La Paz Bolivia Football

La Paz is the de facto capital of Bolivia, being the center of administrative activity. The city is host to about a million people according to the 2001 census.
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La Paz has also been a hub of sports activity over the years. Various sports clubs are actively involved in promotion of their favorite pastime. But like all Bolivians, it is football which really fires the imagination of the population.
La Paz is host to a number of club sides, some of which have been at the top of the Bolivian pyramid for a long time.La Paz also has its own regional league below the top tier from which sides can gain promotion to play against the top dogs if they can come through against the teams from the other 9 departments (into which Bolivian teams are tradiionally separated into) in the annual Copa Simon Bolivar, named after the founder of the modern nation. The regional league is further subdivided into 2nd, 3rd and 4th levels, providing a good depth to the whole structure.
BOLIVAR: By far the most successful side in Bolivian history, they have claimed no less than 16 titles.Won the Apertura title last season.
THE STRONGEST: Tradition personified, this club has been up there right from the start. With 9 National titles in addition to 14 La Paz championships, this side can rightly claim to be flag bearers of their nation.
LA PAZ F.C.: The club side recently known as Atletico Gonzalez, recently gained promotion to the top flight and are keen to cement their place. A respectable mid-table position will have definitely pleased their fans.
DEPORTIVO MUNICIPAL: Although they ply their trade in the regional league now, the fans still remember the glory days when Municipal could rightly lay claim to be the best side in the land, twice.
CHACO PETROLERO: Relegation in 1998 hit the club hard and they have been trying to come to terms with their reduced status ever since. A sole title triumph though will always remain a beacon of hope.
DEPORTIVO ZURACA: Zuraca have spent most of their existence in the lower reaches of the pyramid and although the club have lately come close enough, still a considerable effort is required to take them up the next level.Read about other La Paz teams here

Oceania Club Cup

1999
South Melbourne took top spot in the rankings after beating surprise finalists Nadi from Fiji, making their debut in the competition. In fact, Nadi finished above Central United whom they beat in the semifinal 1-0. Nadi originally finished second in their initial group behind eventual fourth placed A.S. Venus but did enough to qualify as the 2nd best placed team among the 3 groups. That included a crushing 13-0 win over 8th placed Kiwi Club.South Melbourne also crushed Konica 10-0 in group play. A 3-0 comfortable win in the semifinal over Venus led to a 5-1 rout of Nadi in the final.
The big disappointment was reserved for New Zealand`s Central United. They were firm favorites to take on Melbourne in the final but failed abjectly. They finished just above Venus in 3rd spot, although they did have the consolation of the most lopsided victory of the competition when the hammered bottom feeders Lotoha'apai 16-0. AS Venus on their part made Tahiti proud by finishing a very strong 4th on their debut.Highlight for them was a 14-1 win over Kiwi Club.
Vanuatu`s Tafea could be excused for being unhappy with 5th spot after an impressive showing on their debut. Having outclassed Lotoha'apai 10-0, they were brave enough to hold Central United to a creditable 2-2 draw but went out of the competition due to 2 goal difference less than Nadi in the other group.Malaita Eagles also can feel a little bit unhappy as they put on stiff resistance to eventual winners South Melbourne ,only losing by 2-1. That was also incidentally the closest any side came to the champions. They also bettered Melbourne 10-0 win over Konica by thrashing them 14-2. But they had to settle for 6th place overall.
Although Konica didnt have much to celebrate, finishing 7th out of 9th still represented somewhat of a bonus. Scoring twice against Malaita helped them in their cause, although they lost by double figure margins each time. Kiwi Club had a dismal campaign, especially finishing behind Konica was really galling. Scoring once against Venus did the trick for them as they avoided the wooden spoon but only just. That dubious distinction went to hapless Lotoha'apai who cried and burned their way to a disastrous and ultimately embarassing outing for their nation. Pretty dismal.Read about 1987 and 2000 editions here

Atletico Sport Aviacao from Angola

The side is from Luanda, capital of Angola, and one of the major players in the Angolan league. The current champions won the 2004 season title by a three point margin over Sagrada Esperanca. How have they fared over the years. From what is available from various sources, heres how their story goes:
In the pre-independence days, the club won 4 championships on the trot from 1965-1968 under the name Atletico De Luanda. After independence, though, the club have had more difficulty winning silverware. In the early 80's , the club had to play second fiddle to other Luanda clubs like Petro Atletico and Primiero De Agosto. While those clubs were winning titles, Aviacao were not even in the top flight as late as 1984. In fact, not until 1991 did Aviacao achieve promotion to the Girabola, the top level of Angolan football, alongwith Desportivo Do Nocal and Inter Huila.
Their first season in the top flight though was an unqualified success. They finished runners-up in the league to Primiero Agosto, edging out Petro Atletico on goal difference, having finished with 40 points for the season.Notable victories over Deportivo Nocal, Desportivo Eka and Sporting Benguela paved the way for their impressive display.
The next season ,1993, saw the club finish in a highly creditable 4th place, behind familiar opponents Petro,Primiero and surprise packages Desportivo E.K.A. As it was the season, when civil war was raging in Angola, only 21 games could be played and sides from Huambo, Petro and Benfica, could not participate. Aviacao garnered 21 points from their 21 matches and although they finished high, a closer look at the table shows that they only finished 4 points above the relegation spot and a whopping 11 points off top. Demoralizing defeats at the hands of E.K.A., Primiero Agosto and Primiero Maio and even relegated Nacional Benguela didnt help their cause a lot. Still there was a high point in the season, when Aviacao managed to reach the National Cup final against city rivals Petro Atletico, going for the double. Although Aviacao took an early lead, it was their rivals who eventually turned the game around and ran away 2-1 winners to complete their double.
Season 1994 was a disappointment for the club, as they failed to mount a credible challenge for the title and faded away to mid-table obscurity, the low point being home and away defeats to old nemesis E.K.A. In the cup too, Aviacao failed to make it through to the final, losing their semi-final 2-0 to defending champions Petro Atletico. Things could only look up for the club. Read more here