Miranda

Early history

See also simple:Deportivo Italia (1948-2010)

The team was founded in August 1948 by a group of Italian immigrants: Carlo Pescifeltri, Lorenzo Tommasi, Bruno Bianchi, Giordano Valentini, Samuel Rovatti, Angelo Bragaglia, Giovanni di Stefano, Alfredo Giuseppe Pane and Sacchi. Deportivo Italia in the 1960s soon became the most important Venezuelan Football Team, popularly called "Los Azules" (Azzurri) by the color of the team shirt inspired by the Italy national team.

Indeed, the arrival in Venezuela of hundreds of thousands of Europeans after the Second World War became a reason, among other things, in creating football teams for the different "colonies" of immigrants. Thus the Italians had their Deportivo Italia (while the Portuguese the "Deportivo Portugues", the Spanish Gallegos the Deportivo Galicia, the Canarian immigrants their "Unión Deportiva Canarias ", etc. ...).

The early years of "Los Azules" were characterized by limited success. But in 1958 began – thanks to the "D'Ambrosio management" – the golden age of the team, which lasted until the late seventies: between 1961 and 1972, every year Deportivo Italia won an award nationally and/or internationally.

Mino D'Ambrosio and the Golden Era

In 1958 Mino D'Ambrosio took control of the Deportivo Italia and with his brother Pompeo D'Ambrosio (who financially controlled the team) the "Azzurri" reached the highest honors in football in Venezuela. The "D'Ambrosio Golden Era" lasted until 1978 and was characterized by four national titles and the famous Little Maracanazo in 1971. Also won three times the Copa Venezuela: in 1961, 1962 and 1970 (and was second in 1976).

The age of the 1960s was the Golden Era for the Azules, as they were national champions in 1961, 1963 and 1966 (their trainer was the famous Orlando Fantoni). The fourth championship was obtained in 1972 (along with three victories in the "Copa Venezuela"). The Italo-venezuelan team was also the runner-up in 1965, 1968, 1969, 1970 and 1971. Practically, between 1961 and 1972,every year the Deportivo Italia of Mino D'Ambrosio won an award (or an outstanding result in the Copa Libertadores).

Also – in those years of "D'Ambrosio management" – in friendly tournaments the Deportivo Italia Italy won some European teams (like the Milan of Italy in 1968) and was the first Venezuelan team (in the entire history of football of Venezuela) to go to the second round of the Copa Libertadores (1964).

First performance of Venezuela in the "Copa Libertadores de America"

Venezuela's debut in the "Copa Libertadores de America" was in 1964 with Deportivo Italia of the capital of the Republic. The "Azules" was the Venezuelan champion of 1963. Tulio Charter raised the desire to participate in the South American tournament, before the South American Football Confederation.

After lengthy discussions with the delegates representing the South American Confederation, it was agreed to include the representative team of Venezuela and was assigned as the first rival the "Bahia" of Brazil, who was the runner-up in that country.

This fact meant a great responsibility for the Deportivo Italia and Mino D'Ambrosio hired three reinforcements: Brazilians Roberto from the Fluminense (who was a central defender), Zequinha (good right back who came from Botafogo) and striker Ferreira from Madureira FC. The two matches were played in Caracas due to commitments of the "Bahia" in the United States and Europe.

The first match was played on 8 March 1964, and ended in a tie with no goals: it was seen by some 20,000 people in the Caracas Olympic Stadium. The second match ended 2 to 1 for the Deportivo Italia. The goals were achieved by Jaime and Elranildo (both Brazilians). So the first Venezuelan goal in the Libertadores Cup was scored by Jaime (left wing of Deportivo Italia on 7 April 1964, in the Olympic Stadium in Caracas and in front of 18,000 people, at the 52-minute of the match).

Other players who represented Venezuela's Deportivo Italia in the 1964 "Copa Libertadores de America": Fernando Fantoni, Linda, Benito Fantoni, Gustavo González, José "Papito" Gonzalez, Jaime, Danilo Marin, Fiho and the Italo-venezuelan Agostino Nitti.

"Little Maracanazo"

In 1971, the Deportivo Italia, Venezuela's Champion of the 1971 season, defeated the Fluminense FC, Champion of Brazil, 1:0 (with a goal done by central defender Tenorio) at the Maracana stadium.

The Deportivo Italia – under the direct supervision of Mino D'Ambrosio – that night went to the match with Vito Fasano (who for his performance was recruited in Brazil, Vito is Italian) as goalkeeper. At the defence there were Carlos "Chiquichagua" Marín, Tenorio, Vincente Arrud and Freddie Elie, while as midfielders Delman "Pito" Useche, Negri and Rui. In the attack played Alcyr (who was replaced by Bahia), Beto and Militello.

In the magazine "Incontri" of Caracas, Bruno D'Ambrosio (who saw the match and followed the team as son of Pompeo) wrote that in the final half-hour the goalkeeper Vito Fassano did miracles: three hits to the poles helped him, but while two knocked externally the door defended by Fassano, the third would have been a goal if the goalkeeper had not deflected it with his fingers stretching in an incredible way. Fassano made the best game of his life, according to all the persons who saw the match.

Santander Laya-Garrido, who wrote the book "Los Italianos forjadores de la nacionalidad y del desarrollo economico en Venezuela", said that since then no other Venezuela football team has obtained a similar international result: until now the "Little Maracanazo" is the top international victory in the history of the soccer in Venezuela

Italchacao

After the untimely death of Mino D'Ambrosio in 1980 (much lamented by the entire Italian community in Venezuela), Deportivo Italia failed to maintain the leadership in the Venezuelan football: the "Azules" earned only a modest runner-up title in 1984.

In July 1996, the Italo-venezuelan team suffered a severe economic crisis and gave the franchise through a bilateral agreement with the Mayor of Chacao Municipality in Caracas. Later, the Mayor of Chacao Irene Sáez and the President of Deportivo Italia, Mr. Eligio Restifo, through the intervention of Mr. Jaime Meier and Brazil's Sports Minister (Mr Edson Arantes Do Nascimento – Pelé -), entered into discussions with executives of Parmalat in São Paulo. The Italian multinational Parmalat, after studying the case, decided to invest in the Venezuelan football. Thus, in August 1996, they founded the Football Club Deportivo Chacao.