Copa Libertadores
180px
Founded 1960
Region South America (CONMEBOL)
Number of teams 39
Current champions Argentina Estudiantes
(4th title)
Most successful club(s) Argentina Independiente
(7 titles)
Television broadcasters List of broadcasters
Website Official website
2010 Copa Libertadores

The Copa Libertadores de América, officially known as the Copa Santander Libertadores de América for sponsorship reasons,[1] is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960.[2] It is the most prestigious club competition in South American football and one of the most watched events in the world, gaining the attention of 135 nations worldwide.[3][2] Despite being a South American competition, Mexican teams have been invited since 1998.[4] The name of the tournament is an homage to the Libertadores (Portuguese and Spanish for Liberators), the main leaders of the independence wars of South America.[5]

The competition has had several different formats since its inception.[5] Initially, only the champions of South America participated. In 1966, the runners-up of the South American leagues began to join and today at least three clubs per country compete in the tournament, while Argentina and Brazil each have five clubs participating.[5] Traditionally, a group stage has always been used but the amount of teams per group has varied several times.

The tournament consists of six stages.[6] In the present format, it begins in early February with the first stage.[6] The six surviving teams join 26 teams in the second stage, in which there are eight groups consisting of four teams each.[6] The eight group winners and eight runners-up enter the final four stages, better known as the knockout stages, which ends with the finals anywhere between June and August.[6] The winner of the Copa Libertadores becomes eligible to play in two extra tournaments: the first being the FIFA Club World Cup (which replaced the Intercontinental Cup since 2005) and the second being the Recopa Sudamericana.[6]

The last champion is Argentine club Estudiantes de La Plata,[7] while Argentine club Independiente is the most successful club in the cup history, having won the tournament seven times.[8] The cup has been won by 22 different clubs and won consecutively by six clubs, the last to have been Boca Juniors in 2001.[9]

Contents

History[edit]

The clashes for the Copa Río de La Plata between the champions of Argentina and Uruguay kindled the idea of a continental competition back in the 1930s.[5] In 1948, the Copa de Campeones, the most direct precursor to the Copa Libertadores, was played and organized by Chilean club Colo-Colo.[5] It was held in Santiago and brought together the champions of each nation's top national leagues.[5] The tournament was won by Vasco da Gama of Brazil.[10][11][5] However, it was not until 1958 when the base and format of the competition was created (no least thanks to the efforts of Peñarol's board leaders), and in 1960, it was named in honor of the heroes of South American history, such as Bernardo O'Higgins, José de San Martín, Pedro I, and Simón Bolívar, among others.[5]

Over the years, the competition has kept alive a healthy sporting rivalry between the competing countries, especially between Brazil and Argentina, Argentina and Uruguay, Uruguay and Brazil, Colombia and Argentina, and Peru and Chile. Episodes of violence are not rare and the pressure on the players on the field is tremendous.[5]

The beginnings: 1960–1969[edit]

Pelé led Santos to win two titles.

In the first edition of Copa Libertadores, which took place in 1960, seven teams participated: Bahia of Brazil, Jorge Wilstermann of Bolivia, Millonarios of Colombia, Olimpia of Paraguay, Peñarol of Uruguay, San Lorenzo of Argentina and Universidad de Chile of Chile. The Uruguayans won the first ever edition defeating Olimpia in the finals and successfully defended the title in 1961.[12][9] It proved to be historic justice for many (even today) due to Peñarol's great contributions to the creation of the tournament,[13] but the Copa Libertadores did not receive international projection until its third edition, which was swept through the sublime football of a Santos team led by Pelé, considered by some the best club team in the world of all times.[14] The ballet blanco or white ballet, which dazzled the world during that time, won the title of 1962 defeating the defending champions Peñarol in the finals.[9][15] A year later, O Rei and his compatriot Coutinho demonstrated their magic again in the form of tricks, dribbles, backheels, and goals including two in the second leg of the final at La Bombonera, to subdue Boca Juniors 1–2 and keep the trophy again.[16][9][15]

Argentine football finally inscribed their name on the winner's list in 1964 when Independiente became champions after disposing of the powerful title holders Santos and Uruguayan side Nacional in the finals.[9][17][18] Independiente would go on to successfully defend the title in 1965;[9][18] Peñarol would defeat River Plate in a dramatic playoff to win their third title,[12] and Racing Club would go on to claim the spoils in 1967.[9][19] But the next biggest highlight of the competition, after Pele's Santos, did not happen until 1968 with the introduction of Estudiantes de La Plata.[9][20]

