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Introduction
by Steve |
Commentaries
by Oscar |
Boca and Argentine Fútbol History |
Pictures and Links |
One of the great things about the Internet is that the world has become a smaller place. And if you view my home page, I state that the whole world is united by a ball. Some time ago, I received an interesting email. A gentleman in Argentina found my soccer site, and wrote to me. His name was Oscar Amoia, and he lived in Buenos Aires. He was researching our fairly uncommon surname, and found me during a search on Yahoo. Oscar is a Financial Controller for a North American company with subsidiaries around the world.
Upon receiving his first email, I responded that my grandparents were from a certain city, and asked if he knew where his family emigrated from in Italy? He wrote back that his great-grandfather was born in the same town of Giovinazzo, Italy, which is a seaport on the Adriatic coast. I recall that my father used to mention a branch of the family tree that went to Argentina. Our surname is very uncommon; however, there are other Amoias in Italy. But after a few emails, we learned of a common passion for soccer. In Oscar's case, Boca Juniors, a very famous team with Italian roots. This team has produced such great talents as Diego Armando Maradona and Gabriel Omar Batistuta.
We decided to share our common passion for soccer, and I suggested to create a small site about Boca and Argentine football. Oscar had a wealth of knowledge and personal stories about Boca, along with the historical and cultural aspects of Argentine football. So, the Amoias of the Americas have collaborated to make this site a reality. For me, it was important to include Oscar's passionate sentiments about his life-long love affair with this club. In Argentina, soccer clubs are comprised of many members such as Oscar, and are not the domain of commercial interests as in other countries. The fans have a tremendous stake in the team, which is a concept somewhat alien to North American sport culture. In the commentary section, Oscar will describe how this system works.
La Boca, where Oscar grew up, is a neighborhood in Buenos Aires. At the turn of the century, it was inhabited by many Italian immigrants. It was a rather tough place much like many other urban areas around the world. A few Italian immigrant boys decided to form a soccer team. They named the team after their neighborhood, Boca, but added Juniors to give the club an English, or upper crust feel. Many teams in Argentina have English names and/or roots. Boca Juniors, Newells Old Boys, River Plate, Arsenal, and Banfield. But Boca represented the Italian experience in Argentina, and as you will see, it is more than just a soccer club. It is a way of life. Compared to Oscar, I was born in the desert of soccer. He grew up in the oasis. I hope that you enjoy our collaboration, and thank you for visiting.
Steve Amoia
Return to C. A. Boca Juniors Home Page
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