Dante Panzeri

Dante Panzeri (November 5, 1921 in Las Varillas, Córdoba – April 14, 1978 in Buenos Aires) was a sports journalist and columnist who was notable for the influence of his opinions and analysis about sports, specially in football, having changed the way of covering sports events in Argentina.Burguesía y Gangsterismo en el Deporte
Analysis on Librería Deportiva

Panzeri is widely considered one of the most notable sports journalists ever in Argentina. Most his work was published on '' El Gráfico'', where Panzeri worked for almost 20 years.

Biography

Born in Las Varillas, a small town of Córdoba, Panzeri spent his childhood in the city of San Francisco of the same province. Before the age of 20, he moved to Buenos Aires.

Panzeri joined sports magazine '' El Gráfico'' in 1943,Dante Panzeri, el francotirador
by Carlos Aira, 3 Feb 2017 writing articles about athletics, cycling, and swimming, among others. His articles about football would come much later.

Panzeri's articles about football were notables for the way he dealt with the sport, with emphasis on analysing the game rather than writing a simple chronicle. By the late 1940s, Panzeri was one of the most renowned journalists of ''El Gráfico'' along with Ricardo Lorenzo Rodríguez (mostly known for his nickname ''Borocotó'') and Félix Frascara. In the 1950s Panzeri became director of the magazine. During his tenure as director, he brought to the magazine sports journalists such as Pepe Peña, Osvaldo Ardizzone and former Boca Juniors player Ernesto Lazzatti.

Panzeri opposed to the excessive use of tactics in football, with Juan Carlos Lorenzo, Osvaldo Zubeldía, Argentino Geronazzo and José D'Ámico as some trainers that were accused of being excessively obsessed with tactics. Close to Ernesto Lazzatti and Adolfo Pedernera, Panzeri alleged that the use of tactics distorted the essence of the game.Hoy hubiese cumplio 99 años El Gráfico
by Ernesto Cherquis Bialo on Infobae, 30 Jan 2018

After the 1962 FIFA World Cup held in Chile, Panzeri left his charge in ''El Gráfico'', after he was pressed to publish advertisements of then Ministry of Economy, Alvaro Alsogaray. He refused alleging the spirit of the magazine would be distorted if he had agreed to that. Panzeri continued his career as journalist in ''Así'' magazine. In 1965 he had his own TV program, "Discusiones por Deporte" in Canal 7. In 1966 he worked as correspondent for newspaper '' Crónica'' at the 1966 FIFA World Cup.

In 1967, Panzeri's first book, ''Fútbol: Dinámica de lo Impensado'', was published. The title expressed the idea that beyond the tactics and strategy planned by a coach, it was the player who decided on the field.Derribando mitos: fútbol, dinámica de lo impensado
by Ignacio Fusco, ''La Nación'', 20 Nov 2016 In ''Dinámica de lo Impensado'' Panzeri expressed his preference for the "pure talent" of the Argentine footballer, showing also his concern about the loss of the sport as a simple game and the establishment of an industry around it.

During the 1970s, Panzeri worked for several media such as newspaper ''La Opinión'' and magazines ''Satiricón'' and ''Goles''. He was also chief of the sports section of newspaper ''La Prensa'' until his death in 1978. His work on the radio include "Radioshow", a program broadcast by Radio Del Plata.

In 1974, he published a second book, ''Burguesía y gangsterismo en el deporte'', where he took readers behind the scenes at Argentine football's environment, describing the corruption and decadence of executives, coaches, journalists and even supporters.
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Panzeri's strong character led him to confront football executives such as Raúl Colombo and Alberto Armando, and even colleagues Bernardo Neustadt and Pepe Peña.

Panzeri also opposed the 1978 FIFA World Cup was held in Argentina, arguing that "it would be a waste of money". About his position, Admiral Carlos Lacoste used to tell an anecdote referring a visit he made to Panzeri's house to convince him about the convenience of holding the Cup in Argentina, with no satisfactory results. Otherwise, Panzeri almost convinced his wife, in Lacoste's own words.

Panzeri died in April 1978, two months before the World Cup that finally would be won by Argentina.Panzeri
by Ezequiel F. Moores on ''La Nación'', 6 Jun 2012

Quotes

(translated)

Bibliography

* ''Fútbol: Dinámica de lo impensado'', Capitán Swing (1967) –
* ''Burguesía y gangsterismo en el deporte'', Capital Intelectual (1974) –

Posthumous

* ''Dirigentes, decencia y wines'' (Antology), Ed. Sudamericana (2013) –

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Panzeri, Dante
Argentine sports journalists
Argentine columnists
1921 births
1978 deaths