George Forsyth (footballer)
George Patrick Forsyth Sommer (born 20 June 1982) is a Peruvian politician and former international footballer who played as a goalkeeper. In 2018, he was elected as mayor of La Victoria District, Lima with the We Are Peru party.
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | George Patrick Forsyth Sommer[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 20 June 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Caracas, Venezuela | ||
| Playing position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2001–2002 | Alianza Lima | 0 | (0) |
| 2002–2003 | Borussia Dortmund II | 6 | (0) |
| 2003 | Atlético Universidad | 12 | (0) |
| 2004 | Alianza Lima | 9 | (0) |
| 2005 | Sport Boys | 4 | (0) |
| 2005–2007 | Alianza Lima | 42 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | Atalanta | 0 | (0) |
| 2008–2016 | Alianza Lima | 173 | (0) |
| Total | 246 | (0) | |
| National team | |||
| 2007–2014 | Peru | 7 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only | |||
Early life and education
Forsyth was born in Caracas, Venezuela. His father, Harold Forsyth, is Peruvian diplomat, ambassador, and former congressman. His mother, María Verónica Sommer Mayer, is a former Miss Chile beauty pageant winner. He was born in Caracas while his father served in the Peruvian embassy in Venezuela.[2] His mother's family is of German descent.[3]
Upon graduation, Forsyth was admitted to the Peruvian University of Applied Sciences, graduating with a bachelor's degree in Industrial engineering. Subsequently, he founded several companies including in the field of security ('300'); in the fashion and clothing field, ('G&F'); in the field of high physical performance, ('VO2'); and in gastronomy (a seafood restaurant) among others.[4]
Football career
Club career
During his adolescence, Forsyth played for FC Lannesdorf 07 in Germany. Then in 2001, he joined Alianza Lima, where he would begin his professional career. In that year, he was part of the squad that obtained the national title in the institution's centenary added to the classification for the 2002 Copa Libertadores. In 2002, he was the third goalkeeper for Borussia Dortmund.[5] He was part of the Alianza Lima team that won the national titles of 2003 and 2004.[1]
After a brief stint at Sport Boys of Callao in 2005, he returned to Alianza Lima to obtain the 2006 Decentralized Championship. This would be Forsyth's fourth national title, but the first where he was the undisputed holder, being considered the best goalkeeper of the season.[6]
On 20 February 2007, Forsyth made his debut in a Copa Libertadores against Club Necaxa. with a 2-1 defeat of his team, playing 43 minutes. At the 2007 Copa Libertadores, he played 3 games, receiving 6 goals, playing 223 minutes, remaining last without being able to qualify. In August 2007 he joined Atalanta, debuting on 29 August 2007 in the Italian Cup against Ascoli, with a 1-2 result in favor of Ascoli, and playing 127 minutes.[7]
He played with Alianza Lima at the 2010 Copa Libertadores.[8]
After the elimination in the Copa Libertadores, Forsyth was injured, and was replaced by Salomón Libman as the main goalkeeper. Forsyth was called up for the last game of the 2010 Torneo Descentralizado against University of San Martín de Porres, ending 1-1. After a season plagued of injuries, adding the harsh elimination against Universidad de Chile, Forsyth hoped to fully recover in 2011 in order to return as a starter. However, Alianza Lima was eliminated in the playoffs towards the group stage of the 2011 Copa Libertadores against Jaguares, with the score of 2-0 in Lima, and also in Chiapas. Finally, seeing that his chances of returning as the starter goalkeeper were slim, on Forsyth announced his departure from Alianza Lima on 3 March, but that he would return to the club to be the president.[9]
On 31 July 2011, with the departure of Gustavo Costas to Saudi Arabia and the arrival of Miguel Ángel Arrué as Alianza Lima's new coach, Forsyth was called up as starter for a match against Unión Comercio, that ended 0-0.[7]
Political career
George Forsyth | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of La Victoria | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Harry Castro Durand |
| La Victoria District Councilman | |
| In office January 1, 2011 – December 31, 2014 | |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Independent |
| Other political affiliations | We Are Peru (2018) Christian People's Party (2010) |
George Forsyth's political career began in 2010 when he ran for District Councilman of La Victoria, as part of the Alberto Sánchez-Aizcorbe's National Unity list, which won with 34% of the valid votes. As th first councilman, he served simultaneously as Lieutenant Mayor to Sánchez-Aizcorbe.[10]
In 2014, he became acting mayor, under the license of the then mayor Alberto Sánchez for his run for mayor of Lima at the municipal elections. In this position, he became the first active soccer player to assume a high municipal position in Peruvian history.[11][12]
At the 2018 municipal elections, Forsyth retired from football and was nominated for mayor of the La Victoria by the We Are Peru party. He was subsequently elected as mayor with 34.6% of the vote.[13] He assumed the position in January 2019 and, since his first days as mayor, has been made strict changes regarding the fight against precarious mafias, corruption and chaos in La Victoria.[14]
At the start of his tenure, he moved the mayor's office to the San Cosme Sports Complex, a vulnerable area due to the greater concentration of urban and informal commercial growth in the district in front of the Gamarra commercial emporium. On the other hand, he sealed an agreement with the president of the Judiciary for the installation of a Flagrancy Court in the district. Likewise, he reached a formal agreement with the National Prosecutor's Office for the installation of a Corporate Provincial Prosecutor's Office of the Public Ministry.[15]
The outcome of Forsyth's tenure evolved in a process of continuous ordering of the Gamarra commercial emporium, declaring three days of cessation of commercial operations to eradicate informal and illegal commerce that limits the adequate economic growth of said complex. His management has been praised by the Peruvian media, and signaled as one of the few examples of successful political management in recent years.[16]
References
- "George Forsyth". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
- "La increíble historia de George Forsyth: de modelo e ingeniero a portero y alcalde". Infobae.
- https://www.spiegel.de/sport/fussball/peruanischer-nationaltorwart-ein-deutscher-sommer-in-venezuela-a-491176.htm
- "George Forsyth | Ellos y Ellas". ellosyellas.com.pe.
- "FUTBOLPERUANO.COM: George Forsyth: "Dentro de poco daré que hablar"". web.archive.org. 9 January 2003.
- "Lo que debes saber de George Forsyth". www.msn.com.
- "George Forsyth y su dura crítica a Pelusso: "Paraba en la piscina, Mario Viera era el técnico"". libero.pe. 3 February 2020.
- De 2014, 19 De Septiembre. "La increíble historia de George Forsyth: de modelo e ingeniero a portero y alcalde". Infobae.
- LR, Redacción (21 May 2019). "¿Quién es George Forsyth, el alcalde amenazado por la mafia en La Victoria?". larepublica.pe.
- Fernández, Christian (27 January 2011). "George Forsyth juramentó como nuevo regidor de La Victoria". RPP.
- "Elecciones 2018: George Forsyth y 10 futbolistas que pasaron a la política". www.msn.com.
- Perú, Redacción El Comercio (13 September 2014). "George Forsyth asume provisionalmente alcaldía de La Victoria". El Comercio Perú.
- "El exportero de Alianza George Forsyth gana alcaldía de La Victoria, en Lima". La Vanguardia. 8 October 2018.
- "George Forsyth: Las mafias ya están tomando las calles de La Victoria". canaln.pe.
- Perú, Redacción El Comercio (1 March 2019). "George Forsyth inspeccionó sedes de Juzgado de Flagrancia y Fiscalía Corporativa". El Comercio Perú.
- Peru21, Redacción (3 February 2019). "¿Por qué Forsyth sí y los otros no?". Peru21.
