Misplaced Pages

Paraguayan Football Association

CONMEBOL
Founded	1906; 118 years ago (1906)
Headquarters	Luque
Location	1 Medallistas Olímpicos, Parque Olímpico, Luque
FIFA affiliation	1925
CONMEBOL affiliation	1921
President	Robert Harrison
General Secretary	Luis Kanonnikoff
Website	apf.org.py

The Paraguayan Football Association (Spanish: Asociación Paraguaya de Futbol [asosjaˈsjom paɾaˈɣwaʝa ðe ˈfuðβol]; APF) (Guarani: Paraguái Mangapy Atyguasu), is the omnibus governing body of football in Paraguay. It organizes the Paraguayan football league, including futsal and beach soccer, as well as and the Paraguay national football team. It is based in the city of Luque, near the capital city, Asunción. Football is the most popular sport in Paraguay.

History

In the late 1890s William Paats brought soccer to Paraguay, when it was then played at an Asunción teacher's college. Escuela Normal de Maestros.

In 1906, five existing Paraguayan football teams (Olimpia, Guaraní, Libertad, General Díaz, and Nacional) created the governing body of football in Paraguay, the Paraguayan Football League. In 1998 it adopted its current name. On June 18, 1906, the representatives of the five existing football teams in Paraguay at that time (Olimpia, Guaraní, Libertad, General Díaz, and Nacional) met to establish the Paraguayan Football League, named Liga Paraguaya de Football Association. The first match was played on a Sunday, July 8, 1906. Adolfo Riquelme, who was a well known Paraguayan journalist, was the organization's first president.

In 1921, during the presidency of Enrique Pinho, the Paraguayan Football League joined the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL). In 1925 it became a member of FIFA.

In 1941 it changed its name to Liga Paraguaya de Football and in 1957 the name was Hispanicized as Liga Paraguaya de Fútbol.

On December 3, 1998, its name was changed to its current denomination, Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol, which coincidentally is one of the names that had been adopted by a dissident football association that brought together some teams, which would later join the League, and which organized championships between 1911 and 1917.

In 2016, APF appointed Robert Harrison, the former head of Club Nacional, as president. Harrison succeeded Alejandro Domínguez, who resigned to run for president of CONMEBOL, after Juan Ángel Napout stepped down from that role in December 2015.

In 2019, APF hired Argentinian Eduardo Berizzo as manager of Paraguay's national men's team.

Paraguay have not previously hosted the FIFA World Cup. In August 2022, APF joined up with the football associations of Argentina, Uruguay and Chile to jointly bid to host the World Cup in 2030.

Institutional Succession

From its foundation in 1906 until it adopted its final name in 1998, the APF followed the following institutional trajectory::

Honours

• Copa América champions — 1953, 1979
• Olympic Games silver medal (Athens 2004)
• FIFA World Cup 8 participations — 1930, 1950, 1958, 1986, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010

The Paraguay national team appeared in the World Cup finals eight times, reaching the quarter-finals in the world FIFA event in South Africa (2010), losing to the eventual tournament victor, a Spanish team.

The Club Olimpia has been indomitable: 38 Paraguayan championship titles; 3 in the Copa Libertadores — the continental South American soccer tournament (1979, 1990, 2002); and Intercontinental cup.

Leadership and staff

Presidents

Liga Paraguaya de Football Association

Liga Paraguaya de Football

Liga Paraguaya de Fútbol

Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol

Association staff (2022)

Name	Position
Robert Harrison	President
Carlos Sosa	Vice President
Javier Díaz de Vivar	2nd Vice President
Luis Kanonnikoff	General Secretary
Hugo Kuroki	Treasurer
Douglas Martínez	Technical Director
Daniel Garnero	Team Coach (Men's)
Carlos Bona	Team Coach (Women's)
Fernando Ortiz	Media/Communications Manager
Jose Luis Alder	Futsal Coordinator
Cynthia Franco Eber Aquino	Referee Coordinator

Paraguayan football league system

The football in Paraguay has four levels in men's tournaments (five in the interior of the country) and one division in women's tournaments. The Paraguayan Football Association with an affiliated association called the Interior Football Union (UFI) -which consists of 17 federations, one for each department of the country, excluding the city of Asunción-, organizes the different championships.

The most popular football teams in Paraguay are Olimpia, Cerro Porteño, Guaraní, Libertad and Nacional. All of them are from Asunción.

The Supercopa Paraguay is a national cup played since 2021. It is single match, on a neutral field that faces the champion of Primera División and the champion of Copa Paraguay, a competition created in 2018 with teams of all categories, including the federations that belong to UFI.

There is also a category for the reserve of the football teams called Categoría Reserva and then the formative divisions from 14 to 19 years. The women's division also has a U-18 category.

