An Age of Piracy or a Golden Era: An Economic History of Colombian Football from Obscurity to International Notoriety, 1918-1954

This paper discusses the economic realities of international soccer in the middle of the twentieth century. As soccer became more popular it became more important for clubs to acquire good players, so fans would continue to attend the games, and for clubs who had good players to maintain them. At a time when Europe was still recovering from the second World War, Colombian business and club owners saw an opportunity to bring some of the biggest stars in the world to the Colombian league (Dimayor). This move inaugurated the golden age of Colombian soccer 1948-1954, but not everyone was happy about it. The Argentine clubs accused Colombian of looting their players without paying, like pirates and pressured FIFA to ban Colombia. The situation was resolved when the Dimayor agreed to return the players, after they served the contracts, they signed meaning Colombia got an additional two seasons out of most players. While the best soccer players in the world now go to Europe, the period of El Dorado demonstrates that this was not always a case. That as a result of some enterprising club owners and a relatively strong economy, for six years the best football in the world was played in Colombia.