Sports: Argentina
Carlos Babington, the left-footed playmaker known as “El Inglés” who helped Huracán win the 1973 Argentine league title, has died at 77, the club said.
Carlos Alberto Babington, an Argentine footballer who won the 1973 league title with Huracán and played at the 1974 World Cup, died on Wednesday, 11 November 2026, aged 77. Huracán, the Buenos Aires club where he spent most of his career as player, coach and president, confirmed his death in a public statement.
He also played in the United States for the Tampa Bay Rowdies before finishing his career in Colombia in 1983. As a coach he later led River Plate, the Buenos Aires giant, and Racing Club, and he served as Huracán’s president from 2006 to 2011.
Key Facts
—Who. Carlos Babington, 77, nicknamed “El Inglés” (the Englishman): player, coach and president of Buenos Aires club Huracán.
—When. He died on Wednesday, 11 November 2026, and the club confirmed it the same day.
—Honours. Champion with Huracán in 1973; five matches and one goal at the 1974 World Cup.
—Later roles. Coach in two Huracán promotion seasons, then club president from 2006 to 2011.
—Power Index. Argentina ranks 4th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 60.2 points (November 2026 edition).
—Unknown. The club’s statement gives no cause of death and no funeral details.
What We Know
Huracán said in a statement on Wednesday that it “deeply regrets the death” of Carlos Babington, calling him champion of 1973, coach, president of the institution and one of the greatest players Argentine football has produced. The wording is our translation of the club’s Spanish text.
Babington grew up in Parque Patricios, the Buenos Aires neighbourhood where Huracán’s stadium stands. He broke into the club’s first team in the late 1960s.
The 1973 Champions
Huracán won the 1973 Metropolitano, a top-flight league tournament, under coach César Luis Menotti, who later led Argentina to its first World Cup title in 1978. Babington played alongside fellow Huracán stars René Houseman, Miguel Brindisi and Omar Larrosa in a side still remembered for its attacking football.
His left foot and his ability to organise play made him the symbol of that team, La Gaceta, a daily newspaper in Tucumán, wrote on Wednesday. Those performances took him into the national team.
World Cup and Years Abroad
Babington played five matches and scored one goal at the 1974 World Cup in West Germany, where Argentina went out in the second group stage. He then moved to SG Wattenscheid 09, a club in the German second division, and played there from 1974 to 1978.
He came back to Huracán until 1982, then played for the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the United States and Junior de Barranquilla in Colombia, where he retired in 1983. He began coaching at Platense, a Buenos Aires club, in 1986.
Coach and Club President
As a coach, Babington won two promotions to the first division with Huracán, in the 1989/90 and 1999/00 seasons. He also took Banfield, a club in Greater Buenos Aires, back to the top flight in 1992/93.
He later managed Racing Club, River Plate, Chacarita Juniors and Mexico’s León, among other teams. As Huracán’s president from 2006 to 2011 he saw the club return to the first division and finish runner-up in the 2009 Clausura, one of the two half-year tournaments Argentina then played each season.
A Complicated Bond With the Club
La Gaceta reported that Babington and his son Marcelo, then the club’s secretary general, were investigated for alleged fraudulent administration linked to player transfers. It said they were first cleared, but that an appeals court in 2021 reversed that ruling, ordered them to stand processing and ordered asset seizures.
Processing is a step before trial in Argentine law, not a conviction, and the reports mention no verdict. La Gaceta said the case damaged his relationship with part of the club’s fans.
What It Means for Readers
For readers in the United States, the clearest link is his spell at the Tampa Bay Rowdies, while in Argentina his death removes one of the faces of the 1973 Huracán side. Funeral arrangements and any tribute at the club’s ground, Estadio Tomás Adolfo Ducó, are the next things to watch.
The stadium has hosted concerts as well as football, as our coverage of the Slipknot show planned for September 2027 and the Ed Sheeran concert on 29 November shows. Our wider Argentina coverage and the Argentina v Uruguay friendly preview follow the national game.
What Is Not Known
Huracán’s statement gives no cause of death. No funeral arrangements had been announced when this article was published.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Carlos Babington?
Carlos Alberto Babington, known as “El Inglés”, was an Argentine footballer, coach and club president. He won the 1973 league title with Huracán and played at the 1974 World Cup.
When did Carlos Babington die?
He died on Wednesday, 11 November 2026, aged 77, according to a statement from Huracán. The club gave no cause of death.
Did Carlos Babington play in the United States?
Yes, he played for the Tampa Bay Rowdies before ending his career at Junior de Barranquilla in Colombia in 1983. Earlier he spent four years at SG Wattenscheid 09 in Germany.
What did Babington win with Huracán?
As a player he won the 1973 Metropolitano league tournament. As a coach he won two promotions to the first division, in 1989/90 and 1999/00.
Sources: Club Atlético Huracán, statement of 11 November 2026; La Gaceta, 11 November 2026; Diario Crónica, 11 November 2026; Primicias, 11 November 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error