Alberto Armando
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Alberto José Armando (February 4, 1910 – December 28, 1988) was an
Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...
businessman and
football manager ''Football Manager'', also known as ''Worldwide Soccer Manager'' in North America from 2004 to 2008, is a series of football management simulation video games developed by British developer Sports Interactive and published by Sega. The game beg ...
. He was the president of club
Boca Juniors Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is best known for its men's professional Association football, football team which, since its promotion in 1913 ...
from 1954 to 1955, and from 1960 to 1980. With Armando as president, Boca Juniors gained international recognition after winning its first
Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournam ...
(1977 and 1978) and the first Intercontinental Cup in
1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...
. The Boca Juniors stadium was renamed in his honour in December 2000 by then Club President
Mauricio Macri Mauricio Macri (; born 8 February 1959) is an Argentine businessman and politician who served as President of Argentina from 2015 to 2019. He has been the leader of the Republican Proposal (PRO) party since its founding in 2005. He previously ...
.


Life and career

Armando was born in
Santa Fe, Argentina Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz (; usually called just Santa Fe, lit. "Holy Faith") is the capital city of the provinces of Argentina, province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe, Argentina. It is situated in north-eastern Argentina, near the junction of t ...
, in 1910, and raised in nearby
San Francisco, Córdoba San Francisco is a city located at the far east border of the province of Córdoba, Argentina, and parts of the city are beyond the border into the province of Santa Fe. In the city National Routes 19 and 158 intersect. It is the fourth most po ...
. He married María Mercedes Crespo and became affiliated with the Boca Juniors football club in the 1940s, when he became known as ''El Puma''. Armando was elected president of Boca Juniors in early 1954, succeeding Daniel Gil. The team had struggled since its last First Division title, in 1944, though Gil's tenure could boast the enlargement and modernization of the
La Bombonera La Bombonera (; , named after its resemblance to a chocolate box, per Viktor Sulčič), officially known as Alberto José Armando Stadium (, ; named after Alberto Armando), is an association football stadium located in Buenos Aires, Argentina. ...
stadium. Armando's brief first turn as president during 1954–55 was marked by the team's first title in a decade, the 1954 Primera División championship. However, his occupation as the proprietor of a Ford dealership prompted him to resign. He diversified his business interests in 1960, when he entered into a partnership with developer Francisco Macri to establish Tutora Insurance. Later in 1960, Armando won the election and returned as president of Boca Juniors. He undertook an ambitious program of acquiring new players. Some of them would become notable footballers in the 1960s and 1970s, such as
Antonio Roma Antonio Roma (13 July 1932 – 20 February 2013) was an Argentine footballer who played as a goalkeeper, notably for Boca Juniors. Career Nicknamed ''Tarzan'' for the way of throwing himself for the ball, he started his professional career wit ...
,
Silvio Marzolini Silvio Marzolini (4 October 1940 – 17 July 2020)Marzo ...
,
Ernesto Grillo Ernesto Grillo (1 October 1929 – 18 June 1998) was an Argentine footballer who played as a midfielder for Independiente and Boca Juniors in Argentina, as well as A.C. Milan in Italy. He also represented the Argentina national team. He is inc ...
, Dante Lugo, and Antonio Garabal (the latter three were Argentine expatriates brought back from European teams). The squad victory over arch-rival River Plate in
1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...
was the first major title since 1954, and was followed by the
1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...
and
1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...
, and the
Nacional championship The Campeonato Nacional was one of the two football tournaments that formed the Primera División season (along with the Metropolitano championship) since 1967. The Nacional championship was played annually until its last edition in 1985. The Nac ...
s in
1969 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the ...
,
1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...
, and
1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...
, totalizing 7 league titles. Armando was also the ''father'' of the Torneos de Verano, a series of short friendly pre-season tournaments held during the southern summer in Argentina every year, usually in January and February. The competition was held for the first time in 1968, with the games played at "General San martín" stadium of
Mar del Plata Mar del Plata is a city on the coast of the Argentine Sea, Atlantic Ocean, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the seat of General Pueyrredón Partido, General Pueyrredón district. Mar del Plata is the second largest city in Buenos Aires ...
, the biggest seaside
beach resort A seaside resort is a city, town, village, or hotel that serves as a vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of an official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requirements such as in t ...
in Argentina. Since the first edition in 1968, the Torneos de Verano have been uninterruptedly played, then being expanded to other cities of Argentina such as Córdoba, Mendoza,
Rosario Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city, located northwest of Buenos Aires on the west bank of the Paraná River, is the third-most populous city in the ...
