History
The first competition was established by then Boca Juniors president Alberto Armando, who had showed his interest in moving the main Primera División teams to the city of Mar del Plata, the biggest seaside beach resort in Argentina. As a result, two competitions were held in the city in 1968, with the games played at General San Martín Stadium, [1] the main venue of the city by then. [2] The first of them, "Copa Libertad" was held in January 1968, with San Lorenzo as winner of a tournament also contested by Boca Juniors, Rosario Central and Uruguayan side Peñarol. [3]
Another competition, "Copa Ciudad de Mar del Plata", was held in February. The Hungarian team Vasas – which the de facto government led by Juan Carlos Onganía did not want to allow to enter the country due to Hungary being under communist rule – was the winner after beating favorites Racing Club de Avellaneda (current Intercontinental champion) and River Plate (3–0 in the final). [4] [5]
In 1969 the "Copa de Oro" had its inaugural season as a friendly tournament between Argentine and foreign clubs. In its first edition, Brazilian Palmeiras, Austrian SK Rapid Wien, Hungarian MTK Budapest and Czechoslovakian Slovan Bratislava participated of the tournament, together with Boca Juniors, Estudiantes L.P., and the Mar del Plata XI team. Later editions only had Brazilian, Uruguayan or Paraguayan teams, with occasional European clubs or national teams, mainly Hungary and Czechoslovakia. Since the 1980s it has only 3 to 5 Argentine teams, which varied from year to year, but included the Big Five (Boca Juniors, Independiente, Racing, River Plate and San Lorenzo) and sometimes Estudiantes and Vélez Sársfield. Even though they coexisted for several years, the "Copa Ciudad de Mar del Plata" eventually replaced the Copa de Oro as the most important summer tournament. The "Torneo Pentagonal de Verano" (previously "Copa de Verano"), in which the Big Five participate, was the most important tournament and usually took place in Mar del Plata until 2009. Copa de Oro is the longest competition, with 40 editions held between 1969 and 2017. [5]
When Estadio José María Minella was built for the 1978 FIFA World Cup, summer competitions moved to that venue since 1979, [6] leaving General San Martín Stadium for regional competitions only, until it was demolished in 1996. [7] [5]
In January 1995, Maradona made his debut as manager of Racing in a Torneo de Verano match v arch-rival Independiente. [8] Maradona was still banned by FIFA and he had arrived in Racing Club to coach the team until the term of the ban expired so he could resume his career as player in the club. Nevertheless, the tenure of Maradona on Racing did not last so long (only 11 matches) before leaving the club. [9]
The "Copa Desafío" and Copa Revancha" are currently one-match cups disputed only between Boca Juniors and River Plate. Other cups are organized by cities or sponsors, but their continuity is more irregular. Some are organized without any of the Big Five. For instance, the "Ciudad de Córdoba" includes clubs from the Córdoba Province, and occasionally some from Santa Fe Province; and the "Copa Ciudad de Tandil" or "Copa del Sur" includes teams from the southern area of the Gran Buenos Aires: Arsenal, Quilmes, Lanús, Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP), and occasionally a guest like Rosario Central.
After several years of being host in San Juan, in 2022 the seat of summer tournaments moved to La Plata, with only one competition held, being named simply "Torneo de Verano". It was contested by six teams, four from Argentina and two from Chile. [10]
