squad Velez ever had and there were star players – Bajevic, Vladic, Hadziabdic, Halilhodzic, Primorac. Topic was not one of them.

The transfer of the year – Kaiser Franz moving to New York.

A dream-team or a circus? Beckenbauer, Pele, and Chinaglia. What could be? The best football in the world, elevating NASL to serious league, or clash of egos?

PR is one thing, strong team entirely another. It is not just a collection of stars – strong team needs a coach. Clive Toye, the English coach of Cosmos was fired by the brass – that is Warner Brothers Company brass. Headed by Ahmet Ertegun, a Turk, who brought another Turk to play in USA – Yasin. Toye, at least retrospectively, is big name in US football, but let's face it – before moving to the US, he was a journalist. He may have been better coach than others in North America, and got credit for bringing Pele to New York, yet... having the King, he failed to win a championship. Coaches are fired for less – but US football was dominated by Brits and a mere Turk firing a Brit... it may not be said openly, but Ertegun was blamed for undue meddling in purely managerial affairs. Especially when those replacing Toye did not deliver either – a soap opera followed until another 'big name' became coach or manager: Eddie Firmani. The credit for his arrival went entirely to Giorgio Chinaglia – he personally went to conspire and complain, but not to Ertegun – he used another big shot in Warners, Steve Ross. The perception of Firmani was clear from day one and remains firm so far: a puppet of Chinaglia. Effectively, Chinaglia managed the team. A picture of scheming, incompetence, and back room deals emerge – Cosmos, the show case of NASL, was without serious concept. It was chaotic and if it was the best club in the league, it is easy to imagine the rest. No wonder George Best was happy in NASL – massive incompetence prevented his employers from even seeing his mischief. And no wonder the league failed to really improve its game, swerving entirely into circus. Further attention to the cosmic chaos of Cosmos will be given soon.

Up it was not so crystal clear. America (Mexico City) and CD Guadalajara finished 1st and 2nd in Group 1 and qualified for the next round. UNAM (Mexico City) and Atletico Potosino qualified from Group 2. Cruz Azul (Mexico City) and San Luis – from Group 3, and from Group 4 – Universidad de Guadalajara and Atletico Espanol. More or less, familiar 'big' clubs – America, CD Guadalajara, Cruz Azul. Still clinging to the biggies, yet, declining Atletico Espanol. Atletico Potosino and San Luis probably just had a good year. As for U de G, or Club Deportivo Universidad de Guadalajara, or Leones Negros – they were young and strange. Founded in 1970, the 'Black Lions' climbed quickly to First Division and not only to make the numbers: they reached the championship final in 1975-76. Evidently, ambitious and well financed club, but... a club without supporters. Guadalajara is old football centre in Mexico, hence, the public made their choices long time ago – mainly divided between CD Guadalajara and Atlas. There was UAG too... the city is big, but no matter how big, a club founded in 1970 was doomed to be without fans.


Second stage – 8 teams divided in 2 round-robin groups, no points from first stage carried over. Brand new start, the winners of the groups going to the final. In case teams ended with equal points, goal average was decisive factor – not goal difference. Goal average was old concept, fading away after 1960, but still in use here and there. Its merit is dubious, but then which decisive system is convincing? Yet... sometimes goal average is entirely wrong. No problem in Group 1: UNAM finished first, a point ahead of Cruz Azul, also having the best goal-difference. But goals were not important here – they were in Group 2, where America and U de G ended with equal points, 8 each. America scored 14 goals in 6 matches and received 6. U de G received only 3, but scored measly 8. All things equal, America outscored the competition by far, and ended with +8 to U de G +5. Goal average said different, however: 2.67 U de G vs 2.33 America. Scoring less was more...

America – robbed from playing at the final? Depends on stand point.

Leones Negros reached the final for second consecutive year – may be this time champions? Or UNAM? Pumas vs Leones Negros. Intriguing not only because of carnivorous names – both clubs are University clubs, neither was champion ever before. No matter what, brand new champion was coming, emphasizing power shift in Mexican football. University-based clubs were becoming power-houses, successfully elbowing traditional big clubs. The rivalry between Mexico City and Guadalajara was preserved, but it was not a classic derby.

