Cortuluá, officially named Cortuluá Fútbol Club S. A. and previously known as Corporación Club Deportivo Tuluá, is a Colombian

football club A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an all- ...

from the municipality of

Tuluá Tuluá (), is a city located in the heart of Valle del Cauca, Colombia. A major industrial and commercial center, it is the region's fourth-largest city after Cali—the department capital— Buenaventura and Palmira. Founded around 1741 by Juan ...

in the Valle del Cauca. It was founded in 1967 and plays in the

Categoría Primera B Categoría Primera B, commonly referred to as Torneo BetPlay Dimayor due to sponsorship by online betting company BetPlay (formerly ''Torneo Águila''), is the second-division football league in Colombia. Format DIMAYOR has applied a new form ...

. In the 2001 Categoría Primera A season the team had its most successful campaign after winning the Apertura tournament, which granted them a spot in the

2002 Copa Libertadores The 2002 Copa Libertadores de América was the 43rd edition of CONMEBOL's premier club football tournament. It was won by the Paraguayan club Olimpia; their third title. First round The first round of the Copa Libertadores drew 32 teams into e ...

History

Cortuluá was founded in 1967 by a group of people headed by Paraguayan former player and coach Hernando Acosta. In 1993, Cortuluá wins its first title in the

, being promoted to the Primera A for the following year. Its first game in the top flight was on February 26, 1994 at the Estadio Hernando Martinez Azcárate of nearby Buga against

Envigado Envigado () is a town southeast of Medellín, Colombia in the department of Antioquia. It is located in the Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley. It borders El Poblado, Medellín to the north, Sabaneta to the south, El Retiro and Caldas t ...

. In the 2001 Copa Mustang Cortuluá won the Torneo Apertura (which at that time did not yet award a championship) and qualified for the

. However, in 2004 the team were relegated to the Categoría Primera B. In 2006, the

United States Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and t ...

identified the football club as one of ten businesses allegedly operating on behalf of one of the most wanted Colombian drug barons, Carlos Alberto Renteria Mantilla. The move by the United States authorities placed a freeze on any assets owned by the club within the United States, and prevented United States residents from having dealings with the club. After five years in the

, the club was promoted back to the

Categoría Primera A The Categoría Primera A (), commonly referred to as Liga BetPlay Dimayor (between 2015 and 2019 ''Liga Águila'') due to sponsorship by online betting company BetPlay, is a Colombian professional league for association football clubs. It is th ...

in 2009. Cortuluá qualified for the final of the "Torneo Apertura", surpassing Deportes Palmira,

Deportivo Rionegro Leones F.C., also known as Itagüí Leones, is a professional Colombian football team based in Itagüí playing in the Categoría Primera B starting from 2019. They play their home games at the Estadio Metropolitano Ciudad de Itagüí. History ...

, and

Atlético Bucaramanga Club Atlético Bucaramanga S.A., better known as Atlético Bucaramanga, is a Colombian professional football team based in Bucaramanga. The club plays its home games at the Alfonso López stadium. The club was founded on 11 May 1949 by Rafael ...

in Group A of the semi-finals. In the final instance against Itagüí Ditaires, the first leg ended 3–1 with a win for Cortuluá, but it lost 2–0 in the second leg. In the penalty shootout Cortuluá won 6–5, thus winning the "Torneo Apertura" and qualifying to the Final of the year, where Cortuluá defeated

and returned to the top tier for the following season. In the 2010 season, the team were relegated again and returned to the second division, where they played for four seasons until the 2015 season, when they were once again promoted in a special tournament played to increase the size of the

to 20 teams. They came on top of Group B, ahead of

Unión Magdalena Unión Magdalena () commonly known as El Unión, and nicknamed as El Ciclón Bananero (The Banana Cyclone) and also Los Samarios (The Samarios), is a Colombian football club from the city of Santa Marta, capital of the department of Magdalena, ...

, pre-tournament favorites

América de Cali América de Cali S. A., best known as América de Cali or América, is a Colombian professional football club based in Cali. It competes in the Categoría Primera A, the top-flight league of Colombian football. The team plays its home games at ...

, and

Deportivo Pereira Deportivo Pereira is a professional Colombian football team based in Pereira, that currently plays in the Categoría Primera A. They play their home games at the Hernán Ramírez Villegas stadium. History Early years While there are several am ...

and thus earned promotion for the 2015 season. In 2016, its reserve team placed third in the

U-20 Copa Libertadores The Under-20 CONMEBOL Libertadores ( Portuguese and Spanish: CONMEBOL Libertadores Sub-20) is the international association football club competition for teams that play in CONMEBOL leagues. It was created by Manuel Burga Seoane and the Peruvian ...