Estudiantes de La Plata, a modest neighborhood club and a denominated minor team in Argentina, had a style that prioritized athletic preparation and achieving results at all costs.[21][22][23][24] The conjunto de laboratorio or laboratory group, led by the great coach Osvaldo Zubeldía and a team built around outstanding figures such as Carlos Bilardo, Oscar Malbernat and Juan Ramón Verón, went on to become the first ever tricampeon of the competition.

A formation of the Estudiantes de La Plata team that won the title in 1968, 1969 and 1970.

The pincharratas won their first ever final in 1968 overcoming Palmeiras and defended the title in 1969 and 1970 against Nacional and Peñarol respectively.[9][25][26] Although Peñarol was the first club to achieve three titles, Estudiantes had done this feat in a consecutive fashion (Peñarol did it in two different periods after winning the 1960 and 1961 editions and then again in 1966).

The Argentine decade: 1970–1979[edit]

The 1970s was clearly dominated by Argentinian clubs with the exception being in three editions. In a rematch of the 1969 finals, Nacional emerged as the champions of the 1971 tournament after overcoming an Estudiantes squad depleted of key players that helped lift it to its recent glory.[9][27][28]

With two titles already in its showcase, Independiente created a winning mystique which was prolongated by Francisco Sa, José Omar Pastoriza, Ricardo Bochini and Daniel Bertoni: pillars of the titles of 1972,[18] 1973,[18] 1974,[18] and 1975.[18] Their tetracampeonato has been a feat only achieved this once.[9] Independiente's home stadium, La Doble Visera, became one of the most dreaded venues for visiting teams to play at.[29] The reign of Los Diablos Rojos finally ended in 1976 when they were defeated by fellow Argentine club River Plate in the second phase in a dramatic playoff for a place in the finals for their second time in history. However, in the finals River Plate themselves would be beaten by Cruzeiro of Brazil as the title returned to a Brazilian club after 13 years.[9][30]

File:Boca1977.jpg
The Boca Juniors team that won the bicampeonato of 1977 and 1978.

After having the trophy elude them in 1963 at the hands of Pelé's Santos, Boca Juniors finally managed to appear on the continental football map. Towards the end of the decade, the Xeneizes managed to reach the finals on three consecutive years. The first was in 1977 in which Boca Juniors managed their first victory against defending champions Cruzeiro.[9][31] After both teams won their home legs 1–0 a neutral venue was chosen to break the tie. The playoff match finished in a tense 0–0 tie and was defined in a vibrant penalty shootout, with a highly remembered save by Hugo Gatti on Vanderley in the last penalty.[9] Boca Juniors managed to keep the trophy again in 1978 after thumping Deportivo Cali of Colombia 4–0 on aggregate.[32] In the following year, it looked as if Boca Juniors would also achieve a triple championship only to have Olimpia end that dream after a highly volatile, second leg match in Buenos Aires.[9][33] Just like in 1963, Boca Juniors had to watch as the visiting team lifted the Copa Libertadores in their home ground and Olimpia became the first (and so far only) team from Paraguay to achieve such honor.

The 1970s were also notable for the appearances of Universitario of Peru, Colo-Colo and Unión Española of Chile, and Deportivo Cali in the finals. Universitario became the first ever "Pacific" team to reach the finals of the Copa Libertadores paving a road for others to somewhat unbalance the dominance practiced by clubs from Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil.

The rise of the Pacific and Uruguayan Decadence: 1980–1989[edit]

File:Independiente - Campeón de América 1984.jpg
The Independiente team that won a record-breaking seventh title in 1984.