The two-legger was tied struggle: UNAM clinched a scoreless tie in Guadalajara. Back at home , they scored the single goal at the final. 1-0. U de G lost the final again. Pumas defeated Lions.

Probably it was not so gloomy in the Lion's den: remember their date of birth? Founded in 1970, and already playing twice at the championship final. Two silver medals in 7 years of existence – and clearly establishing themselves among the strongest Mexican clubs. With such strength may be they were to build a fan base too.

As for UNAM – it was their first title ever.

The club was not young, but never a big player in Mexican football until the 70s. During this decade they established themselves in the First League, grew stronger and stronger, until they won the championship.

Pumas looking menacing and winning. Standing from left: Candido (Brazil), Genaro Bermudez, Héctor Sanabria, Leonardo Cuéllar, Enrique Vázquez del Mercado, José Luis López, Velibor " Bora " Milutinovic – coach.

First row : Juan José Muñante (Peru), Spencer, Cabinho (Brazil), Jesús Iturralde, Arturo Vázquez Ayala.

Champions are always worth praising, but this squad is special for more reasons than for the obvious historic first title. Not for the exotic look of Leonardo Cuellar either – Cuellar was Mexican national team regular, but still not the most important member of the team. Two of the foreigners – the Peruvian star Munante and the lesser known Brazilian Candido were not the most important items either. Yet, the mentioned so far outline quite a strong team. But add the Brazilian centre-forward Evanivaldo Castro, or simply Cabinho. The prolific goalscorer is often considered the best ever footballer in Mexico. No doubt, part of the legend comes from 1976-77. And missing on this picture is another mega-star, much more famous than Cabinho – Hugo Sanchez. Sure, he was young and unknown internationally at that time, but already a national team player and deadly striker. Now, having Cabinho and Sanchez in front is something... lethal. There was no regular place for the Argentine Jorge Paolino. Pumas, even by European standards, were star-studded team:

Cabinho, Jesús Ramírez, Juan José Muñante, Hugo Sánchez, and Cándido -such a group would have made many an European club envious. Stars are stars, but making a winning team is another matter. Bora Milutinovic was a debutant coach – he was still playing for UNAM the previous season. Champion in his first coaching year! May be now becomes clear why he is the coach with most World Cup finals – he was good at the very beginning. Yes, the squad was not 'legendary' in 1977 – but looking back, here are legendary people. The best ever player in Mexico; the best ever Mexican player; Bora Milutinovic. Oh well, it was not only felines – there was also 'La Cobra' Munante. A team to stay on top. Simple game, football – all you need is great players and a great coach.

Date of birth was important in another country as well, but in another part of the world – North and Central America. Nothing really changed there – only two championships worth mentioning. Mexico was elbowed by USA-Canada, thanks to the famous players moving to NASL, but still Mexico had the only good championship outside Europe and South America. The structure of the championship is very strange – a mixture of North American professional sports leagues and South American concepts. Like South America, championship went through different stages, mixing regular format with Cup-like direct elimination. Like North American sports, the league was not simple collection of clubs, but of franchises. The 20-team league was divided into 4 groups, teams playing against each other, but also playing against teams from other groups. North American formats are forever confusing for non-Americans, largely because it is never clear why clubs face some of the rest, but almost never other clubs. In Mexico was clearer – looked like every club met all others twice in the first stage. At least the total of games played – 38 – suggests so. Which makes a mystery of the division into 4 groups – the best two of each progressed to the next stage, but it would be just the same in regular undivided league. Anyway, it was not all – the US sports model is closed league: no relegation-promotion, same 'franchises' play always in the league. Bankruptcy is practically the only way of changing the members, a franchise can change owners and move to another city. Usually, the name is preserved – it is part of the franchise. The franchise concept in Mexico was a bit different: entirely different club can buy the rights of one playing in First Division and replace it in it. This was done fairly often, so the league members changed, but it was not entirely closed league like in the USA. There was promotion-relegation too – one club went down at the end of the season and another went up to replace it. Strange championship, but otherwise it was normal professional football: big clubs gathering the best players and there were many imports, generally from South America. The trouble with Mexican clubs is their location – some moved from place to place back then, but it is more frequent nowadays, so it is hard today to make sense – one sees Atlante, but is it the same club of 30 years ago? Now Atlante plays in Cancun... same name back in the 1970s, but for a club located in Mexico City. Yes, it is the same club after all – the only question is what happened to the supporters. Did they move to Cancun too?

