1997 in association football

The following are the football (soccer) events of the year 1997 throughout the world.

Events

• January 1 – Manager Leo Beenhakker is named technical director at Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem and replaced as a manager by Sparta Rotterdam head coach Henk ten Cate.
• Copa Libertadores 1997: is won by Cruzeiro after defeating Sporting Cristal on an aggregate score of 1–0.
• Scottish Cup: Kilmarnock FC beats Falkirk 1–0.
• February 25 – Manager Hans Westerhof is sacked by FC Groningen.
• April 30 – Striker Boudewijn Zenden from PSV Eindhoven plays his first international match for the Netherlands national football team, when Holland defeats San Marino 6–0 in Serravalle.
• May 17 – Chelsea wins the FA Cup by defeating Middlesbrough 2–0.
• May 18 – Eric Cantona, the famous and controversial French footballer in the Premiership, announces his retirement from football.
• June 29 – Brazil wins the 2007 Copa América by defeating home nation Bolivia 3–1 in the final in the Estadio Hernando Siles in La Paz.
• July 20 – Gudjon Thordarson makes his debut as the manager of Iceland with a 1–0 loss against Norway.
• August 17 – PSV Eindhoven wins the Johan Cruijff Schaal, the annual opening of the new season in the Eredivisie, with a 3–1 win over Roda JC in the Amsterdam ArenA.
• November 2 – Borussia Dortmund wins the Intercontinental Cup in Tokyo, Japan by defeating Brazil's Cruzeiro 2–0. The goals for the Germans are scored by Michael Zorc and Heiko Herrlich.

Winner national club championships

Europe

• Bulgaria – PFC CSKA Sofia
• England – Manchester United
• France – AS Monaco
• Germany – Bayern Munich
• Italy – Juventus
• Netherlands
  • Eredivisie – PSV Eindhoven
  • Eerste Divisie – MVV Maastricht
• Portugal – FC Porto
• Spain – Real Madrid
• Turkey – Galatasaeray S.K.55500

South America

• Argentina
  • Clausura – River Plate
  • Apertura – River Plate
• Bolivia
  • Bolívar
• Brazil
  • Vasco da Gama
• Chile
  • Apertura – Universidad Católica
  • Clausura – Colo-Colo
• Paraguay
  • Olimpia Asunción

Asia

• Lebanon – Al-Ansar

International tournaments

• UNCAF Nations Cup in Guatemala City, Guatemala (April 16 – April 27, 1997)
  1.  Costa Rica
  2.  Guatemala
  3.  El Salvador

• Copa América in Bolivia (June 11 – June 29, 1997)
  1.  Brazil
  2.  Bolivia
  3.  Mexico

• Baltic Cup in Vilnius, Lithuania (July 9 – 11 1997)
  1.  Lithuania
  2.  Latvia
  3.  Estonia

• FIFA U-20 World Cup in Malaysia (June 16 – July 5, 1997)
  1.  Argentina
  2.  Uruguay
  3.  Republic of Ireland

• FIFA U-17 World Championship in Egypt (September 5 – September 21, 1997)
  1.  Brazil
  2.  Ghana
  3.  Spain

• Tournoi de France in France (June 3 – June 11, 1997)
  1.  England
  2.  Brazil
  3.  France

National team results

Asia

 Kazakhstan

Europe

 Estonia

 Netherlands

 Sweden

South America

 Bolivia

 Chile

 Ecuador

Deaths

• April 23 – Brian Alderson (46), Scottish footballer
• June 4 – Pedro Zaballa (58), Spanish footballer
• June 18 – Héctor Yazalde (51), Argentinian footballer
• July 8 – Dick van Dijk (51), Dutch footballer
• July 10 – Ivor Allchurch (67), Welsh footballer
• October 18 – Ramiro Castillo (31), Bolivian footballer
• November 1 – Roger Marche (73), French footballer
• November 9 – Helenio Herrera (80), Argentine-French footballer and manager
• December 7 – Billy Bremner (55), Scottish footballer