and
Tandil Tandil is the main city of the homonymous partido (department), located in Argentina, in the southeast of Buenos Aires Province, just north-northwest of Tandilia hills. The city was founded in 1823, and its name originates from the '' Piedra M ...
among others. Armando's administration in Boca Juniors also invested heavily in improving facilities. La Bombonera was modernized, and bucket seats were added. A property in suburban
San Justo, Buenos Aires San Justo is a city and the Administrative centre, seat of government of La Matanza Partido, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. San Justo is a relatively prosperous city enjoying a variety of commercial and cultural resources. Its strategic loca ...
, was purchased in 1963 for use as ''La Candela'', the team's training grounds. An aging football field was leased in
Mar del Plata Mar del Plata is a city on the coast of the Argentine Sea, Atlantic Ocean, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the seat of General Pueyrredón Partido, General Pueyrredón district. Mar del Plata is the second largest city in Buenos Aires ...
in 1969 for additional use during the summer months, when weather in the Buenos Aires area is least propitious for training. Armando's ambitious works program also included plans for a new stadium, for which the
Argentine Congress The National Congress of Argentina () is the legislative branch of the government of Argentina. Its composition is bicameral, constituted by a 72-seat Senate and a 257-seat Chamber of Deputies. The Senate, a third of whose members are elected to ...
passed a bill in 1965 donating a waterfront lot south of the ''Costanera Sur'' (the abandoned former municipal beach along the
Río de la Plata The Río de la Plata (; ), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda, Colonia, Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and ...
in what today is the tony
Puerto Madero Puerto Madero, also known within the urban planning community as the Puerto Madero Waterfront, is a Barrios and Communes of Buenos Aires, ''barrio'' of Buenos Aires in the Buenos Aires Central Business District, Central Business District. Occup ...
ward). He lobbied successfully for the concession by presenting plans for a new, 140,000-seat stadium, as well as other improvements, notably a sports complex. Construction began on the mammoth ''Ciudad Deportiva'' project, and a recreational area consisting of a network of round islands connected by bridges was completed. Ultimately, however, the stadium was never built, and much of the land earmarked for the sports complex was leased to private installations, notably a restaurant and a
drive-in cinema A drive-in theater/theatre or drive-in cinema is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor movie screen, a projection booth, a concession stand, and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers ca ...
.Historia de la Ciudad Deportiva
These setbacks were accompanied by a dearth in new titles for the team lasting from 1971 to 1975. The hiring of
Juan Carlos Lorenzo Juan Carlos "Toto" Lorenzo (; 27 October 1922 – 14 November 2001) was an Argentine football player and coach. He became an icon for Boca Juniors fans after he coached the club to its first two Copa Libertadores titles. Biography In his teens, ...
as head coach, however, helped revert the rut, and a national title in 1976 was followed by the team's first international title, the 1977
Copa Intercontinental Copa or COPA may refer to: COPA COPA may refer to: * Child Online Protection Act, a former U.S. law to protect minors from certain material on the internet * Canadian Owners and Pilots Association * Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association * Parlia ...
. This was followed by
Copa Libertadores de América The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tourname ...
titles in 1977 and 1978. The Ciudad Deportiva project continued to burden the team's finances, and in 1979, Mayor
Osvaldo Cacciatore Osvaldo Andrés Cacciatore (1924–2007) was an Argentine Air Force brigadier and Mayor of Buenos Aires during the National Reorganization Process military dictatorship. His management at the head of the city of Buenos Aires was controversial fo ...
declared Boca Juniors to be in non-compliance with the 1965 deed. Following negotiations, the mayor relieved the team from nearly all further construction obligations, and in 1980 Armando retired. His successor, Martín Noel, stopped all new construction on the project, and the rapid deterioration in the team's finances after 1981 ultimately led
Antonio Alegre Antonio Alegre (August 13, 1924 – February 24, 2010) was a notable Argentine football official. He was president of Boca Juniors from 1985 to 1995, a period during which the club did not win any major trophy.bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...
. Armando, who objected to the sale, challenged Alegre in a December 1986 team election, losing narrowly; he died on December 28, 1988.Torneo de verano: Alberto J. Armando vio el negocio en 1968
by José Luis Ponsico on Red de Noticias
Mauricio Macri Mauricio Macri (; born 8 February 1959) is an Argentine businessman and politician who served as President of Argentina from 2015 to 2019. He has been the leader of the Republican Proposal (PRO) party since its founding in 2005. He previously ...
, who was elected president of the club in 1995, and whose father was Armando's erstwhile business partner (Francisco Macri), renamed La Bombonera (officially known as the "Camilo Cichero" Stadium until then) in honor of former club president Alberto J. Armando.La Bombonera
on Boca Juniors website


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Armando, Alberto 1910 births 1988 deaths People from Santa Fe, Argentina 20th-century Argentine businesspeople Chairmen of Boca Juniors