| Founded | 1988 |
|---|---|
| Region | South America (CONMEBOL) |
| Number of teams | 2 |
| Current champions | Internacional (2nd title) |
| Most successful club | Boca Juniors (4 titles) |
| Website | Official Website |
| 2011 Recopa Sudamericana | |
The Recopa Sudamericana (English: South American Winners' Cup, Recopa, or Cup Winners' Cup lit. South American Great Cup; Portuguese: Supertaça Sul-Americana) is an annual football match-up between the reigning champions of the previous year's Copa Libertadores and the Copa Sudamericana, South America's premier club competitions.
Previously, the Recopa Sudamericana was contested between the Copa Libertadores winner and the Supercopa Sudamericana champion until the Supercopa was disbanded. The competition has been disputed with either a presently-used two-legged series or a single match-up at a neutral venue. Together with the aforementioned tournaments, a club has the chance to win the CONMEBOL Treble all in one year or season.[1]
The current champion is Brazilian club Internacional, who won the title for the second time. The most successful team in the competition is Argentine side Boca Juniors, who have won the trophy four times. The cup has been won by 12 different clubs and won consecutively by three clubs; São Paulo, Boca Juniors, and LDU Quito successfully defended the title in 1994, 2006, and 2010, respectively.
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When the Supercopa Sudamericana was created in 1988, a new continental Super Cup competition in South America became viable. CONMEBOL named the new competition Recopa Sudamericana after the defunct Recopa Sudamericana de Clubes played in 1970 and 1971.[2] The Recopa Sudamericana, disputed between the winners of South America's two premier club competitions, is not related chronologically to the Recopa Sudamericana, created in 1968 which was contested between former South American winners of the Intercontinental Cup, Recopa Sudamericana de Clubes, disputed among Cup winners of South America. The first edition was played in 1989 and pitted Uruguayan club Nacional and Argentinian side Racing. Played on two legs, Nacional managed to win the trophy after winning 4–1 on points. Due to schedule dilemmas and political issues, the 1990 edition was played in Miami between Atlético Nacional and Boca Juniors with the latter winning 0–1.[3] Olimpia of Paraguay would win the Recopa Sudamericana without the need to dispute a match as the Decano won both the Copa Libertadores and Supercopa Sudamericana. CONMEBOL declared Olimpia the automatic winners of the 1991 competition.[4]
In 1992, and from 1994 to 1997, the competition was played in Japan. Colo-Colo of Chile defeated Cruzeiro 5–4 on penalties after a 0–0 tie in the 1992 final.[5] Staying true to the winning ways of the Paulista's golden generation, São Paulo won the 1993 and 1994 finals to become the first team to retain the title. Due to schedule congestion, the 1993 finals were played as part of the Campeonato Brasileiro and it also became the first Recopa to feature two teams from the same nation.[6] In a second, consecutive all-Brazilian final, São Paulo successfully defended the trophy against Botafogo. Since São Paulo won both the Copa Libertadores and Supercopa Sudamericana, CONMEBOL had Copa CONMEBOL winners Botafogo dispute the Recopa Sudamericana only to lose 3–1 to the defending champions.[7]
Argentina managed to emulate their northern neighbors with the 1995 edition being an all-Argentinian affair. Independiente, led by Jorge Burruchaga, managed to consecrate themselves winners after defeating Carlos Bianchi's legendary Vélez Sársfield 1–0 in Tokyo. Independiente participated in a second, consecutive final only to lose the title to Grêmio after being defeated 4–1.[8] The 1997 edition was won by a Vélez Sársfield team that bowed out from the international limelight with their last title.[9] Having failed to win the trophy in 1992 and 1993, Cruzeiro comfortably won the 1998 edition that was played as part of the Copa Mercosur. This final series was played two years after the participating teams won their corresponding qualifying tournaments.[10]
At the end of the 1998 season, CONMEBOL discontinued the Supercopa Sudamericana. As a result of not having an important, secondary tournament, the Recopa Sudamericana went into a hiatus from 1999 until 2002. However, the introduction of the new Copa Sudamericana revitalized the competition with Olimpia winning the 2003 final in Los Angeles.[11] Played on a neutral venue for the second year in a row, Cienciano defeated Boca Juniors on penalties to win their second international title.[12] From 2005 onwards, the Recopa Sudamericana would be played on a home-and-away basis.
In a rematch of the Copa Libertadores final of 2004, Boca Juniors avenged that defeat as they beat Once Caldas 4–3 on aggregate.[3] A year later, Boca Juniors faced São Paulo, both two-time winners of the competition, in order to determine who would become the first tricampeon. The Xeneizes won 4–1 on points and successfully defended the title, becoming the first side since Telê Santana's São Paulo to win consecutive Recopas.[3] Internacional became the first Brazilian side to lift the trophy in nine years.[13] The 2008 competition saw Boca Juniors win their fourth title to become joint leaders for most international titles won by a club in a last hurrah on the international scene.[3] LDU Quito won their second international title as they thumped Internacional 6–0 on points and 4–0 on goal aggregate to win their first ever title.[14] LDU Quito then successfully defended their title in 2010 against Estudiantes. They became the third team to successfully defend the title.
The Recopa is contested over a two-legged tie, usually no more than two weeks apart. The first leg is held at the home field of the Copa Sudamericana champion, and the second leg is played at the home field of the Copa Libertadores champion.[15] The teams accumulate points as per the results of the match (3 for a win, 1 for a draw, 0 for a loss).[15] The team with the most points after both legs wins the Recopa. Ties in points will be broken first by goal difference, then by away goals, and lastly by a penalty shootout after regulation of the second leg.[15]
Since the competition takes place in the mid-winter, it's disputed between the champions of the previous year's forementioned competitions. Because of this, some count the year of the championship by the qualification year rather than that of the competition itself. Thus, CONMEBOL states that Nacional from Uruguay won the first Recopa of 1989, whereas the RSSSF refers to that championship as Recopa 1988.[15][16]
The current match ball for the Recopa Sudamericana, manufactured by Nike, is named the Total 90 Omni CSF.[17][18] It is one of the many balls produced by the American sports equipment maker for CONMEBOL, replacing the Mercurial Veloci Hi-Vis in 2009.[19] The ball, approved by FIFA and weighting approximately 422 g, has a spherical shape that allows the ball to fly faster, farther, and more accurately.[18] According to Nike, the ball's geometric precision distributes pressure evenly across panels and around the ball. The compressed polyethylene layer stores energy from impact and releases it at launch, and the 6-wing carbon-latex air chamber improves acceleration.[18] Another feature of the ball is its rubber layer; it was designed to allow a better response while retaining the impact energy and releases it in the coup.[18] Its support material of cross-linked nitrogen-expanded foam improves its retention and durability of its shape.[18] Polyester support fabric enhances structure and stability. The asymmetrical high-contrast graphic around the ball creates an optimal flicker as the ball rotates for a more powerful visual signal, allowing the player to more easily identify and track the ball.[18]
For commercial reasons, the official name of the 2005 edition was Fox Sports Recopa Sudamericana and from 2006 to 2008, Visa Recopa Sudamericana.[20][21][22][23] Since 2009, Visa stopped being a sponsor of the competition.
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