Alberto Suppici

Alberto Suppici
Personal information
Full nameAlberto Horacio Suppici
Date of birth20 November 1898
Place of birthColonia del Sacramento, Uruguay
Date of death21 June 1981 (aged 82)
Place of deathMontevideo, Uruguay
Height1.67 m (5 ft 5 1⁄2 in)
Playing positionLeft half
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1915-23Nacional143(6)
Teams managed
1928-32Uruguay (technical director)
6-9/1935Central Español
1935-1941Uruguay
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Alberto Horacio Suppici (20 November 1898 – 21 June 1981) was coach of the Uruguay team during the 1930 FIFA World Cup, leading the host nation to victory in the first ever FIFA World Cup. Suppici is known as el Profesor (the Professor).[1] His cousin was professional driver Héctor Suppici Sedes.

Biography

On April 22, 1917, Suppici founded the football club Plaza Colonia in Colonia del Sacramento, his hometown. The club's 12 000-capacity home ground has been named Estadio Profesor Alberto Suppici in his honour.[1]

As technical director of Uruguay, Suppici coached the side to third in the 1929 South American Championship, the precursor to the modern Copa América.

At the inaugural FIFA World Cup in his home nation of Uruguay in 1930, Suppici dropped goalkeeper Andrés Mazali, who had won a gold medal in the 1928 Olympic final, from the national team after he was caught breaking curfew and failing to arrive at the team hotel in time in Montevideo prior to the tournament. Suppici led the side to victory in the final over Argentina at Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, masterminding a second-half comeback from 2-1 down to win 4-2 in front of 93,000 fans.[2] Suppici's technical staff at the tournament included Pedro Arispe, Ernesto Figoli, Luis Greco and Pedro Olivieri. He is the youngest ever coach to win a World Cup, aged 31.

Honours

International

Uruguay

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Prof. Alberto Suppici
  2. ↑ "FIFA World Cup Origin" (PDF). FIFA. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
First winner		 FIFA World Cup winning managers
1930 		Succeeded by
Italy Vittorio Pozzo