Argentinian Football League

Had a run through of its champions and found some interesting insight. ‘El Loco’ is definitely fun to watch.

Questions

Created in 1891, the first outside of the United Kingdom, the Argentinian football league saw its first title shared by Old Caledonians and which other club that were named for a school?

ST. ANDREW’S

With their 38th title in 2023 which club increased their record of most Argentinian football league titles? Though only three ahead of their next placed rivals, their dominance is illustrated by also having been the runner-up 34 times.

RIVER PLATE

A winner of the 1977 and 1978 Copa Libertadores with Boca Juniors, which goalkeeper with the nickname ‘El Loco’ holds the record for appearances in the Argentinian League? He called the young Maradona a ‘fatty’, with the appropriate response being for the all time great to blast four goals past him in one game.

HUGO GATTI

Playing for Independiente in the 1930s and 1940s Arsenio Erico is credited as the highest scorer in the history of the Argentinian League. He is considered to be one of the greatest ever players with what nationality?

PARAGUAYAN

Playing in blue and white stripes like the Argentina national side, Racing Club are one of the most successful teams in Argentinian football history. They play their home games in which city in Buenos Aires province, it also being home to Independiente and named for the country’s president from 1874 to 1880?

AVELLANEDA

Along with the Superclásico and Clásico de Avellaneda, a derby between San Lorenzo and which other Buenos Aires club is considered to be one of Argentina’s more uneven rivalries? Having a balloon in their logo, they have not won the title since 1973.

HURACÁN

Playing at the Stadio Marcelo Bielsa, the Rosario team Newell’s Old Boys carry what strange nickname, this stemming from a charity match in the 1920s?

THE LEPERS

Particularly notable for breaking the stranglehold of the ‘Big Five’ when they won the Argentine league in 1967, the La Plata football club Estudiantes play their home games wearing shirts with stripes of which two colours?

RED & WHITE

Based in the Liniers barrio of Buenos Aires, which Argentinian football league club had their best spell of success in the 1990s, going on to be crowned champions of the Copa Libertadores in 1994?

VÉLEZ SARSFIELD

Originally called Central Argentine Railway Athletic Club, which team from Santa Fe province that won four league titles across the 1970s and 1980s was supported by Che Guevara?

ROSARIO CENTRAL

Runner-up in the Argentinian football league for the first time in 2018, Godoy Cruz represent a namesake city in which province?

MENDOZA

Named for a football club over 10,000km away, which Greater Buenos Aires team won their first Argentinian Championship in the 2012, though they were a previous winner of South America’s Copa Sudamericana?

ARSENAL (DE SARANDÍ)

Having the nickname ‘El Tifón de Boyacá’, the official name of Argentinos Juniors’ stadium comes from which former player? All the club’s titles came after he had left.

DIEGO MARADONA

Trying to break the dominance of the Buenos Aires clubs in Argentina’s football league are which club from Córdoba, who scored their highest finish of second in 2023? They tackle rivals Belgrano in ‘el clásico cordobés’.

TALLERES

CAF Champions League

I’ve had a run through the finals from 2013 to 2023 on an area I don’t really pay attention to. The absolute key fact that I’m still messing up is that the Egyptian team Al Ahly are the dominant force and shouldn’t be confused with the Saudi team Al-Ahli.

Questions

In the 2023 CAF Champions League final Al Ahly won their 11th title after defeating which Moroccan club in a reversal of fortune to the 2022 event? They play their home games in Casablanca and are the most successful team in the Botola league.

WYDAD AC

Thumped 3-0 by Al Ahly in the 2021 CAF Champions League final, the Kaizer Chiefs are named for their founder Kaizer Motaung and a NASL team from which American city, Motaung having been a player for them?

ATLANTA

Winning the most CAF Champions League titles before Al Ahly’s dominance of the event began, which team have failed to add to their five titles since 2002 despite making the final in 2016 and 2020?

ZAMALEK SC

Their colours being red and yellow, or ‘blood and gold’ for the more romantic, which club won the CAF Champions League in back-to-back seasons in 2018 and 2019? A handball team of the same name has twice won the African Handball Champions League.

ESPÉRANCE TUNIS / ES TUNIS

The only CAF Champions League victory for which team who play their home games at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium occurred in 2016, 15 years after they were beaten by an Al Ahly side that took their third title?

MAMELODI SUNDOWNS

One of the most successful clubs in the CAF Champions League, TP Mazembe play their home games in which city on their country’s border with Zambia?

LUBUMBASHI

Runner-up to TP Mazembe in the 2015 CAF Champions League, for what does USM stand for in the Algerian team USM Alger?

UNION SPORTIVE DE LA MÉDINA

The ES in their name standing for Entente Sportive, from which Algerian city do the winners of the 1988 and 2014 CAF Champions League finals hail? It can be found in a namesake province and was one of the locations of a 1945 series of massacres that resulted in thousands of deaths.

