Atlético Cali

Atlético F.C.
Full nameAtlético Fútbol Club S.A.
Nickname(s)Aleti de Cali
Azul y Oro
Founded5 December 2005; 18 years ago (2005-12-05)
(As Dépor FC)
10 March 2016; 8 years ago (2016-03-10)
(As Atlético F.C.)
GroundEstadio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero
Capacity35,405[1]
ChairmanGustavo Moreno Arango
ManagerClodoaldo Paulino de Lima
LeagueCategoría Primera B
2023Primera B, 13th of 16
Websitehttp://www.atleticofutbolclub.com/

Atlético Fútbol Club (or Atlético F.C.), formerly known as Dépor FC, is a professional Colombian football team based in Cali that currently plays in the Categoría Primera B. They play their home games at the Olímpico Pascual Guerrero stadium.

History

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Origins as Dépor FC

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The club was founded as Deportivo Pereira S.A. in 2005 after the membership rights (ficha) of Real Sincelejo, a club that competed in Categoría Primera B until 2004, were irregularly sold by one of its shareholders to investors from Pereira led by former Senator Habib Merheg who wanted to create a club to claim the license held by Deportivo 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 to Dépor FC and moved it to Cartago, Valle del Cauca.[2][3]

For the following year, the club moved to Jamundí, in the same department. From 2006 to 2008 its home was the Estadio Cacique Jamundí, with a temporary return for 2010 and the first half of the 2011 season due to their home stadium being closed for remodeling works ahead of the 2011 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 coach Julio Valdivieso.

Due to financial difficulties and the support offered by Cali's local government as well as public utilities company Emcali, who wished to carry out social work with young people from the Aguablanca District in Cali, the club was renamed Dépor Aguablanca in 2009 and moved from Jamundí to represent the aforementioned sector, now playing their home games at the Estadio Pascual Guerrero.[4] Since then, the club continued competing in Primera B without remarkable results.

Atlético Fútbol Club

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In 2015, after a court ruling declared the sale of Real Sincelejo void, the former shareholders of the Sincelejo club sold it to Juan Carlos Restrepo, stepfather of footballer James Rodríguez, who intended to move the club to Ibagué, rename it to Tolima Real and enter it into the Primera B competition. Although Restrepo argued that he was the legitimate owner of the Real Sincelejo ficha, DIMAYOR refused to admit Tolima Real while at the same time Dépor FC owner Gustavo Moreno founded a new club under the name of Atlético Fútbol Club which with the consent of both DIMAYOR and Coldeportes, 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 as Atlético de Cali or just Atlético.

Due to this controversy, the club was not able to play its first seven matches of the 2016 season, which were going to be awarded as losses by walkover, however they were eventually confirmed to be played after the club was renamed and accepted into the league.[6]

In the 2021–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.

Stadium

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Further information: Estadio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero

Although the club's current home stadium is the 38,000-seat Estadio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero located in Cali, prior to their establishment in Cali they played at Estadio Santa Ana in Cartago and Estadio Cacique Jamundí in Jamundí.

In 2009, the government of Valle 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 named La 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.

Current squad

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As of 25 October 2024[10]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Colombia COL Juan Pablo Jaramillo
3 DF Colombia COL Jhonier Alomía
4 DF Colombia COL Kevin Ventes
5 DF Colombia COL Jhonier Julio
6 MF Colombia COL Eder Balanta
7 DF Colombia COL Víctor Hurtado
8 MF Colombia COL Gabriel Erazo
9 FW Colombia COL Ethan Lizalda
10 MF Colombia COL Mateo Trejos
11 FW Colombia COL Juan Camilo Quiñonez
12 GK Colombia COL Miguel Suárez
14 FW Colombia COL Luis Belalcázar
15 MF Colombia COL Luis Jaimes
16 DF Colombia COL Juan Diego Perdomo
18 MF Colombia COL Nelson Mosorongo
19 MF Colombia COL Johiner Caballero
20 DF Colombia COL Carlos Riascos
No. Pos. Nation Player
21 MF Colombia COL Bréiner Barbosa
22 MF Colombia COL Jhon Quiñónes
23 FW Colombia COL Iván Ibáñez
24 FW Colombia COL Junior Escobar
25 MF Colombia COL Juan Sebastián Peña
26 DF Colombia COL José Barriosnuevo
— GK Colombia COL Aaron Naar
— DF Colombia COL Danny Reales
— DF Colombia COL Juan Camilo Urbano
— DF Colombia COL Jhon Veira
— MF Colombia COL Daniel Pantoja
— MF Colombia COL Juan Felipe Parra
— MF Colombia COL Nelson Rivera
— FW Colombia COL Daniel Mora
— FW Colombia COL Kevin Mosquera
— FW Colombia COL Diego Navarro

References

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  1. ^ FIFA.com
  2. ^ "La compleja lucha jurídica del padrastro de James Rodríguez con la dirigencia deportiva en Colombia: compró un club que no ha podido jugar" [The complex legal battle between James Rodríguez's stepfather and the sports leadership in Colombia: he bought a club that has been unable to play] (in Spanish). Infobae. 20 December 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  3. ^ a b "¿Por qué Real Sincelejo no ha regresado a la segunda división del FPC?" [Why has Real Sincelejo not returned to the FPC′s second tier?] (in Spanish). El Espectador. 14 July 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  4. ^ "Se trastea el Dépor" [Dépor is moving]. enlajugada.com (in Spanish). 29 October 2008. Archived from the original on 18 February 2009. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Autogol al fútbol colombiano: Dimayor aceptó al Dépor FC, pero con otro nombre" [Own goal to Colombian football: Dimayor accepted Dépor FC, but with another name] (in Spanish). Pulzo. 11 March 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  6. ^ "Atlético Fútbol Club, nuevo equipo del fútbol colombiano" [Atlético Fútbol Club, Colombian football's new team] (in Spanish). Publimetro. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  7. ^ "¡Moñona! Cortuluá y Atlético de Cali clasificaron a las finales de la Primera B" [Strike! Cortuluá and Atlético de Cali qualified for the Primera B final stages] (in Spanish). El País. 9 April 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  8. ^ "Distrito de Aguablanca va a tener su 'Bombonera', dice gobernador del Valle, Juan Carlos Abadía" [Aguablanca District will have its 'Bombonera', says Valle governor Juan Carlos Abadía] (in Spanish). El País. 17 February 2009. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  9. ^ "Gobernador del Valle ratifica la construcción de estadio en Aguablanca" [Governor of Valle ratifies construction of stadium in Aguablanca]. Government of Valle del Cauca (in Spanish). 10 March 2010. Archived from the original on 25 March 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  10. ^ "ATLÉTICO FC". Dimayor. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
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