 Racing Club, champions | |||||||
| Event | 1951 Primera División | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| ongoal difference aggregate | |||||||
| First leg | |||||||
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| Date | 1 Dec 1951 | ||||||
| Venue | San Lorenzo Stadium,Buenos Aires | ||||||
| Referee | Ernest Wilbraham | ||||||
| Second leg | |||||||
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| Date | 5 Dec 1951 | ||||||
| Venue | San Lorenzo Stadium, Buenos Aires | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Mario Boyé | ||||||
| Referee | Bentley Cross | ||||||
The1951 Argentine Primera División finals were the matches that determined the winner of1951 season ofArgentine Primera División. The series were contested byRacing andBanfield, in order to decide a champion after both teams had finished tied on points (44 points in 32 matches played) at the end of the tournament.[1] Although Banfield finished the season with a bettergoal difference (+30) than Racing (+23) theArgentine Football Association committee decided that playoffs should be held in order to crown a champion.[2][3]
It was the 3rd. league final contested by Racing (had won championships in1913 and1915, both vsSan Isidro)[4] and the 1st. played by Banfield.[2]
The matches were played in neutral venue (San Lorenzo de Alamgro Stadium) under atwo-legged tie format. Racing won 1–0 on aggregate becoming Primera División champions therefore earning their 12th. league title.[5] Besides, it was first time Racing won three consecutive titles after football became professional in Argentina.[3][6]
| Team | Previous finals app. |
|---|---|
| Racing | 1913,1915 |
| Banfield | (none) |
Bold indicates winning years
| Buenos Aires |
| San Lorenzo Stadium |
| Capacity:47,000 |
 |
Racing, coached byGuillermo Stábile,[7] had previously won the1949 and1950[8] titles and aimed at winning their third consecutive championship. Racing and Banfield finished the season tied on points (44). Racing had also scored 60 goals and only received 37 within 32 matches played.[3][2]
For the 1951 tournament, the two-time champions Racing Club acquired goalkeeper Héctor Grisetti from Banfield,[9] Luis Cesáreo fromBoca Juniors, and Juan Carlos Giménez fromHuracán.[10] Racing started the tournament with poor results but improved taking advantage of, among other opportunities, a championship hiatus due to theArgentine national team's tour of Europe,[6] where the side played againstEngland for the first time.[11] That match became memorable soVélez Sarsfield's goalkeeper,Miguel Ángel Rugilo, earned the nickname "the lion of Wembley" after an outstanding performance.[12][13]
On the other side, Banfield had made a great campaign, with highlighted wins over arch-rivalLanús (2–1 and 3–1), and beating all thebig five teams,San Lorenzo (3–0), Boca Juniors (2–1), River Plate (5–1 atEstadio Monumental) andIndependiente (5–0).[1][14]
It was notable how the 1951 final was politised byperonism, referring to it as a struggle between "the poor (Banfield) against the rich (Racing)". That was because Racing Club was a powerful institution (in fact, part of thebig five) in opposition to Banfield's more modest budget.[16]
The pro-government press wanted to demonstrate that social justice had also reached sports. This journalistic campaign pitted Cereijo (Minister of Treasury and a Racing fan) against Perón's wifeEva Duarte, who was not much into football, but sought advice to determine which of the two clubs was the more modest because it was the team she wanted to win the championship... President of ArgentinaJuan Perón was associated with Racing because the Avellaneda club had indirectly been the most favored team during Peronism. "In reality, the one who favored him in reality wasn't Perón, but rather his Minister of Finance, Ramón Cereijo, a Racing fan. That government was the first to make sports a state policy,
— historian Víctor Raffo about the political influence on the final.[16]
Moreover, Duarte had expressed her wish that Banfield was crowned champion after being questioned by sports journalist Enzo Ardigó, who let her know which of both teams was the most modest.[17] Her wish carried a message about her political ideology that implied "in the 'peronist Argentina' the poor win".[18][14] Moreover, Duarte sent Raúl Apold (president's secretariat of press) to meet the Banfield players, promising them a car would be gifted to each one in case of winning the final.[14]
On the other hand, Racing was the reigning champion and was also seen as "the government's team" due to the great influence of Ministry of Treasury Ramón Cereijo,[16] who was not only a Racing fan and honorary member of the club but one of the promoters of the construction ofEl Cilindro (inaugurated in September 1950 and named "Presidente Perón").[15] Cereijo had got a very low rates loan to build the stadium. Other moved from Cereijo to favour Racing included an investment to hire strikerMario Boyé (then playing in Europe), and the entry of Racing players to the Ministry of Treasury personnel.[14]
His influence was so strong that rival supporters referred to Racing asSportivo Cereijo.[16][18][14] Cereijo had promised Racing Club players to give a brand new car to every one of them if they won the championship.[18]
Other source affirms that Perón himself let Cereijo know about the desirability of a Banfield victory over Racing. Duarte was battling with a terminal cancer[19] and Perón's requirement was in order to fulfil his wife's wish.[14]
I'm going to tell you the truth, the order is for Banfield to win, but you do what you want.
— Ramón Cereijo at Racing dressing room before the second leg.[14]
        Racing |    Banfield
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   Banfield |  Racing
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