Nine years after their first triumph, Nacional won their second Cup in 1980 after defeating Internacional.[9][34] Despite Brazil's strong status as a football power in South America, 1981 marked only the fourth title for Brazilian clubs. Flamengo, led by stars such as Zico, Júnior, Carpegiani, Adílio, Cláudio Adão and Tita, sparkled as the Mengão's golden generation reached the pinnacle of their careers by beating an impressive Cobreloa of Chile.[35][9][36] After 16 years of near-continuous failures, Peñarol would go on to win the Cup, for their fourth time, in 1982 after beating the 1981 finalists in consecutive series;[9][12] first, the Manyas disposed of defending champions Flamengo 1–0 in the last match of the second phase at Flamengo's home ground, the famed Maracanã. Then, in the final they repeated the dosis on Cobreloa winning a decisive second leg match 1–0 in Santiago. Peñarol would reach another final in 1983 only to have the title be taken from them by Grêmio.[9][37] In 1984, Independiente won their seventh cup, a record that stands today, after defeating title holders Grêmio which included an incredible 1–0 win in the first away leg highlighting Jorge Burruchaga and a veteran Ricardo Bochini.[9][18]

Another team rose from the Pacific as Cobreloa did; América de Cali reached three consecutive finals in 1985, 1986 and 1987 but like Cobreloa they could not manage to win a single one. In 1985, Argentinos Juniors astonished South America as they eliminated title holders Independiente in La Doble Visera 1–2 during the last decisive match of the second round, for a place in the final. Argentinos Juniors went on to win an unprecedented title by beating America de Cali in the finals via a penalty shootut.[9][38] After the failures of 1966 and 1976, River Plate would reach a third final in 1986 against America de Cali and win the Cup for the first time ever after winning both legs of the final series.[9][39][40] Peñarol won the Cup again in 1987 after beating America de Cali 2–1 in the decisive playoff;[9][12] it proved to be their last hurrah in the international scene as Uruguayan football, in general, suffered a great decadence at the end of the 1980s. [41] The Manyas fierce rivals, Nacional, also managed one last Cup in 1988 before falling from the continental limelight.[9][42]

Estadio El Campín, venue of Atlético Nacional's first triumph in 1989.

It was during 1989 when a Pacific team finally broke the dominance of the established, Atlantic powers. Atletico Nacional of Medellín won an emotional final series becoming the first team from Colombia to do so. In a tournament filled with controversial refereeing and highly controversial circumstances, Atletico Nacional faced off against Olimpia losing the first leg in Asunción 2–0. Because Estadio Atanasio Girardot, their home stadium, did not have the minimum capacity CONMEBOL required to host a final, the second leg was played in Bogota's El Campín with the match ending 2–0 in favor of Atletico Nacional. Having tied the series, Atletico Nacional managed to become that year's champion after a dramatic penalty shootout which needed to go into four rounds of sudden death.[43] Goalkeeper René Higuita cemented his legendary status with an outstanding performance as he stopped four of the nine Paraguayan kicks and scoring one himself.[44] The 1989 edition also had another significant first: it was the first ever time that no club from Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil managed to reach the final. This trend will continue on until 1992.

The Renaissance: 1990–1999[edit]

Having led Olimpia to the 1979 title as manager, Luis Cubilla returned to the club's bench in 1988. Around the mythical goalkeeper Ever Hugo Almeida, Gabriel González, Adriano Samaniego, and star Raul Vicente Amarilla, a rejuvenated Decano boasted an extremely formidable side that promised a return to the glory days of the late 1970s. After coming up short in 1989 against Atletico Nacional, Olimpia reached the 1990 Copa Libertadores finals after defeating the defending champions in a climactic semifinal series decided on penalties. In the final, Olimpia managed to defeat Barcelona of Ecuador 3–1 in aggregate in a relatively comfortable victory to win their second title.[9][33] Olimpia will reach the 1991 Copa Libertadores finals afterwards, once again, defeating Atletico Nacional in the semifinals and face Colo-Colo. Led by Yugoslavian coach Mirko Jozić, the Chilean squad beat the defending champions 3–0 sparking an unforgettable party in the country that celebrated the conquest in the streets as well as ending Olimpia's second golden era.[9][45]

In 1992, São Paulo rose from being a mere great in Brazil to become an international powerhouse. The monumentally-recognized manager Telê Santana turned to the Paulistas's youth and instilled his style of quick, cheerful, and decisive football. Led by stars such as Zetti, Müller, Raí, Cafu, Palhinha, São Paulo beat Newell's Old Boys of Argentina to begin a legacy that established the club as one of the best ever teams of all time.[9][46] In 1993 São Paulo successfully defended the title by thumping Universidad Católica of Chile in the final.[9][47] The Brazilian side became the first club since Boca Juniors in 1978 to win 2 consecutive Copa Libertadores. Like Boca Juniors, however, they managed to reach another final in 1994 only to have the penalty shoot-out, the instrument of their first victory, come back to haunt them as they lost the title to Vélez Sársfield of Argentina.[9][48] Velez Sarsfield's consegration in the Copa Libertadores was considered an institutional victory and it was Carlos Bianchi, a former Velez player, that built a squad capable of playing on an equal footing on any terrain against any team.

