Independiente Santa Fe

Santa Fe

Full name	Club Independiente Santa Fe[1][2][3]
Nicknames	Los Cardenales (The Cardinals) El Expreso Rojo (The Red Express) Los Leones (The Lions) El Primer Campeón (The First Champion)
Founded	28 February 1941; 85 years ago (1941-02-28)
Ground	Estadio El Campín
Capacity	36,343[4]
Owner	Perlun S.A.S. (52%)
Chairman	Luis Eduardo Méndez
Manager	Pablo Repetto
League	Categoría Primera A
2025	Primera A, 5th of 20 (Apertura champions)
Website	independientesantafe.co
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Club Independiente Santa Fe, known simply as Santa Fe, is a Colombian professional football team based in Bogotá, that currently plays in the Categoría Primera A. They play their home games at the El Campín stadium. Santa Fe is one of the three most successful teams in Colombia, winning nineteen titles, which include ten national championships (most recently in 2025), five Superliga Colombiana, two Copas Colombia, and international titles such as one Copa Sudamericana, one Suruga Bank Championship, and one Copa Simón Bolívar. Santa Fe is one of the three clubs that has played every championship in the Categoría Primera A.^[5]

Santa Fe became the first Colombian team to win the Copa Sudamericana, and the first and only Colombian team to win an official tournament outside America. The club was recognized as one of the ten best clubs in the world in 2015 by the IFFHS,^[6] occupying the seventh position and being the best ranked of South America.^[7]

Santa Fe has a fierce rivalry with Millonarios who share the same stadium. The game is considered one of the most famous derbies in South America and is known as El Clásico Bogotano or El Clásico Capitalino.

Independiente Santa Fe was officially founded on February 28, 1941, as an amateur football team. The club's founders were mainly graduates from the Gimnasio Moderno and of a high social class. Santa Fe was at first going to be a team based on ex-students of Gimnasio Moderno, but later incorporated players from other schools. The primary objective of the club was to participate in a local tournament hosted by the Sports Association of Bogotá. Their first recorded game was against Universal, a match that ended in a goalless draw. The team ended the tournament as runner-up with 20 points, being beaten by Legión Militar Deportiva de los Taxis Rojos, a representative of a transportation company.^[8][9]

In 1942, Santa Fe was coached by Jack Greenwell, former Barcelona player and coach, notable for having won three times the Copa del Rey and the 1939 South American Championship with Peru. That year Santa Fe played in the first division of the A.D.B., which was canceled in the middle of that year. That same year also reached the final of the Torneo de Cundinamarca, which lost against América de Cali. Jack Greenwell died on November 20 of that year.^[10]

On 21 May 1948 the DIMAYOR was established in Colombia, which would serve to manage Colombian professional football. They agreed to hold the first professional championship for the second half of the year. On August 15, Santa Fe played its first game in the professional championship against Deportes Caldas, a match that ended 3–3. Santa Fe finished the league as the first champion of the Colombian first division, winning 12 of 18 games, drew 3 and also lost 3. The team was able to score 57 goals for and received 29 goals. The goalscorer of the team was the Spanish Argentine Jesús María Lires with 20 goals, second goalscorer of the tournament.^[11]

Next year Santa Fe was third, five points behind the champion, local rivals Millonarios. Seeking for a new title, Santa Fe took advantage of the events of El Dorado signing Argentines Héctor Rial and René Pontoni (the former became a star of Real Madrid years later), as well the Englishmen Neil Franklin and George Mountford from Stoke City, and Charlie Mitten from Manchester United.^[12] However, the signings did little, as Santa Fe was not into the top three for about ten years, being their worst the 1954 campaign where they finished last with just five points.

