Former teammate of Diego Maradona, on Everest in 1983 who fell to Serie B and never came back

One of the few links in the chain of failure of Guayas football in 2023 is reflected in the relegation of one of its clubs in Serie B. A similar situation occurred 40 years ago, when one of the three representatives was relegated, those of Astillera Qualified for the Copa Libertadores, and only On October 9, he stood up for Albiceleste football, securing the subtitle in 1983.

On December 2nd, Guayaquil City was relegated after a terrible season of just five wins in the tournament. He left amidst the indifference of the fans. He did not participate in events of real importance that would have allowed him to sow affection and sympathy among the fans of Buenos Aires. Even City could not get space in the football heart of the inhabitants of the Main Port, which is definitely divided into two parts.

“You are an idiot, Mr. Alfonso Harb. It is not possible for him to destroy us in that way’, complains the manager of Guayaquil City

Despite everything, the fall of Guayaquil City is a heavy blow for football in the province because most of its teams, when they fall, do not return to the top. Homeland, North America and Guayaquil Sport had their byes in 1970, 1971 and 1973, respectively, and never got back up. Calvi and Panama debuted in the national competition in 1997 and 1998, respectively, but were immediately relegated and today nothing is known about either.

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Everest, the undefeated champion

The old 9 de Octubre, a fierce competitor in the first half of the 1980s, was a disaster in 1995. From that campaign to its return to the honors division in 2021, it suffered more than a quarter of a century in Serie B hell, to which it has already returned.

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But among the Guayaquil groups, there is one historic one that said goodbye four decades ago and whose memory is increasingly hazy: the Everest Sports Circle. With more awards than the above, the Reds left in 1983. Everest is still, after Barcelona SC and Emelec, the second team from the city to be crowned national champion. And they returned to the Olympics as undefeated monarchs in 1962!

From the depths of history, the nicknames Team of the Mountain, Ciclón Rojo, Baisanos, with which Everest was identified while his presence in the national football team was constant, return, drawn by nostalgia. The Everians left never to return, apparently.

Caszely and Sotil!

In 1983, the leadership of Everest, whose president was Héctor Solórzano Constantine, dreamed big, but with poor calculations on how to financially support the ambitious season. In February 1983, EL UNIVERSO reported that the Reds were eyeing prestigious World Cup players Carlos Caszely (Chilean) and Hugo Cholo Sotil (Peruvian).

“Everest wants to wear long clothes at the next championship. Two emissaries from the club, the president of the Financial Commission Benjamín Sotomayor Triviño and manager Vicente Palacios will travel to the south of the continent in search of foreign reinforcements for the Red Cyclone. Two representatives from the Baisano team will knock on the door of Chilean Carlos Caszely and Peruvian Hugo Sotil. These players appear in the list they keep in their folder. If Caszely and Sotil cannot be hired, the leaders of Everiano will continue their journey to Buenos Aires and Montevideo, because they have other names of important players they can hire,” the information reads.

Shortly after that double bombshell, Marco Castro, the head of the Football Commission, announced the reinforcements of goalkeeper Milton Rodríguez and defender Pablo Zaldumbide, reported EL Nacional.

Maradona’s partner

Football dreams included off-field projects, according to what the board said: “Everest is preparing a plan to increase membership at all levels. There is optimism. The leaders are committed to providing the best for sports fans this season. More than a good football team, a good institutional organization to be formed in Everest. a club that is becoming a real and effective sporting and social force in the port.” None of that happened. The purpose of the Everian failed, like the Titanic.

“Everest, in search of forming a big team,” said this newspaper on February 18, 1983, regarding the payment of funds to the management which, after persuasive efforts, hired the Argentinian Miguel Ángel Frostbite Gutiérrez – Ecuador’s top scorer in 1980 –, Emilio Huayamabe and Stalino Sánchez arrived from Emelec; Goalkeepers Máximo Vera and Diego Cabezas were bought (a pact with Milton Rodríguez failed); and Galo Tenemaza arrived from Audaz Octubrin. Tyrone Castro, Santos González, Carlos Whip Cedeño and Carlos Cuvi were their strikers.

Furthermore, Everest was afforded the luxury: Argentine midfielder Carlos Guillermo Fren was convinced to leave Racing de Avellaneda and join the Baisas team. Fren was a teammate of Diego Maradona in Argentinos Juniors, Ricardo Bochini in Independiente de Avellaneda (as a starter he won Nacional in 1978), and in 1980 César Luis Menotti invited him to the gaucho team.

Defeat 10-0

In Sotilo’s case, neither the manager’s trip to the Peruvian capital to try to convince former FC Barcelona star Johan Crruyff, nor the guile that characterized Vicente Palacios, served to force the man to change his position. Cholo, who originally said to offer red. Ricardo Arias, the head of the municipality of Lima, expressed his regret that Sotil, after “everything was already agreed upon”, said that he “has no intention of emigrating to Ecuador”.

Halfway through the 1983 campaign, many expensive reinforcements – Fren, among them – and almost all of Everest’s leadership disappeared. Nothing worked. Not even with Jorge Child Espín as a coach, and with his replacement, the Brazilian Otto Vieira, there was no salvation.

At the championship, Everest experienced terrible defeats: America punished him 6-0; El Nacional scored 7-0; and with four goals from Alcides de Oliveira, Liga de Quito destroyed them 10-0 (one day before Everians beat Barcelona 1-0). The last Baisan celebration was on October 30, 1983, when they defeated América 2-0 in Modelo.

On November 6, 1983, the traditional team from Guayaquil drew 0-0 with Aucas, in Modelo, and were at the bottom of the hexagonal table without relegation. So he went down to B, after a series of managerial mistakes. Everest won only twice in that critical phase, drawing three matches and losing five. He collected 7 points, as did Deportivo Quevedo, but went to B because of goal difference. And it never went up. (D)