No matter. Back in 1976-77 Atlante struggled to return to First Division. They were relegated the previous season, quite a blow for the old club, but eventually they reached the promotional final – facing Queretaro. Queretaro also played in the First Division not long ago and was eager to return, but it was not to be. Atlante won 4-2 at home and 2-1 away in Queretaro. Back among the big boys after a year in exile and getting powerful sponsors – a state owned mighty company, which poured tons of money, wishing to make Atlante the strongest club. This, however, happened after the club succeeded in winning a promotion. So much for second division and promotion.

Relegation, then. The rules were simple – among the last placed clubs in the 4 groups, the two with least points met in relegation play-off. Theoretically, it was possible for a club to finish with less points than one of the unfortunates – if playing in one group with the weakest one – but this year there was no confusion: UANL and Zacatepec were last with clearly less points than any other club. UANL are also known as 'Tigres', and the 'tigers' finally showed some teeth... not very sharp teeth, but enough for survival. They managed a 2-2 tie away and clinched a home victory in Nuevo Leon 2-1. Zacatepec was relegated.

Lucky tigers. The club is one of University-based clubs. Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon. Students club, by the name – in reality, a professional club financed by the University. May be that is why such clubs are known by their nicknames, thus confusing foreigners: UANL is the official name and the one seen in most records. But in Mexico a glance at a newspaper shows no trace of UANL – there is Tigres. Now the nicknames are actually incorporated into the official names of such clubs. Clear? Better be, for Tigres survived difficult season and remained for the next. So much for bottom of the league.

Down the South American line information becomes scarcer and scarcer, particularly pictorial information. However, there was something interesting at the very bottom. Portuguesa FC won the Venezuelan championship. The club from the agricultural capital of Venezuela – Acarigua – was founded in 1972. A baby, in a sense, but they won their first title in 1973. Not many clubs in the world win championships in their second year of existence, especially in the 1970s, when hierarchies were established for a long time already. It was not just accidental victory either – in 1977 Portuguesa won its 4th title, third consecutive as well. Some babies!


The Venezuelan league was small – only 12 clubs – but, following the South
American pattern, the championship was complicated affair of three stages. The culmination was two-legged final between the first and second from the 6-team championship playoff group (second stage). Portuguesa won every tournament, beating their competitors Estudiantes (Merida) in both final matches – 4-2 in Merida, and 3-0 in Acarigua. Portuguesa played a total of 34 championship games, losing only 3 matches during the campaign. In the first standard league stage they left the nearest pursuer, Deportivo Italia, 8 points behind. Clearly supreme squad. The best goalscorer of the championship was also Portuguesa player – Juan Cesar Silva with 20 goals.

Four titles in 5 years of existence – what a record! Of course, names of players mean nothing... like everywhere in South America, Venezuelan football had plenty of imports and foreigners more or less dictated the fate of their clubs. They were fairly unknown players, though – except for Brazilian striker playing for the champions. Here he is, second in the first row – Jairzinho. Already 33 years old and a pale shadow of his glory days, nevertheless, a world famous star. Did he really made a difference, or not – doesn't matter. Portuguese was proud to have a legendary name in its squad – and to add one more title. May be Jairzinho was very happy too – world champion he was, but on club level he had few titles. Venezuelan championship was may be weak and not glamorous, but... a title is a title. Jairzinho won and... left the club, returning to Brazil. Portuguesa stayed where they were, of course – on top. On top of the bottom, one may say, but who cares – just recall their date of birth.