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DEPORTIVO
WANKA
Deportivo
Wanka, are a Peruvian football team founded in 1996, that appear to have
secured quite a cult following in the United Kingdom. This may well have
a lot to do with the rather amusing name and its Onanistic connotations. Early
Christians, such as Clement of Alexandria, while not making explicit
reference to Onan, reflects an early Christian view of the abhorrence of
spilling seed: ‘Because
of its divine institution for the propagation of man, the seed is not to
be vainly ejaculated, nor is it to be damaged, nor is it to be wasted.
To have coitus other than to procreate children is to do injury to
nature’. Deportivo
Wanka are probably not in any danger of being punished by the hand of
God. The Wanka’s this team are named for were actually an Indian
people, contemporaries of the Inca, who formerly inhabited the area and
after whom the city of Huancayo, the teams base, is named. The
Wanka culture flourished from the Middle to Late Horizon periods (600 -
1532). The Wanka provided stiff resistance to the Inca Empire until
their final defeat at the hands of the great Inca leader, Pachacuti who
ruled circa 1438 - 1471. Never
wholly subjugated to Inca rule, the Wanka were often embroiled in border
disputes with their neighbours the Xauxa, and the Incas describe the
Wanka as being continuously plagued by internal disputes. Nevertheless,
they became keen allies of Pizarro in his conquest of the Inca Empire.
The Wankas also helped the Spanish Crown put down several rebellions in
the early decades of colonial rule in Peru, notably the defeat of
Francisco Hernández Girón between 1553 and 1554. The current Deportivo Wanka team is merged with Deportivo Pesquero of Chimbote, although the team are still based in the city of Huancayo. Deportivo Wanka are also represented in the national volleyball league of Peru, and have a very successful team.
Going
back to the football, their last First Division participation was in
2004. They protested against their relegation that year and were
suspended from participating in any football tournament. In that season,
the struggling Wankas moved their home stadium to Cerro de Pasco, which
is at an altitude of 4,380m (13,973ft) above sea level. It was hoped
that altitude sickness and a lack of oxygen would be a big handicap for
visiting sides. Sadly, the quick thinking Wankas were relegated anyway,
and shuffled off to the lower division, where they remain. A
popular fan chant is - “Andes, where we can see them, you Wankas”.
Indeed, and their relegation certainly proved that they might shoot, but
they don’t always score and were probably guilty of a bit of handball
into the bargain. It would definitely help their promotion prospects and
club fortunes if they gave those offending arms a rest. Around a decade ago, the British national daily newspaper, The Sun, wrote an article on the club. A spokesperson said: "It is very strange. Everyone in Britain seems to think we have a funny name." They simply did not get the joke, and still don’t. However, they are more than pleased with the extra revenue from overseas replica kit sales, so being a devoted Wanka fan is not always a negative thing, it can also come in very handy for the club.
©Copyright - James of Glencarr |