SÉTIF

Nicknamed the black dolphins with one of those animals being featured on the club’s badge, what is the name of the club from Kinshasa that lost out to ES Sétif in the 2014 CAF Champions League final? They were a winner of the event in 1973 when their country was still called Zaire.

(AS) VITA

The first South African team to win the CAF Champions League back in 1995, who could not repeat that feat when they came up against Al Ahly in the 2013 final? They play in a township that gets its name from a former mayor of Johannesburg.

ORLANDO PIRATES

Saudi Pro League teams

To add my own fuel to the sportswashing bandwagon, here are a bunch of questions to figure out who the sell-outs will be running rings round over the next year.

Questions

Last champions in the 1986-1987 season, which Saudi Pro League team caught attention when they managed to entice Steven Gerrard as manager in 2023, closely followed by Jordan Henderson? Their Arabic name means ‘the agreement’ and they are based in the city of Dammam on the Persian Gulf.

AL-ETTIFAQ

A four-time winner of the AFC Champions League and current record holder for the most league titles in Saudi Arabia, which Riyadh-based team completed the scalp of signing Neymar in 2023? Their team name refers to the crescent moon, which marks the start of a new month in the Islamic calendar.

AL-HILAL

Overturning a 3-1 home defeat to Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma with a 5-0 victory on South Korean soil to win the 2004 AFC Champions League, which Jeddah-based team went on to successfully defend that title against UAE team Al-Ain? With a name translating as ‘the union’, Karim Benzema signed for them in 2023 as they attempt to defend their title.

AL-ITTIHAD

Relegated for the first time in the 2021-22 season, which three-time champions with a name meaning ‘the national’ immediately bounced back to the top flight? They hold the record for victories in the King Cup and play their home matches in Jeddah.

AL-AHLI

Their first ever victory in the King Cup coming in 2022, which team based in Al Majma’ah in the central Sudair region plays in orange shirts? Their name seems to have multiple meanings, but my favourite is ‘the fragrant one’, with this being used for the Lebanese city of Tripoli thanks to the orange trees that surrounded it.

AL-FAYHA

Named for an ancient Arab tribe, Al-Tai are a Saudi Pro League club that hail from which large city in the north-west of Saudi Arabia, with one of the country’s 13 provinces going by the same name?

HA’IL

Nice and simply named, Al-Riyadh’s best finish in the Saudi top flight was second in 1993-94. What feature gives the Saudi Arabian capital its name?

GARDENS

Not to be confused with an Islamic terrorist group, which club from Riyadh have been champions of the Saudi league six times, most recently in 2011-12? Their team name refers to ‘Youth’.

AL-SHABAB

King Cup winners in 2019, which team with a name meaning ‘co-operation’ play their home games in Buraidah, the largest city in the north-central province of Qassim?

AL-TAAWOUN

Their name meaning ‘conquest’, something they only successfully managed in the 2012-13 season, which team that should not be confused with a well known political party managed to get Slaven Bilić to manage them in 2023?

AL-FATEH

In for a baptism of fire as 2023 is their first season in the top flight, Al-Okhdood play their home games not in a ‘ditch’ as their name might indicate, but in which city near the Yemeni border? This is one of the fastest growing cities in Saudi Arabia, now having a population of over 500,000.

NAJRAN

Striking fear into the opposition by having a name that means ‘victory’, which nine-time Saudi champions fell to an opening day defeat in the 2023 Saudi Pro League despite having added both Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mané to their roster?

AL-NASSR

Their last major trophy being the King Cup in 1966, in which Saudi Arabian city do Al-Wehda play, a team whose name means ‘unity’ and have a mean looking black horse on their club logo?

MECCA

Home to one of the two Saudi Pro League teams not to use ‘Al’ as a prefix for the 2023-24 season, which city lies in the Asir Mountains over 2,000 metres above sea level? This has resulted in this southern city being given the nickname ‘Bride of the Mountain’.

ABHA

Having a name which means ‘gulf’, which Saudi Pro League team play in the city of Saihat, unsurprisingly this lying on the Persian Gulf?

AL-KHALEEJ

Their name meaning ‘determination’, which presumably they’ll need a lot of if they are to be successful in the 2023-24 season, which Saudi Pro League team play in the Qassim province city of Ar Rass?

AL-HAZEM

Sharing a stadium with Al-Taawoun, which Buraida team have a name that indicates they are ‘pioneers’, perhaps apt because they were the first club in the Qassim region?

AL-RAED

Clearly failing to get the memo as they’re the only team in the 2023-24 Saudi Pro League not to begin with the letter A, which club that come from Khamis Mushayt in the south are named for a nearby mountain?

DAMAC