ABSTRACT
Most people familiar with football in South America would agree that Peruvian teams have underachieved on the field of play for the past several decades. This can be outlined through a variety of statistics: (1) Peru’s last appearance at the FIFA World Cup was in Spain in 1982; (2) the Peruvian national team has not won a Copa America since 1975; (3) a Peruvian football club team has never won the Copa Libertadores; 1 and (4) to date, a very small number of Peruvian football players have been transferred to the world’s elite football leagues in Europe. Rather than simply dwelling on the lack of competitive achievements in Peruvian football this chapter examines the economics and governance of the sport to better understand the status of football in Peru. The authors begin by addressing the emergency measures taken by the Peruvian government to mitigate the poor economic condition of the top teams in the first division of Peruvian football. It also details the economic resources these teams depend on for sustenance. Finally, the chapter describes several strategies implemented by Peruvian football administrators in an effort to advance the sport in the coming years.