. On the final matchday of the first round of the 2017 Torneo Finalización, Cortuluá were once again relegated to the Primera B, after losing 2–1 to Once Caldas in

Manizales Manizales () is a city in central Colombia. It is the capital of the Department of Caldas, and lies near the Nevado del Ruiz volcano. Currently, the city is the main center for the production of Colombian coffee and an important hub for high ...

with a last-minute goal. After four years in the second tier, Cortuluá were able to return to Primera A at the end of the 2021 season, winning their semi-final group to clinch one of the two promotion spots. However, they were immediately relegated back to Primera B after a poor campaign that saw them end in last place of the

relegation table In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open league ...

of the 2022 Primera A. Their relegation was confirmed on 16 October 2022, following a 1–0 home defeat to

Deportes Tolima Club Deportes Tolima S.A., commonly known as Deportes Tolima, or simply as Tolima, is a Colombian professional football club based in Ibagué, Tolima Department that currently plays in the Categoría Primera A. Founded in 1954, the club has w ...

Stadium

Estadio Doce de Octubre, located in

and able to seat 16,000 people, was Cortuluá's home stadium until the end of 2022. Starting from 2023, the club moved its home matches to Estadio Municipal Raúl Miranda in

Yumbo Yumbo is a small, industrial city and municipality in western Colombia. It is located in the Valle del Cauca Department, just north of Cali. In 2019, it had a population of approximately 130,000 inhabitants. History Modern Yumbo was founded i ...

, which has a capacity of 3,500 people.

Honours

Domestic honours

: ::Winners (2): 1993, 2009 ::Runners-up (3):

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in ...

, 2021-I, 2021-II

International honours

: ::Third place (1): 2016

Performance in CONMEBOL competitions

Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América ( pt, Copa Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in S ...

: 1 appearance ::

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains independence from Indonesia and ...

: First Round *

: 1 appearance :: 2016: Third place

Players

Current squad

Out on loan

Notable players

* Álvaro Peña *

Jairo Ampudia Jairo Aurelio Ampudia Perea (born 14 February 1966) is a Colombian former footballer who played as a defender. Career Born in Cali, Ampudia played for América de Cali, Unión Magdalena, Atlético Bucaramanga, Millonarios, Cúcuta Deportivo, ...

* Javier Arizala *

Faustino Asprilla Faustino Hernán Asprilla Hinestroza (born 10 November 1969) is a Colombian former professional footballer who most notably played for Parma, Newcastle United and the Colombia national team as a forward. Club career Early years After starting ...

Víctor Bonilla Víctor Manuel Bonilla Hinestroza (born 23 January 1971) is a Colombian former professional footballer who played as a striker. His extensive career includes defending the colors for Deportivo Cali, América de Cali, Deportes Tolima, Atlét ...

Miguel Borja Miguel Ángel Borja Hernández (born 26 January 1993) is a Colombian footballer who plays as a forward for Argentinian club River Plate, and the Colombia national team. Club career Colombia Borja began his career with Deportivo Cali, making ...

Mayer Candelo Mayer Andrés Candelo García (born 20 February 1977) is a Colombian football manager and former football player. Career Candelo made his debut in 1996 for Deportivo Cali Asociación Deportivo Cali, best known as Deportivo Cali, is a Colomb ...

* Óscar Díaz * Diego Gómez *

Héctor Hurtado Héctor Hugo Hurtado Salazar (born 21 September 1975) is a former Colombian football striker who last played for América de Cali. When he retired from his career as a professional player in 2014 he became a sports technician. Career On Apr ...

* Edison Mafla * Leonardo Mina Polo * Johnnier Montaño * Tressor Moreno *

Rubiel Quintana Rubiel Quintana (born June 26, 1978) is a Colombian former footballer that played for clubs from Colombia, Argentina and Turkey. Titles * América de Cali América de Cali S. A., best known as América de Cali or América, is a Colombian pr ...

Hamilton Ricard Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

* Carlos Rodas * Milton Rodríguez * Jaime Alfonso Ruiz * Néstor Salazar *

Fernando Uribe Fernando Uribe Hincapié (born 1 January 1988) is a Colombian footballer who plays as a striker. Club career Early career Born in Pereira, Uribe was an Atlético Huila youth graduate. On 24 April 2003, he scored his first professional goal b ...

* Gustavo Victoria *

Mario Yepes Mario Alberto Yepes Díaz (; born 13 January 1976) is a Colombian former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. He is well known for his time in Paris Saint-Germain, where he was considered to be one of the best defenders at the t ...

* Julio César Maya * Rolan de la Cruz * Danny Quendambú * Román Torres * Alejandro Vélez * Rafael Dudamel *

Edgar Pérez Greco Édgar Fernando Pérez Greco (born 16 February 1982 in San Cristóbal, Táchira) is a Venezuelan striker Striker or The Strikers may refer to: People *A participant in a strike action *A participant in a hunger strike *Blacksmith's striker, a ...

References

External links

Web oficial del Cortuluá
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cortulua Football clubs in Colombia Association football clubs established in 1967 1967 establishments in Colombia Categoría Primera A clubs Categoría Primera B clubs