In 1958, Santa Fe got its second title after finishing first with 48 points. They got its third title just two after years with 61 points. Getting this title, Santa Fe became the second Colombian club appearing at the Copa Libertadores. In that tournament, Santa Fe was placed in the preliminary round with Ecuadorian club Barcelona. The first match was a 3–0 victory for Santa Fe and the second game was a 2–2 draw. In the next round, Santa Fe eliminated Bolivian club Jorge Wilstermann. Santa Fe drew 2–2 with Jorge Wilstermann on point aggregate and 3–3 on aggregate score, so the winner was decided by a draw of lots. In the semifinals, Santa Fe faced Brazilian club Palmeiras. The home leg was a 2–2 draw, but Santa Fe lost 4–1 in the away leg.

Santa Fe's first success in the 2000s came late, when the team won the Copa Colombia, beating Deportivo Pasto in the finals. Since then, Santa Fe has had a successful period. Santa Fe got its seventh league title in the 2012 Torneo Apertura, 37 years after its last league title. Santa Fe was second in the First Stage of the tournament with 29 points. In the semifinals, they were grouped with Boyacá Chicó, Itagüí and La Equidad. Santa Fe advanced to the finals with 14 points. Santa Fe faced Deportivo Pasto in the finals. The first match ended in a 1–1 draw and the second was a 1–0 victory for Santa Fe. They got its first Superliga Colombiana title the next year and were runners-up in the 2013 Torneo Apertura, won by Atlético Nacional. In its Copa Libertadores appearance, they got into Semifinals. They began the tournament in the Second Stage, facing Cerro Porteño, Deportes Tolima and Real Garcilaso, where they finished first with 14 points and unbeaten. They eliminated Grêmio in the Round of 16 and Real Garcilaso in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, they were eliminated by Olimpia, with an aggregate score of 2–1.

In the 2014 Torneo Apertura, Santa Fe was fourth on the First Stage, advancing to Quarterfinals. There Santa Fe eliminated Once Caldas with an aggregate score of 5–3. In the semifinals, the team faced Atlético Nacional. The first match ended in a 1–0 win for Santa Fe. However, Nacional got a comeback with a 2–0 win, thus eliminating Santa Fe. In the Torneo Finalización, Santa Fe was first with 31 points. In the semifinals, the team was placed in a group with Atlético Huila, Atlético Nacional and Once Caldas. Santa Fe placed first in the group, advancing to the finals where they faced Independiente Medellín. Santa Fe won the first match and drew in the second, with an aggregate score of 3–2, winning its 8th title. That year, Santa Fe was runner-up in the Copa Colombia, losing the finals against Deportes Tolima with an aggregate score of 3–2.

In the 2014 Copa Libertadores, Santa Fe played against Monarcas Morelia in the First Stage, drawing 2–2 on aggregate score and advancing to the next round due to away goals rule. In the Second Stage, the team was last of its group, in which they faced Atlético Mineiro, Club Nacional and Zamora, winning only one match of six.

The 2015 season had a great start for the team, as they qualified for the 2015 Copa Sudamericana after winning 2015 Superliga Colombiana in which they faced 2014 Torneo Apertura winners Atlético Nacional. However, in the 2015 Torneo Apertura, the team can not advance to the knockout phase after placing ninth with 31 points. In the Torneo Finalización, the team was 8th with the same number of points as the last tournament, however this time it was enough to advance to the next round. There the team was eliminated by Junior, whom also defeated them months later in the Copa Colombia Finals.

The international season of the team began with its Copa Libertadores participation. The team started in the Second Stage, where they faced Atlético Mineiro, Colo-Colo and Club Atlas. Santa Fe placed 1st with 12 points. In the Round of 16, they played against Argentine team Estudiantes de La Plata. They lost the away match 2–1, but with a 2–0 victory in home the team advanced to the quarterfinals. There the team faced Brazilian club Internacional. The team got a 1–0 victory in the home game, but lost 2–0 in the away match.

