Deportivo Táchira
Deportivo Táchira Fútbol Club, usually known as Deportivo Táchira, is a traditional and a popular Venezuelan football (soccer) club. It was founded on 11 January 1974 by the initiative of Gaetano Greco (football). In its first national championship, the club finished in first place, originating the nickname
El equipo que nació Grande (meaning
the club which was born Big).
History
In 1970 in sports, Italy-born Gaetano Greco founded in San Cristóbal, Táchira an amateur club called Juventus, named after the Juventus F.C..
In 1974 in sports, Greco noticed that there was no professional football club in Táchira State, so he decided to start a club based on the amateur Juventus club. On 11 January of that year, he and twelve other people founded the club, which was named Deportivo San Cristóbal. Most of the club's players came from the Juventus club. Initially, the club's colors were blue and white, like the Italy national football team ones.
In January 1975 in sports, the club changed its colors to yellow and black, because those colors better represented the Táchira state and were the preferred colors of the Uruguayan manager José "Pocho" Gil, due to their likeness to C.A. Peñarol ones in Uruguay.
Titles
- Primera División Venezolana (6 times): 1979 in sports, 1981 in sports, 1984 in sports, 1986 in sports, 2000 in sports, 2008 in sports
- Primera División Venezolana runner-up (7 times): 1982 in sports, 1985 in sports, 1987 in sports, 1988 in sports, 1990 in sports, 1999 in sports, 2004 in sports
- Copa Libertadores de América participations (11 times): 1980 in sports, 1982 in sports, 1983 in sports, 1985 in sports, 1987 in sports, 1988 in sports, 1989 in sports, 1991 in sports, 2001 in sports, 2004 in sports, 2005 in sports
- Copa Sudamericana participations (1 time): 2002
- Copa CONMEBOL participations (3 times): 1993, 1996, 1997
- Copa de Venezuela: 1986
- Deportivo Táchira is the Venezuelan club with the most appearances in Copa Libertadores, and is also the club which has finished as Venezuela's league runner-up the most times. It has won six national championships.
- The club's best Copa Libertadores participation was in 2004, when the club became the first team to qualify for the quarter-final of the competition without losing a match, playing against strong teams like Club Atlético River Plate (Argentina), Club Libertad (Paraguay), Deportes Tolima (Colombia), Club Nacional de Football (Uruguay) and São Paulo Futebol Clube (Brazil).
Current first team squad
Stadium
The club's home stadium is Estadio Polideportivo de Pueblo Nuevo, located in San Cristóbal. It has a maximum capacity of 42,500 people.
Supporters
The supporters are known as
aurinegros ("gold-and-blacks")
There are three main organized groups of supporters,
La Torcida Aurinegra , "La 12" now known as "La Avalacha Sur."
The aurinegros had already committed acts of violence at the stadium. One of the most tragic events took place on December, 17, 2000, when the club and Caracas Fútbol Club drew 2-2, which gave the Copa República Bolivariana de Venezuela's title to the other side, and a mob of angry supporters burned a bus inside the soccer field.
Derby
The match between Deportivo Táchira and Estudiantes de Mérida Fútbol Club is known as the Clásico de Los Andes (meaning Andes' Derby), but in recent years the match between Deportivo Táchira and Caracas FC has been known as the modern derby, because of the successful performance of both teams. Other classic rival was Marítimo de Venezuela (Caracas'club) in the 80's and earlier 90's.
Colors
Deportivo Táchira's shirt has black and yellow vertical stripes, with black shorts and socks.
Famous players
The list is sorted by last name- Gilberto Angelucci
- Rafael Dudamel
- Daniel Francovig
- Juan García
- Miguel Oswaldo González, nicknamed "El Negro"
- Laureano Jaimes
- Carlos Maldonado
- William Méndez
- Emerson Panigutti
- Pedro Delgado
- Ricardo Páez
- Julio Silvera
- "El Pollo" Hernandez
- Jose Luis Dolguetta
Talk Deportivo Táchira
You can discuss Deportivo Táchira with other fans on the messageboard
here.
Related pages
At. San Cristobal, Canarias, Caracas FC, Deportiva Lara, Deportivo Chacao, Deportivo Galicia, Deportivo Italia, Deportivo Táchira, Estudiantes Mérida, Ital-Chacao, Maritimo, Mineros Guyana, Minerven, Nacional Táchira, Pepeganga, Portugues Caracas, Portuguesa, Trujillanos, UA Maracaibo, ULA Mérida, Valencia