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| Full name | Atlético Fútbol Club S.A. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | Aleti de Cali Azul y Oro | |||
| Founded | 2005; 20 years ago (2005) (As Dépor FC) 10 March 2016; 9 years ago (2016-03-10) (As Atlético F.C.) | |||
| Ground | Estadio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero | |||
| Capacity | 35,405[1] | |||
| Chairman | Gustavo Moreno Arango | |||
| Manager | Andrés Sicachá | |||
| League | Categoría Primera B | |||
| 2024 | Primera B, 15th of 16 | |||
| Website | http://www.atleticofutbolclub.com/ | |||
Atlético Fútbol Club (or Atlético F.C.), formerly known asDépor FC, is a professional Colombianfootball team based inCali that currently plays in theCategoría Primera B. They play their home games at theOlímpico Pascual Guerrero stadium.
The club was founded asDeportivo Pereira S.A. in 2005 after the membership rights (ficha) ofReal Sincelejo, a club that competed in Categoría Primera B until 2004, were irregularly sold by one of its shareholders to investors fromPereira led by former SenatorHabib Merheg who wanted to create a club to claim the license held byDeportivo Pereira and prevent the latter club from folding due to its financial problems. However, Deportivo Pereira were able to continue competing in the league, and the club was sold to its current owner Gustavo Moreno who rebranded it toDépor FC and moved it toCartago, Valle del Cauca.[2][3]
For the following year, the club moved toJamundí, in the same department. From 2006 to 2008 its home was theEstadio Cacique Jamundí, with a temporary return for 2010 and the first half of the2011 season due to their home stadium being closed for remodeling works ahead of the2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup. The club's greatest achievement was qualifying for the semifinals for the first and only time in 2008 under the leadership of coachJulio Valdivieso.
Due to financial difficulties and the support offered byCali's local government as well as public utilities companyEmcali, who wished to carry out social work with young people from the Aguablanca District in Cali, the club was renamedDépor Aguablanca in 2009 and moved from Jamundí to represent the aforementioned sector, now playing their home games at theEstadio Pascual Guerrero.[4] Since then, the club continued competing in Primera B without remarkable results.
In 2015, after a court ruling declared the sale of Real Sincelejo void, the former shareholders of theSincelejo club sold it to Juan Carlos Restrepo, stepfather of footballerJames Rodríguez, who intended to move the club toIbagué, rename it toTolima Real and enter it into the Primera B competition. Although Restrepo argued that he was the legitimate owner of the Real Sincelejoficha,DIMAYOR refused to admit Tolima Real while at the same time Dépor FC owner Gustavo Moreno founded a new club under the name ofAtlético Fútbol Club which with the consent of both DIMAYOR andColdeportes, replaced Dépor FC in its competitions.[3] Coldeportes withdrew Real Sincelejo's sporting license (reconocimiento deportivo), and thus the one used by Dépor to compete from 2005 until then, in order to allow Atlético F.C. to join DIMAYOR.[5] The club is popularly known asAtlético de Cali or justAtlético.
Due to this controversy, the club was not able to play its first seven matches of the2016 season, which were going to be awarded as losses bywalkover, however they were eventually confirmed to be played after the club was renamed and accepted into the league.[6]
In the2021–I Primera B tournament, Atlético placed eighth in the first stage and advanced to the semifinals for the first time under that name.[7] However, they were unable to reach the final series of the tournament after placing last in their group.
Although the club's current home stadium is the 38,000-seatEstadio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero located inCali, prior to their establishment in Cali they played atEstadio Santa Ana inCartago andEstadio Cacique Jamundí inJamundí.
In 2009, the government ofValle del Cauca Department announced the construction of a stadium for the club then known as Dépor FC in the Aguablanca District of Cali. This stadium, which would be namedLa Bombonera de Aguablanca, would have a capacity for 15,000 spectators and would feature a synthetic turf as well as facilities to hold conferences and business meetings for micro-entrepreneurs.[8] Despite the commitment of the department government to the project,[9] the stadium was never built.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Álvaro Zuluaga (2006)[11]Julio Valdivieso (2007)[12]Jorge Bermúdez (2007–2008)[12]Félix Valverde (2009)[13]Nelson Abadía (2009)[14] Álvaro Zuluaga (2010)[15]Víctor Bonilla (January 2011 – May 2011)[16]Walter Escobar (June 2011 – November 2011)[17]Albeiro García (November 2011 – June 2012)[18]Jhon Jairo López (July 2012–June 2013)[19]Andrés Sicachá (July 2013 – June 2016)[20][21]Luis Eduardo Gómez (January 2017 – December 2017)[22][23]Giovanni Hernández (January 2018 – November 2023)
Clodoaldo (November 2023 – December 2024) Andrés Sicachá (January 2025 – present)Source:[24]
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| Defunct competitions | |