Santa Fe got its first international title in the 2015 Copa Sudamericana. They eliminated Ecuadorian LDU Loja in the First Stage and Uruguayan Nacional in the Second Stage. In the Round of 16 they eliminated Ecuadorian Emelec on away goals after drawing 2–2 on aggregate score. In the quarterfinals they won 2–1 on aggregate to Argentine Independiente and in the semifinals they also advanced on away goals after drawing 1–1 with Paraguayan Sportivo Luqueño. In the finals they faced Argentine Huracán. After drawing 0–0 in both matches, the winner had to be decided on penalties. There Santa Fe won 3–1, thus getting the first international title of the club and qualifying for the 2016 Copa Libertadores, 2016 Recopa Sudamericana and 2016 Suruga Bank Championship. Santa Fe's Wilson Morelo tied with three footballers as top goalscorers of the tournament with five goals.

In the 2016 Torneo Apertura, Santa Fe placed fourth, advancing to the next round. There, Santa Fe was eliminated by Cortuluá with an aggregate score of 2–3. In the 2016 Copa Libertadores, the team advanced to the Second Stage after eliminate Oriente Petrolero with an aggregate of 1–6. However, they were eliminated in the Second Stage after placing third in a group consisting of Cerro Porteño, Cobresal (who were last) and Corinthians.

In the 2025 Torneo Apertura, Santa Fe placed sixth, advancing to the semi-finals. After placing first in Group A, the team defeated Independiente Medellín 2-1 in aggregate to win their tenth national title.

The first badge of Santa Fe was designed by Ernesto Gamboa and Gonzalo Rueda with a clear British influence. Highlighting the Bogotá flag colors, red and yellow, combined to form the Holy Cross, a symbol of faith and respect, referring to the name of the club.

There are many versions about the origin of the colors of the uniform. The most commonly accepted version is that Luis Robledo, one of the founders of the Independiente Santa Fe who was educated in England, was a fan of Arsenal, thus gives the team the red and white, which from 1941 became the symbol of the club.

Although historically the uniform of Santa Fe has been red and white, the club has used other colors in its uniform.

Period	Kit manufacturer	Shirt partner
1980–89	Saeta	Arroz Futura Caja Social de Ahorros Hotel Cosmos Milo
1990–91	Torino	Madame Colette Snacks Colpal Postobón
1992–95	Saeta	Águila Club Colombia Konga
1996	Adidas	Avianca Costeña
1997–99	Topper	Águila
2000	FSS
2001–03	Patrick
2004	Runic
2005	Lotto	Samsung
2006	Puma
2007	SSW	Águila
2008	Puma
2009–10	Umbro	Águila ETB
2011		Croydon
2012		Aguardiente Néctar AKT ASISTA
2013		Aguardiente Néctar ASISTA Bodytech Canal Capital Honda Pierre D'Agostiny
2014		Aguardiente Néctar ASISTA Bodytech Bogotá Humana Canal Capital Honda Loteria de Bogotá
2015		Bodytech Bogotá Humana Huawei Honda Postobón
2016		Aguardiente Néctar Huawei Postobón
2017		Huawei Aguardiente Néctar Postobón INCAP
2018		Huawei Aguardiente Néctar SMART
2019	Kappa	Honor Aguardiente Néctar BetPlay HV Multiplay
2020		Hyundai Aguardiente Néctar BetPlay Colanta Ron Santa Fe Cerveza Águila

The stadium Nemesio Camacho, also known as El Campín, located in Bogotá, is the venue where Independiente Santa Fe plays their home games. Its capacity is 36,343.^[13] Santa Fe's supporters traditionally tend to sit in the southernmost half of the stadium.

El Campín was inaugurated on August 10, 1938, at 57th Street with 30, having started its construction in 1935 on the initiative of the mayor of Bogotá, Jorge Eliecer Gaitán. The structure was handled by the German engineer Frederick Leder Müller. The stadium was designed to hold 10,000 spectators. The opening match was held in the 1938 Bolivarian Games, facing the Colombia national football team and the Ecuador national football team, with a 2–1 defeat for the local team.