Since 2024 there are four women's tournaments: the one division league -called Campeonato Anual FEM-, Copa EFE, Copa Paraguay FEM and Supercopa FEM.

Regarding futsal, it is organized in four categories: a premium league, the Honor Category, Primera and Intermedia. There is also a category for women.

The APF also organizes two beach soccer championships, the Tournament of Stars and the Women's Beach Soccer Tournament.

Controversy

The freedom of players to be contractually released and transfer between clubs and negotiate contracts (commonly called a "buyout clause") has been controversial, and subject to both scholarly inquiry and legal proceedings.

See also

• 2022 Copa Paraguay
• Copa Paraguay
• Paraguayan Primera División
• Paraguay national football team
• Football in Paraguay
• Paraguayan Footballer of the Year
• Paraguay women's national football team
• Paraguayan Tercera División
• Sport in Paraguay
• Estadio Defensores del Chaco
• 2019 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup
• Juan Ángel Napout
• Juan Escobar (Paraguayan footballer)
• Paraguay women's national under-20 football team
• Robert Harrison

References

1. "Paraguay's new high-performance academy creates "pathway" for young talent, says FIFA Presidentl". Retrieved 27 May 2024.
2. ^ Dunmore, Tom (16 September 2011). Historical Dictionary of Soccer. Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Incorporated, Scarecrow Press. pp. 56. 191, 196. ISBN 9780810871885. Archived from the original on 1 August 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2020.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
3. ^ Lewis, Rhett (28 September 2021). "Club Olimpia: Paraguay's Most Successful Soccer Club". History Of Soccer. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
4. ^ Karel, Stokkermans. "Paraguay – League History 1906-1964". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 13 March 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
5. ^ "Suplemento 116 Años de la APF by Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol". issuu.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
6. "Una historia de 114 años: El primer partido oficial del fútbol paraguayo". Versus (in Spanish). 9 July 2020. Archived from the original on 11 October 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
7. "Un símbolo del fútbol paraguayo cumple cien años". OneFootball (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 8 October 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
8. "Planet World Cup - Nations - Paraguay". www.planetworldcup.com. Archived from the original on 30 January 2006. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
9. "Aniversario de la APF". ABC Color (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
10. ^ "Robert Harrison, nuevo presidente del fútbol paraguayo". Associated Press (in Spanish). 26 April 2016. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
11. "Paraguay name Berizzo as national soccer team coach". Xinhua News Agency. 18 February 2019. Archived from the original on 1 August 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2022 – via Gale OneFile.
12. "Ukraine join Spain and Portugal's joint-bid to host the 2030 World Cup, but who else is in the running?". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 30 October 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
13. "Together for the «South American dream» of the 2030 World Cup". Conmebol. Archived from the original on 30 October 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
14. "Celebran 115 años de fundación de la Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol". Mayoría (in Spanish). 18 June 2021. Archived from the original on 30 June 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
15. "El frenesí por el football se expandía - Deportes - ABC Color". www.abc.com.py (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 31 January 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
16. "La Asociación celebra 110 años de pasión por el fútbol". d10.ultimahora.com (in European Spanish). Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
17. "Historia de la APF". Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 14 May 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
18. "Paraguayan Football Association - FIFA". www.fifa.com. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
19. "Se pone en marcha el Torneo Anual de la categoría femenina". D10 (in Spanish). 12 April 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
20. Béstard, Miguel Ángel. "80 años de Fútbol en Paraguay". Portal Guarani (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
21. "¿Es Olimpia el club con más hinchas de Paraguay?". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 8 October 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
22. "Se viene la Supercopa del fútbol paraguayo". Diario HOY (in Spanish). 15 January 2021. Archived from the original on 8 October 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
23. "La Copa Paraguay ya tiene formato". extra.com.py (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 8 October 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
24. "Cambio de timón en la cima de Reserva". ABC Color (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 5 December 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
25. "Vuelven las Divisiones Formativas". d10.ultimahora.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
26. "Cerro y Sol, líderes en la Sub 18 de Femenino". ABC Color (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 11 October 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
27. "Premio en efectivo y nuevos torneos". www.lanacion.com.py (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 May 2024.
28. "La APF presenta el innovador calendario del fútbol femenino". www.abc.com.py (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 May 2024.
29. "Cerro Porteño y Olimpia, la definición de la Liga Premium". ABC Color (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 8 October 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
30. "En marcha el torneo de Honor de futsal". d10.ultimahora.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 8 October 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
31. "Fútbol Femenino en Paraguay: avanza el Torneo Apertura con ejes en la profesionalización y la igualdad de derechos". NEA HOY (in Spanish). 10 May 2022. Archived from the original on 8 October 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
32. "Torneo de las Estrellas de Fútbol Playa". ABC Color (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 8 October 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
33. "Areguá, campeón femenino en fútbol playa". ABC Color (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 11 October 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
34. Hylton, J. Gordon (2017). "How FIFA Used the Principle of Autonomy of Sport to Shield Corruption in the Sepp Blatter Era". Md. J. Int'l L. 32: 134. Archived from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022 – via heinonline.org. Of course, unlike the case in Greece earlier ... , FIFA had not threatened to suspend the Paraguayan Football Association ...
35. "Article 19 RSTP, a Right Step in the Transfer Policy Jurisprudence". 1 J. For Sports L. Pol'y & Governance. 12. 2018–2019. Archived from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022 – via heinonline.org.
36. Antonio, Miguel; Zunini, Laterza. "El "Caso Pitta" y la (in)ejecutabilidad automática de las "cláusulas de rescisión" en el fútbol paraguayo" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022. With the current regulations of the Paraguayan Football Association (APF) it is impossible the automatic execution of the compensatory clauses due to anticipated contractual breakdown (buy-out clauses), because with the simple opposition of the employer club, the exit operation of a player it is extended in time and is subject to the decision of a judge outside the parties. Therefore, this work will attempt to demonstrate the imperative need to have aspecific federative regulation to implement a summary administrative procedure to materialize the automatic release of players who are in a position to execute clauses of this type. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
37. Kfouri, ByJuca; de São Paulo, Folha (2016). "7: Impunity and corruption in South American football governance". Global Corruption (eBook) (1st, Imprint ed.). Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781315695709-16. ISBN 9781315695709. Archived from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2022.