With a highly-compact tactical lineup and the goals of the formidable duo Jardel and Paulo Nunes, Grêmio managed to win back the coveted trophy in 1995 after beating an excellent Atletico Nacional led, once again, by the iconic figure of René Higuita.[9][49] Jardel became the top scorer in this edition with the high mark of 12 goals. The team coached by Luiz Felipe Scolari had some fundamental pillars as captain and defender Adilson and the skilful midfielder Arilson. In the 1996 edition, emerging figures such as Hernan Crespo, Marcelo Salas, Esteban Valencia, Sebastian Abreu, Edmundo, Enzo Francescoli and Leonardo Rodriguez helped River Plate secure its second title after defeating America de Cali in a rematch of the 1986 final.[9][50] The Copa Libertadores will stay in Brazilian soil for the remaining of the 1990s as Cruzeiro, Vasco da Gama and Palmeiras won the spoils. The cup of 1997 clashed Cruzeiro and the Peruvian team Sporting Cristal; it was defined in the second leg of the final when Cruzeiro broke the deadlock with just under 15 minutes left in a match attended by over 106,000 spectators in the Mineirão.[9][30] Vasco da Gama will defeat Barcelona SC with ease to enter in the gallery of champions in 1998.[9] The decade ended on a high note when Palmeiras and Deportivo Cali, both runners-up in the competition before, bid to become winners for the first time and the trophy, in 1999, was decided in a dramatic back-and-forth match that went into penalties.[9] Luiz Felipe Scolari managed to lead yet another club to victory as the Verdão won 4–3 in, what is remembered today as, a legendary, second leg match in São Paulo.[51][52]

This decade proved to be a major turning point in the history of the competition as the Copa Libertadores went through a great deal of growth, change and degradation. Having been long overshadowed by Argentina's clubs, the Brazilians begin overshadowing their neighbors as they saw its clubs reach the final on eight of this decade's ten finals (and winning six).[7] From 1998 onwards, the Copa Libertadores begin being sponsored by Toyota which is why the name during that period was Copa Toyota Libertadores.[1] That same year, Mexican clubs, although affiliated to CONCACAF, started taking part in the competition thanks to quotas obtained from the Pre-Libertadores which pitted Mexican and Venezuelan clubs for two slots in the group stage.[4] The tournament was expanded to 36 teams and economic incentives were introduced by an agreement between CONMEBOL and Toyota Motor Corporation.[1] All the teams that advance to the second stage of the tournament received $25,000 for their participation.[53] However, the Copa Libertadores suffered notably from corruption allegations and accusations of bribery (as well as constant threats to referees, bad organization, increasing stadium violence and low attendances in the early stages of the tournament). South America's biggest stars begun migrating en masse to the more economically-rewarding European leagues depriving the competition of some of its former exposure.

A decade of resurgences: 2000–2009[edit]

After 22 years, in the 2000 Copa Libertadores, Boca Juniors returned to the top of the continent and raised the Copa Libertadores again in the year with a dream team. Masterfully directed by Carlos Bianchi, the Virrey, along with outstanding players like Mauricio Serna, Jorge Bermúdez, Óscar Córdoba, Juan Roman Riquelme, Martín Palermo, among others, revitalized the club to establish it among the best of the world. The start of this legacy started when the Xeneizes defeated defending champions Palmeiras in the final series to establish Boca Juniors as the best in the world.[9][54] Boca Juniors will win the 2001 edition after, once again, defeating Palmeiras in the semifinals and Cruz Azul in the final series to successfully defend the trophy.[9][55][56] Cruz Azul became the first ever Mexican club to reach the final after brilliant performances against River Plate and an inspired Rosario Central.[57] Like their predecessors from the late 1970s however, a Boca Juniors depleted of some of its figures would fall short of winning three titles in a row. Like with Juan Carlos Lorenzo's men, the Bosteros became frustrated as they were eliminated by Olimpia, this time during the quarterfinals. Led by World Cup winner-turned manager Nery Pumpido, Olimpia would overcome Grêmio (after some controversy) and surprise finalists São Caetano.[33] Despite this triumph, Olimpia did not manage to create the winning mystique of its past golden generations and went out of the 2003 edition, in the Round of 16, after being routed by Grêmio 6–2 on aggregate, avenging the polemic loss the year before.

