Asmara Calcio
| Full name | Gruppo Sportivo Asmara FC |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1936 |
| Ground |
Cicero Stadium Asmara, Eritrea |
| Capacity | 6,000 |
| Chairman | Francesco Cicero (1936-1945) |
Asmara Calcio was an Italian Eritrea football team of Asmara (capital of Eritrea), created during colonial times.
History
The Asmara Calcio (also called "Gruppo Sportivo Asmara" or GS Asmara) was created in the late 1930s by Italian entrepreneur Cicero (who also made the Cicero Stadium) as the representative football team of the Italian colonists in Asmara[1].
The football in Eritrea was started during colonial times, when the Italians ruled the country. The first championship (amateur) was in 1936 [2]: the most important teams were "Gruppo Sportivo Cicero" (later Asmara Calcio), "Gruppo Rionale Neghelli", "GS Zuco", "GS Melotti", "GS Ferrovieri", "GS Marina' and the "GS Decamerè".
The team won the first Eritrean championship, done in 1940, but was not officially finished because of the beginning of WW2. In the late 1940s the "GS Asmara" [3] won the Eritrean Championship in 1945-1947-1949.
A few years after the end of WW2 when most of the Italian colonists moved away from Asmara, the team was partially dismantled but survived (with only the name "GS Asmara" and without the Italian word "calcio") and in 1972 & 1973 was again the Eritrean Champion.