Further reading

• Callary, Bettina; Gearity, Brian (2019). "Voices From the Field: Q&A With Coach Developers Around the World". International Sport Coaching Journal. 6 (3): 366–369. doi:10.1123/iscj.2019-0070. S2CID 204633721.
• Campomar, Andreas (May 2014). Golazo!: The Beautiful Game from the Aztecs to the World Cup: The Complete History of How Soccer Shaped Latin America (E-book). Penguin books.

External links

• Official website
• Paraguay – FIFA profile (archived 2 June 2007)

v t e Sports governing bodies in Paraguay (PAR)
Summer Olympic Sports	Aquatics Diving Swimming Synchronized Swimming Water Polo Archery Athletics Badminton Basketball Boxing Canoeing Cycling Equestrian Fencing Field Hockey Football Golf Gymnastics Handball Judo Modern Pentathlon Rugby 7's Rowing Sailing Shooting Table Tennis Taekwondo Tennis Triathlon Volleyball inc. Beach Volleyball Weightlifting Wrestling
Winter Olympic Sports	Biathlon Bobsleigh Curling Skating (Figure, Speed & Short Track) Ice Hockey Luge Skeleton Skiing (Alpine, Cross Country, Nordic Combined, Freestyle & Jumping) Snowboarding
Other IOC Recognised Sports	Air sports Auto racing Bandy Baseball Billiard Sports Boules Bowling Bridge Chess Cricket Dance sport Floorball Karate Korfball Lifesaving Motorcycle racing Mountaineering and Climbing Netball Orienteering Pelota Vasca Polo Powerboating Racquetball Roller sports Rugby Softball Sport climbing Squash Sumo Surfing Tug of war Underwater sports Water Ski Wushu
Paralympics and Disabled Sports
Others Sports	Rugby League Rugby Union
Paraguayan Olympic Committee Paraguayan Paralympic Committee

v t e Football in Paraguay
Paraguayan Football Association
National teams	Men's National team U-23 U-20 U-17 U-15 Futsal Beach Women's National team U-20 U-17
League system	Men Primera División Segunda División Tercera División (Primera B Metropolitana, Primera B Nacional, Campeonato de Interligas) Cuarta División Women Annual W Championship Cups Copa Paraguay Supercopa Paraguay Torneo República (Defunct) Plaqueta Millington Drake (Defunct)
Seasons	1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
List of clubs Paraguayan football derby List of foreign footballers in Paraguay Stadiums Footballer of the Year League System