The 2003 tournament became an exceptional show as many teams such as América de Cali, River Plate, Grêmio, Cobreloa, Racing, among others, brought their best sides in generations and unexpected teams such as Independiente Medellín and Paysandu became revelations in what was, arguably, the best Copa Libertadores in history.[58] But the biggest news of the competition was an old power called Santos: qualifying to the tournament as Brazilian champions, coached by Emerson Leão and containing marvelous figures such as Renato, Alex, Léo, Ricardo Oliveira, Diego, Robinho, and Elano. The Santásticos became a symbol of entertaining and cheerful football in the world that resembled Pelé's generation of the 1960s. Boca Juniors will, once again, find talent in their ranks to fill the gap left by the very successful group of 2000–2001 with upcoming stars Rolando Schiavi, Roberto Abbondanzieri and Carlos Tévez. Like 40 years before, Boca Juniors and Santos would eventually meet in the final as Boca avenge the 1963 defeat, at the hands O Rei and co., by defeating Santos 5–1 on aggregate.[9][59][60] Carlos Bianchi won the Cup a fourth time and become the most successful manager in the competition's history and Boca Juniors consecrated themselves pentacampeones. Boca Juniors will reach their fourth final in five tournaments a year after in 2004 but they were beaten by surprise-outfit Once Caldas and brought an end to Boca's dream generation.[9][59] Once Caldas, using a very conservative and defensive style of football, became the second ever Colombian side to win the competition after eliminating powerhouses such as Santos and São Paulo.[61]

Ruing from their semifinal exit in 2004, São Paulo made an outstanding comeback in 2005 as they reach the final to contest it against Atlético Paranaense. This became the first ever Copa Libertadores finals to feature two teams from the same football association;[62] the Tricolor won their third crown after thrashing Atlético Paranaense 5–1 on aggregate and proclaim them South American champions and, arguably, the best team in the world.[9][63][64] The 2006 tournament was also an all-Brazilian final and featured the defending champions São Paulo against Internacional; led by team captain Fernandão, the Colorados beat São Paulo 1–2 in the fabled Estádio do Morumbi and held the defending champions at a 2–2 draw at home in Porto Alegre as Internacional won their first ever title.[9][65][66] Internacional's arch-rivals, Grêmio, surprised many as they reached the final in 2007 with a relative young squad. However, it was not to be as Boca Juniors, reinforced by aging but still-capable players, came away with the trophy to win their sixth title in history at the hands of Juan Riquelme.[9][67][68]

The Estudiantes team that won the 2009 tournament.

In 2008 the tournament stopped being sponsored by Toyota. Grupo Santander, one of the largest banks in the world, became the sponsor of the Copa Libertadores, thus, the name change to Copa Santander Libertadores.[1] In that season, LDU Quito became the first team from Ecuador to win the Copa Libertadores after defeating Fluminense 1–3 on penalties, with Jose Francisco Cevallos being a key player, after a 5–5 draw on aggregate in what is considered the best ever final series in the history of the competition.[9][69][70] It is also the final with the most goals in the history of the tournament. The biggest resurgence of the decade happened in the 50th edition of the Copa Libertadores and it was won by a former power that has reinvented itself: Estudiantes de La Plata, led by Juan Sebastián Verón, won their fourth title 39 long years after the successful generation of the 1960s (led by Juan Sebastián's father, Juan Ramón). The pincharatas brilliantly managed to emulate their predecessors by defeating Cruzeiro 1–2 on the return leg in Belo Horizonte.[9][7][71]

Format[edit]

Qualification[edit]

