Peru national football team popular culture during the 1900s and 1910s. Over the following decades, Augusto Leguía's government institutionalised the sport into a national pastime by promoting and organising its development. Consequently, the national football team became an important element of Peru's national identity. According to the historian Carlos Aguirre, nationalist fervor spiked during the qualification phase for the 1970 World Cup finals, because the revolutionary government of General Juan Velasco Alvarado tied the national team's success with the alleged cultural, social, and psychological changes spurred by the country's new political project. Peruvian football fans are known for their distinctive cheer "¡Arriba Perú!" ("Onward
Juan Velasco Damas Juan Velasco Damas Juan Velasco Damas (born 17 May 1977) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a right back, and is a manager. He played for seven clubs during his professional career, appearing in 213 matches in La Liga and scoring one goal. He also competed abroad in England and Greece. Velasco represented Spain at Euro 2000. Born in Dos Hermanas, Province of Seville, Velasco started representing professionally local giants Sevilla FC, appearing in 13 La Liga matches in the 1996–97 season, which ended in relegation. His league debut occurred on 5 March 1997 in a 0–2 away