v t e Football in South America (CONMEBOL)
Argentina (AFA)	Men's national team (U-23, U-20, U-17) Women's national team (U-20, U-17) Primera División Copa Argentina Supercopa Argentina Copa de la Liga Profesional Trofeo de Campeones Supercopa Internacional
Bolivia (FBF)	Men's national team (U-23, U-20, U-17) Women's national team División Profesional Copa Bolivia
Brazil (CBF)	Men's national team (U-23, U-20, U-17) Women's national team (U-20, U-17) Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Copa do Brasil Supercopa do Brasil
Chile (FFC)	Men's national team (U-23, U-20, U-17) Women's national team (U-17) Primera División Copa Chile Supercopa de Chile
Colombia (FCF)	Men's national team (U-23, U-20, U-17) Women's national team (U-20, U-17) Primera A Copa Colombia Superliga Colombiana
Ecuador (FEF)	Men's national team (U-23, U-20, U-17) Women's national team Serie A Copa Ecuador Supercopa Ecuador
Paraguay (APF)	Men's national team (U-23, U-20, U-17) Women's national team (U-20, U-17) Primera División Copa Paraguay Supercopa Paraguay
Peru (FPF)	Men's national team (U-23, U-20, U-17) Women's national team Primera División
Uruguay (AUF)	Men's national team (U-23, U-20, U-17) Women's national team (U-17) Primera División Copa Uruguay Supercopa Uruguaya
Venezuela (FVF)	Men's national team (U-23, U-20, U-17) Women's national team (U-20, U-17) Primera División Copa Venezuela
National team competitions	Men Copa América Copa América Centenario Pre-Olympic Tournament Under-20 Football Championship Under-17 Football Championship Under-15 Football Championship Pan American Games CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions Superclásico de las Américas Copa América de Futsal Futsal Finalissima Futsal World Cup qualifiers Under-20 Futsal Championship Under-17 Futsal Championship Copa América de Beach Soccer Beach Soccer World Cup qualifiers Under-20 Beach Soccer Championship South American Beach Games Bolivarian Beach Games Women Copa América Femenina Women's Finalissima Under-20 Women's Football Championship Under-17 Women's Football Championship Pan American Games South American Games Copa América Femenina de Futsal Under-20 Women's Futsal Championship Defunct Panamerican Championship
Club competitions	Men Copa Libertadores Copa Sudamericana Recopa Sudamericana UEFA–CONMEBOL Club Challenge Copa Libertadores de Futsal U-20 Copa Libertadores Under-20 Intercontinental Cup Copa Libertadores de Beach Soccer Women Copa Libertadores Femenina Copa Libertadores Femenina de Futsal Defunct Intercontinental Cup Intercontinental Champions' Supercup J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship Copa CONMEBOL Copa Interamericana Copa Iberoamericana Copa Mercosur Copa Merconorte Supercopa Libertadores Copa Master de Supercopa Copa de Oro Copa Master de CONMEBOL Copa Ganadores de Copa
Related topics	Footballer of the Year Coach of the Year Top-division clubs Club competition winning teams UEFA–CONMEBOL memorandum of understanding
Category Commons

v t e International association football
FIFA Federations Teams Competitions World Rankings The Best FIFA Football Awards Timeline
World (FIFA)	FIFA World Cup U-20 U-17 FIFA Confederations Cup FIFA Gold Cup Olympic Games Youth Olympic Games
Asia (AFC)	AFC Asian Cup U-23 U-20 U-17 AFC Challenge Cup AFC Solidarity Cup Asian Games Regional ASEAN CAFA EAFF SAFF WAFF Arabian Gulf Cup East Asian Games Far Eastern Games South Asian Games Southeast Asian Games West Asian Games
Africa (CAF)	CAF Africa Cup of Nations U-23 U-20 U-17 CAF African Nations Championship African Games Regional CECAFA COSAFA UNIFFAC WAFU Central African Games Indian Ocean Island Games
North America (CONCACAF)	CONCACAF Gold Cup U-23 U-20 U-17 U-15 CONCACAF Championship CONCACAF Nations League CONCACAF Cup NAFC Championship CCCF Championship Central America and Caribbean Games Regional North American Nations Cup Copa Centroamericana CFU Championship Caribbean Cup LIFA Cup WIFA Cup Central America Games
South America (CONMEBOL)	CONMEBOL Copa América U-23 U-20 U-17 U-15 South American Games Regional Bolivarian Games
Oceania (OFC)	OFC Nations Cup U-23 U-19 U-17 Regional Melanesia Cup Polynesia Cup Pacific Games Pacific Mini Games
Europe (UEFA)	UEFA European Championship U-21 U-19 U-17 UEFA Nations League Regional Central European Cup Balkan Cup Baltic Cup British Home Championship Nordic Championship
Inter-Continental	CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions CPF Panamerican Championship CAF-AFC Afro-Asian Cup of Nations AFC–OFC Challenge Cup FIFA Arab Cup Palestine Cup Kuneitra Cup Overseas Cup Afro-Asian Games Arab Games Francophone Games GANEFO Goodwill Games Islamic Games Islamic Solidarity Games Lusofonia Games Mediterranean Cup Mediterranean Games Pan American Games
Non-FIFA	CONIFA World Football Cup CONIFA European Football Cup CONIFA South America Football Cup CONIFA Africa Football Cup FIFI Wild Cup UIAFA Great European Tournament Island Games Micronesian Games Universiade World Unity Football Alliance
See also Geography Codes Player/Club of the Century Women's football

• National members of CONMEBOL
• Football in Paraguay
• Sports governing bodies in Paraguay
• Sports organizations established in 1906
• 1906 establishments in Paraguay
• Association football governing bodies in South America