As of 2009, most teams qualify to the Copa Libertadores by winning half-year tournaments called Apertura and Clausura tournaments or by finishing among the top teams in their championship.[6] The countries that use this format are Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Paraguay and Venezuela.[6] Peru and Ecuador have developed new formats for qualification to the Copa Libertadores involving several stages.[6] Brazil is the only South American league to use a European league format instead of the Apertura and Clausura format.[6] However, one berth for the Copa Libertadores can be won by winning the Copa do Brasil.[6] Uruguay and Mexico also employ a second tournament that qualifies for the Libertadores ("Liguilla Pre-Libertadores" since 1974 and InterLiga from 2004 to 2010 respectively).[6] Starting 2011, the winners of the Copa Sudamericana will qualify directly to the following Copa Libertadores.[6][72]

The competitors of the 2011 edition are going to be distributed as follows:[6]

File:Copa Libertadores 2007.jpg
The 2007 Copa Libertadores Cup on display.

Tournament[edit]

The Copa starts in the first stage in which a number of clubs, currently 12, are paired in a series of two-legged knockout ties.[6] The six survivors join 26 clubs in the second stage, in which they are divided into groups of four.[6] The groups play in a league system, with each team playing home and away games against each team in their group.[6] The top two teams from each group are then drawn into the knockout stage, which consists of two-legged knockout ties.[6] From that point, the competition proceeds with two-legged knockout ties to quarterfinals, semifinals, and the finals.[6] Between 1960 and 1987 the previous winners did not enter the competition until the semi-final stage (which was 2 groups of 3 teams each one), making it much easier to retain the cup.[6]

Rules[edit]

Unlike most other competitions around the world, the Copa Libertadores historically did not use extra time or away goals to decide a tie that was level on aggregate.[6] From 1960 to 1987, two-legged ties were decided on points (teams would be awarded 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for a loss), without taking goal difference into consideration. If both teams were level on points after two legs, a third match would be played at a neutral site. Goal difference would only come into play if the third match was drawn. If the third match did not produce an immediate winner a penalty shootout was used to determine a winner.[6]

From 1988 through 2004, ties were decided on aggregate goals, with an immediate penalty shootout if the tie was level on aggregate after full time of the second leg.[6] Starting with the 2005 event, CONMEBOL began to use the away goals rule.[6] In 2008, the finals became an exception to the away goals rule and employed extra time.[6]

Sueño Libertador[edit]

Victory parade in La Plata after Estudiantes won the 2009 edition.

The Sueño Libertador (Liberator Dream) is a Spanish phrase used in the context of winning or attempting on winning the Copa Libertadores.[73] It is a term widely used by Latin American media. Thus, when a team gets eliminated from the competition, it is said that the team has awakened from the liberator dream.[57] The project normally starts after the club win one's national league (which qualify their winner to compete in the following year's Copa Libertadores), and the clubs usually spend large sums of money to win the Copa Libertadores. In 1998 for example, Vasco da Gama spent US$ 10 million to win the competition, and in 1998, Palmeiras, managed by Luiz Felipe Scolari, brought Júnior Baiano among other players, and successfully won the Copa Libertadores 1999.

Sponsorship[edit]

The Copa Libertadores is currently and primarily sponsored by Banco Santander, one of the largest banks in the world, for a period of 5 years starting during the 2008 edition.[1] As the main sponsor of the tournament, the competition will carry the name of the bank and, thus, the competition is known officially as Copa Santander Libertadores. The first major sponsor was Toyota Motor Corporation who signed a 10 year contract with CONMEBOL from 1998. However, the competition has had many secondary sponsors that invests in the tournament; many of these sponsors are nationally based but has expanded to other nations. Movistar, a brand of Telefónica, is the only telecommunications sponsor of the tournament.[74]

Media coverage[edit]

File:Flulibertadores.jpg
The Copa Libertadores attracts the attention of over 130 countries around the world.

The tournament attracts television audiences that trascends South America.[3] The matches are broadcasted in over 135 countries,with commentaries in more than 30 languages, and it is often considered as one of the most watched sports events on TV;[3] Fox Sports en Latinoamérica, for example, reaches more than 25 million households in the American continent alone.[75] T&T Sports Marketing is a secondary sponsor that sponsors the television broadcasts of the Copa Libertadores.[6]

Prize money[edit]

Clubs in the Copa Libertadores receive $25,000 for advancing into the group stage and $115,000 per home match in the group phase.[53] That amount is derived from television rights and stadium advertising.[53] The payment per home match increases to $161,000 in the round of 16.[53][6]

