Italo Vassalo

Italo Vassalo
Personal information
Date of birth 1940
Place of birth Asmara, Eritrea
Playing position Forward
Youth career
1957–1960 GS Asmara, Hamasien
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1961–1965 Cotton Factory Club
1966–1974 Saint-George SA
National team
1962–1971 Ethiopia 10+ (4+)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Italo Vassallo is a former Eritrean born, Italo-Eritrean footballer. He played with Ethiopia internationally, sharing in its 1962 African Cup victory over Egypt.[1] He played -as an Ethiopian- at FIFA World Cup qualifiers in 1970. Lately he is also being reconsidered by Eritrean sport authorities as an "Eritrean with Italian roots" football player. His brother is Luciano Vassalo, also a footballer for the Ethiopian team.[2]

Biography

Italo Vassalo (sometimes spelt "Vassallo") was born in Asmara (capital of Italian Eritrea) in 1940 from an Italian soldier named Vittorio Vassalo (who gave him his name Italo, that means "with Italian roots") and a local Eritrean girl named Mebrak.

As a teenager he started playing football with his older brother Luciano Vassalo in the "GS Asmara" and in the "Hamasien" (precursor of Asmara Birra[3]).

He then moved to Ethiopia: Italo played with his brother Luciano in the Cotton FC of Dire Dawa, winning the Ethiopian Championship in 1962, 1963 and 1965.

Because Eritrea was officially ceded to Ethiopia from Great Britain by the United Nations Mandate in 1952, subsequently under the Ethiopian Federation Italo was considered an Ethiopian citizen and started to play as a powerful striker in the national team.

My brother (Italo) was an very good forward. He was very strong physically and technically. We won the national football team of Egypt (in the 1962 African Cup) during the final match with a 4-2 score, thanks to 2 goals of him in the extra time... Luciano Vassalo [4]

So, he played with Ethiopia internationally, sharing in its 1962 African Cup victory over Egypt.[5] Italo scored the goal that practically gave the victory to Ethiopia in the final match at the 101 minute, while the two teams were tied at 2-2:

Ethiopia 4–2
(a.e.t.)		 United Arab Republic
Tekle  74'
Worku  84', 118'
Italo Vassalo  101'		 Badawi  35', 75'
Attendance: 30,000
Referee: Wilson Brooks (Uganda)

He later played at FIFA World Cup qualifiers in 1970. His brother Luciano Vassalo was also a footballer (and later team coach) for the Ethiopian team.[6]

He retired from active tournaments in the 1970s (even for political reasons because he was not fully Ethiopian, but "half" Italian) and went back to Eritrea, where he worked as a local team coach. Now Italo owns a restaurant in Asmara.[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Ethiopian soccer great Italo Vassalo speaks out". Ethiopian Review. 4 December 2009. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
  2. ↑ "Ethiopian soccer great Italo Vassalo speaks out". Ethiopian Review. 4 December 2009. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
  3. ↑ List of Eritrean football champion teams
  4. ↑ Interview to Luciano Vassalo (in Italian)
  5. ↑ "Ethiopian soccer great Italo Vassalo speaks out". Ethiopian Review. 4 December 2009. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
  6. ↑ Photo of Italo Vassalo (on the right side) and his brother Luciano
  7. ↑ Book written by Luciano Vassalo

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