Club Atlético Tigre is an Argentine professional football club located in Victoria, Buenos Aires. Tigre currently plays in the Primera División, the top level of the Argentine football league system, having secured promotion as the 2021 Primera Nacional champion.[2] Its name comes from Tigre, the city in which it was founded. Since its foundation in 1902, the club's colors have been blue and red. The fanbase can be loud, vocal and large of a match day .
Due to its history, Tigre is the most important club in the northern area of Buenos Aires.
Tigre plays its home venues at Estadio José Dellagiovanna (named after its first president), which has a capacity of 26,282 spectators.
History
First team of Tigre, 1902
On 3 August 1902, a group of twelve young men led by José Dellagiovanna, met at his house in Partido de las Conchas (former name of Tigre Partido) with the purpose of establishing a sports club. The name given to the recently formed institution was "Club Atlético Juventud del Tigre", with Dellagiovanna elected as its first president. They played their first football match vs C.A. Las Conchas, won by Juventud del Tigre 3–1. The club wore a blue shirt with red collar, black short and socks.
In 1911, the team registered to the Argentine Football Association to be able to compete in official tournaments. By those times, the institution changed its name to "Club Atlético de Tigre". When dissident Federación Argentina de Football was established in 1912 after the first schism in Argentine football, Tigre affiliated to it. The team began to wear a striped blue and red shirt.
Tigre debuted in Primera División, the top division of Argentine football, on 1 May 1913 against Porteño; the match concluded in a 0–0 draw. The team played its home matches on a field located on Rocha street, near Reconquista River in Rincón de Milberg. Its first field was inaugurated on 2 December 1913. When a new schism came in 1919, Tigre registered to dissident Asociación Amateurs de Football, which lasted until 1927, when both leagues, AAmF and AFA joined.
In 1931, the first professional league of Argentina, Liga Argentina de Football, was created, with Tigre affiliating to it. Under professionalism, Tigre debuted on 31 May 1931 vs San Lorenzo at Estadio Viejo Gasómetro, and Tigre lost 4–2. Nevertheless, in 1934 a reduction in the number of Primera Division teams caused Tigre and Quilmes to be relegated into the Second Division. This meant Tigre left the top division after 21 consecutive seasons.
At the beginning of 1931, Tigre sold striker Bernabé Ferreyra to River Plate for m$n50,000. The transaction was described as "the most expensive pass for a player in the history of world football" by the local media. Ferreyra had played for Tigre during 6 years, with an average of +1 goal per game.
After the selling of Ferreyra, another forward, Juan Marvezzi, arrived to the club in 1937. He would score 116 goals over 173 matches between 1937 and 1943, becoming Tigre's all-time top scorer.
In October 1944, the club received then vice-president of Argentina, colonel Juan Domingo Perón, in front of a crowded stadium. The president of Tigre, Mario Piotti, appointed Perón –a confessed supporter of the club– as "honorary president" of the club.
The 1945 team that won the Primera B title and achieved promotion to the Primera División
In 1945, Tigre won its first official title, the Second Division championship, which allowed the club to return to Primera. The club remained in the top level for a few seasons before being relegated again in 1950, along with Rosario Central.
The 1953 that got another promotion to Primera that same year
Tigre remained in the second tier until 1953,[3] when the team won its second title, and returned to Primera División again, where the club remained until another relegation in 1958. During that brief stint in the top level, Tigre got its best performance until then, finishing 6th in the 1955 season. It was at that time when Tigre was nicknamed El Matador (The Killer) by El Gráfico journalist Osvaldo Ardizzone.
Tigre returned to Primera División in 1967, after being promoted along with Club Atlético Los Andes in the "Reclasificatorio", a tournament contested by the last six teams of Metropolitano and the four top teams from Primera B. Nevertheless, the club would be relegated again, and in 1971 was sent to Primera C, the third division of Argentine by then.
In 1982, Tigre and San Lorenzo set the attendance record in the second division. More than 70,000 tickets were sold for the match that was played at Estadio Monumental. As of today and by different regulations of AFA, it will hardly be exceeded at any time.