In addition, CONMEBOL pays each quarter finalist $207,000, $287,000 for each semi-finalist, $345,000 for the runners-up and $575,000 for the winners.[53] The winners also receive $2 million from Banco Santander as a bonus.[53]

Records and statistics[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Copa Libertadores tendrá nuevo patrocinador desde 2008" (in Spanish). CopaLibertadores.com. September 28, 2007. Retrieved May 18, 2010. 
  2. ^ a b "Competiciones, Copa Santander Libertadores" (in Spanish). CONMEBOL. May 18, 2010. Retrieved May 18, 2010. 
  3. ^ a b c "Copa Libertadores TV revenues rise". Sports business. March 9, 2006. Retrieved February 2, 2008. 
  4. ^ a b c "River y Colón no tienen fecha fija" (in Spanish). La Nación. December 13, 1997. Retrieved May 18, 2010. 
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Carluccio, Jose (September 2, 2007). "¿Qué es la Copa Libertadores de América?" (in Spanish). Historia y Fútbol. Retrieved May 18, 2010.  More than one of |author= and |last= specified (help)
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z "Reglamento de la Copa Santander Libertadores de América" (PDF) (in Spanish). CONMEBOL. Retrieved May 18, 2010. 
  7. ^ a b c "Con la identidad de los años dorados" (in Spanish). La Nación. July 16, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2010. 
  8. ^ "Copa Libertadores de América, Resumen de campeones" (in Spanish). Info Fútbol Online. May 18, 2010. Retrieved May 18, 2010. 
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq "Copa Libertadores de América, Detalle año por año" (in Spanish). Info Fútbol Online. May 18, 2010. Retrieved May 18, 2010. 
  10. ^ La Nación; Historia del Fútbol Chileno, 1985
  11. ^ Esteban Bekerman (2008). Perfil.com, ed. "Hace 60 años, River perdía la gran chance de ser el primer club campeón de América".  Unknown parameter |Access date= ignored (help)
  12. ^ a b c d "Peñarol: Spencer secures Penarol’s place in the pantheon". FIFA. Retrieved May 21, 2010. 
  13. ^ Carluccio, Jose (September 2, 2007). "Copa Libertadores de América 1960" (in Spanish). Historia y Fútbol. Retrieved May 18, 2010.  More than one of |author= and |last= specified (help)
  14. ^ Cunha, Odir (2003). Time dos Sonhos. 
  15. ^ a b "Principais Troféus" (in Portuguese). Santos FC. Retrieved May 21, 2010. 
  16. ^ Duarte, Bellos, Pelé s. 103
  17. ^ Juvenal (August 19, 1964). "Independiente gana su primera Libertadores" (in Spanish). El Gráfico. Retrieved May 18, 2010. 
  18. ^ a b c d e f g "Copa Libertadores" (in Spanish). Club Atlético Independiente. Retrieved May 21, 2010. 
  19. ^ "Palmares" (in Spanish). Racing Club de Avellaneda. Retrieved May 21, 2010. 
  20. ^ "1968—Campeón de América" (in Spanish). Estudiantes de La Plata. Retrieved May 21, 2010. 
  21. ^ Borocotó, Ricardo Lorenzo (1955). Historia del fútbol argentino. Buenos Aires: Eiffel. 
  22. ^ Vicente, Néstor (2001). Ayer, Hoy y Siempre, El Sexto Grande. Buenos Aires. 
  23. ^ Ramírez, Pablo (1979). Fútbol – Historia del Profesionalismo. Buenos Aires: Editorial Perfil. 
  24. ^ Frydenberg, Julio David (1941). Historia de los Cinco Grandes. Educación Física y Deportes. 
  25. ^ "1969—Campeón de América" (in Spanish). Estudiantes de La Plata. Retrieved May 21, 2010. 
  26. ^ "1970—Campeón de América" (in Spanish). Estudiantes de La Plata. Retrieved May 21, 2010. 
  27. ^ Pierrend, José Luis. "Copa Libertadores de América 1971". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved May 19, 2010. 
  28. ^ "Copa Libertadores 1971" (in Spanish). Club Nacional de Football. Retrieved June 1, 2010. 
  29. ^ Geraldes, Pablo Aro (1979). Independiente, El campeón. Atlántida. 
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Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]