In 1951, the year that Santa Fe begins to use it to its home games, the stadium expanded its capacity to 39,000 spectators. The second extension of El Campín occurred in 1952 with a dramatic transformation. The total capacity changed to 62,500 spectators, but was limited to 48,000 for security. The last major modification was made for the qualifying matches for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Other grounds that have been used by Independiente Santa Fe for their home games have been: the Estadio Alfonso López Pumarejo, its first ground, the Estadio Municipal Los Zipas and the Estadio Luis Carlos Galán Sarmiento.

In the late 1990s, the most notorious Barra brava of Santa Fe, La Guardia Albi-Roja Sur (White-Red South Guard) was created. It was one of the first fan-led organizations in Colombia that was fully formalized. In 2005, La Guardia Albirroja Sur made one of the largest soccer team's flag in the world. The flag, named the Lienzo de Fe was 350 meters long and 38 meters high, covering the southern end of the Estadio El Campín, the half of the stadium, where the team's fans locate in home games.

Santa Fe has a fierce rivalry with intercity team Millonarios, who also play in the same stadium as them. During this match Millonarios fans locate themselves in the northern part of the stadium much like Santa Fe's in the south.

Santa Fe honours

Type	Competition	Titles	Seasons
Domestic	Categoría Primera A	10	1948, 1958, 1960, 1966, 1971, 1975, 2012–I, 2014–II, 2016–II, 2025–I
	Copa Colombia	2	1989, 2009
	Superliga Colombiana	5	2013, 2015, 2017, 2021, 2026
Continental	Copa Sudamericana	1	2015
	Suruga Bank Championship	1	2016
	Copa Simón Bolívar	1s	1970

•   record
• ^s shared record

• Categoría Primera A
  • Runners-up (7): 1963, 1979, 2005–I, 2013–I, 2017–II, 2020, 2024–I

• Copa Colombia
  • Runners-up (3): 1950–51, 2014, 2015

• Copa Libertadores
  • Semifinals (2): 1961, 2013

• Copa CONMEBOL
  • Runners-up (1): 1996

• Copa Merconorte
  • Runners-up (1): 1999

• Recopa Sudamericana
  • Runners-up (1): 2016

• Copa Libertadores: 14 appearances

• Copa Sudamericana: 7 appearances

• Recopa Sudamericana: 1 appearance

2016: Runners-up

• Copa CONMEBOL: 1 appearance

1996: Runners-up

As of 4 March 2026^[15]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  COL Andrés Mosquera 3 DF  COL Víctor Moreno 5 MF  COL Jhon Meléndez 6 MF  COL Kilian Toscano (on loan from Atlético Nacional) 7 MF  COL Jhojan Torres 8 MF  COL Omar Fernández (on loan from León) 9 FW  URU Franco Fagúndez (on loan from Santos Laguna) 10 MF  COL Alexis Zapata 11 FW  COL Hugo Rodallega (captain) 12 GK  COL Weimar Asprilla 13 DF  COL Helibelton Palacios 14 DF  COL Luis Palacios (on loan from Once Caldas) 15 DF  COL Iván Scarpeta 16 MF  COL Daniel Torres 18 DF  ARG Emanuel Olivera 19 FW  ARG Nahuel Bustos (on loan from Talleres de Córdoba) 20 MF  COL Yilmar Velásquez

No. Pos. Nation Player 21 MF  COL Éwil Murillo 22 FW  COL Edwin Mosquera 24 DF  COL Jeison Angulo 25 DF  COL Santiago Tamayo 27 DF  COL Yeicar Perlaza (on loan from Atlético Nacional) 29 FW  COL Jorge Luis Ramos 32 DF  COL Christian Mafla 33 GK  COL Ángel Álvarez 34 FW  COL Marlon Balanta 35 GK  COL Jhoyler Andrades 37 DF  COL Jhon Rentería 40 FW  COL Martín Palacios — DF  COL Mateo Puerta (on loan from Águilas Doradas) — DF  COL Juan Sebastián Quintero — MF  COL Kevin Cortés — MF  COL Jáder Obrian — FW  ARG Maximiliano Lovera (on loan from Rosario Central)