In 1991, the club was relegated into the third division (Primera B Metropolitana). In 1994, Tigre won the Clausura tournament of the Metropolitana, but lost the promotion final to the Apertura champion, Chacarita Juniors. Tigre was finally promoted to the Nacional B (Second tier) the following season, in 1995. However, the club only lasted there one season, and were directly relegated. In 1998, the club was promoted to Nacional B again, and was close to achieving promotion to the Primera Division the following season, but was eliminated in the playoffs.
In 2005, The team became two-time champion of the Primera B Metropolitana by winning both the Apertura and Clausura tournaments, with a record number of points obtained. In both tournaments, the team had only lost one match.
In the club's first season return in the second tier, the 2005–06 season, the club placed 7th in the overall table, one position away from qualifying for the playoffs. In the 2006–07 season, the club placed 5th in the overall table and got itself into the promotion playoffs, which was called the "Torneo Reducido". In the final, Tigre defeated Platense 2–0, which allowed the club to play the promotion playoff final. Tigre beat Nueva Chicago 3–1 over two legs, and would be able to play in the highest division of Argentine football after more than two decades.
In its first tournament on return, the 2007–08 season, Tigre finished runner-up of the Apertura tournament. The external factor to this campaign was the massive support; in almost all the matches of the tournament, Tigre sold out its tickets, both in Victoria and away from home. All this left the popular recognition in the football environment that Tigre had been widely the revelation of the tournament, and that Argentine football had recovered a great.
For the 2008 Apertura, Tigre was one goal away from becoming champion, but finished runner-up again. The club finished with a total of 39 points, tied for first place along with San Lorenzo and Boca Juniors, but ends as runner-up after playing a historic triangular final. It must be considered that the AFA modified, in the midst of their dispute, the rules of this tournament. Originally it had established that in the event of a tie for first place, the champion would be decided according to head-to-head results between the teams occupying that place. Tigre defeated San Lorenzo and Boca Juniors, both as visitors, so it was appropriate to award the club the title. However, with the imposed modification, the triangular had to be disputed.
In 2012 Clausura the club was runner-up in the Primera Division again. Tigre started the season thinking about not being in the relegation table, but ended up exceeding the expectations by fighting for the league title until the last date. At the end of that same year, after eliminating Colombian side Millonarios in the semifinals of the 2012 Copa Sudamericana, it reached its first international final in its history, where the club lost to São Paulo in the finals.
In 2020, Tigre was the only Argentine team that played the top continental competition, Copa Libertadores, that was not competing in the top division but in Primera B Nacional.
In November 2021, Tigre won the Primera Nacional title (also their first one in the division) after beating Barracas Central 1–0 in the final match. Therefore the Matador will play in the top division of Argentine professional football since the 2022 season.[4][5]
Kit evolution
During the first years of the club, the shirt was blue with a red collar. On the chest, the legend "Juventud del Tigre" (original club name). For the first game v C.A. Las Conchas, the team wore that shirt. A blue and red striped jersey appeared between 1911 and 1911, being alternated with the traditional blue.
With the affiliation to dissident "Asociación Amateurs de Football", in 1919, the regulation of the use of colors privileged San Lorenzo de Almagro in the use of a striped design. The now traditional blue with a red horizontal stripe began to be worn in the mid 1940s. During the 1960s, the club worn a blue and red hoops jersey that had been worn by Italian club Sampdoria.[6]
In 1935 the land of Guido Spano was acquired and on 29 December the Foundation Stone was placed where the current Victoria stadium would be built. The land in front of the avenue was acquired with the certain possibility of expanding the number of supporters. Many internal struggles were generated by this determination. Former members, who did not understand at the time the perspective that this change offered to the club, decided to leave the institution. The president at that time was León Bourdieu.[citation needed]
It was inaugurated on 20 September 1936, in a friendly against Boca Juniors. On 27 September 1936, the first official match was played at the stadium, with Club Atlético Independiente beating Tigre 1-0 as part of the First Division league championship organized by the AFA. On 6 December, Tigre had its first victory at the stadium, defeating Ferro Carril Oeste 2–0.[citation needed]