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK  COL Juan Espitia (at Patriotas Boyacá until 30 June 2026) — DF  COL Alejandro Moralez (at Llaneros until 30 June 2026) — DF  ARM Jordy Monroy (at Deportivo Pereira until 30 June 2026) — DF  COL Alexander Porras (at Patriotas Boyacá until 30 June 2026) — DF  COL David Ramírez (at Fortaleza until 31 December 2026) — DF  COL Luis Rentería (at Patriotas Boyacá until 30 June 2026) — MF  COL Leandro Angulo (at Envigado until 30 June 2026) — MF  COL Sebastián Bonilla (at Van until 30 June 2026)

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF  COL Davinson Ibarra (at Tigres F.C. until 30 June 2026) — MF  COL Tomás Molina (at Patriotas Boyacá until 31 December 2026) — MF  COL Santiago Mora (at Patriotas Boyacá until 31 December 2026) — MF  COL William Ovalle (at Van until 30 June 2026) — FW  COL Jersson González (at Deportes Tolima until 30 June 2026) — FW  COL Juan Esteban Sánchez (at Patriotas Boyacá until 31 December 2026) — FW  COL Yan Carlos Vega (at Real Cundinamarca until 30 June 2026)

The following players were chosen to represent their country at the FIFA World Cup while contracted to Independiente Santa Fe.

• Carlos Aponte (1962)
• Héctor González Garzón (1962)
• Jaime Silva (1962)
• Hernando Tovar (1962)
• Francisco Zuluaga (1962)
• Eduardo Niño (1990)
• Juan Manuel Peña (1994)
• Léider Preciado (1998)
• Édison Méndez (2014)
• Carlos Valdés (2014)
• Camilo Vargas (2014)

Source: BDFA

R	Player	P	Career	App.
1	Alfonso Cañón	MF	1964–1976, 1981	504
2	Omar Pérez	MF	2009–2017	367
3	Carlos Rodríguez	DF	1956–1966	366
4	Agustín Julio	GK	1997–2004	353
5	James Mina	GK	1973–1984	346
6	William Morales	DF	1981–1994	322
7	Hernando Cuero	DF	1981–1990, 1992	313
8	Manuel Córdoba	FW	1987–1993, 1997	296
9	Rafael Pacheco	DF	1973–1980	296
10	Ernesto Díaz	MF	1971–1975, 1977–1979, 1984–1986	287

Last updated on: 21 January 2018

R	Player	P	Career	Gls.
1	Alfonso Cañón	MF	1964–1976, 1981	146
2	Léider Preciado	FW	1998, 2001, 2004, 2005–2008	126
3	Alberto Perazzo	FW	1959–1963	98
4	Osvaldo Panzutto	FW	1959–1963	93
5	Germán Antón	FW	1948–1952, 1957, 1959	91
6	Omar Devani	FW	1965–1968	82
7	Adolfo Valencia	FW	1988–1993, 1995–1996, 2002	78
8	Omar Pérez	MF	2009–2017	77
9	Héctor Céspedes	FW	1975–1980, 1982, 1984	73
10	Ernesto Díaz	MF	1971–1975, 1977–1979, 1984–1986	72

Last updated on: 21 January 2018

Independiente Santa Fe Femenino is the women's football section of Independiente Santa Fe and they currently play in the Colombian Women's Football League, the top level women's football league in Colombia. The club is the most successful team in the Colombian women's football league with three titles, won in 2017, 2019, 2023^[16]

Like the institution's male counterpart, who were the first Colombian professional football champions in 1948, the women's team obtained the honor of being the first club to win the Colombian Women's Football League with their title in 2017.

• Patriotas^[17]

• Official website (in Spanish)
• Team profile at DIMAYOR.com (in Spanish) (archived)