Caracas F.C.

(Redirected from Caracas FC)

Caracas Fútbol Club is a Venezuelan professional football team based in Caracas. The club has won twelve First Division titles making it the most successful in Venezuelan football history.[1]

Caracas
Full nameCaracas Fútbol Club
Nickname(s)Los Rojos del Ávila (The Reds from Ávila)
Founded5 June 1967; 57 years ago (1967-06-05)
GroundEstadio Olímpico de la UCV
Capacity23,940
ChairmanPhillip Valentiner
ManagerFernando Aristeguieta
LeaguePrimera División
2024Primera División Apertura, 11th of 15
Websitehttp://www.caracasfutbolclub.com

They are nicknamed Los Rojos del Ávila, or the "Reds from Ávila". This refers to their red jerseys as well as Cerro El Ávila, a mountain near Caracas.

History

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Early years

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Caracas FC was founded in 1967 under a group of friends led by José Beracasa and Jorge Cubeddu with the name Yamaha FC. The team was entered as an amateur team to the Football Federation of the State of Miranda. The purpose of the club was to allow for Beracasa and his friends to have somewhere to enjoy their free time. As a result, Beracasa created one of the most historical and winning sports franchises in Venezuelan history.

In 1984, renamed Caracas-Yamaha FC after successful seasons in the amateur league, the team was admitted into the Second Division. Their first season in the professional league they won the division and gained promotion to the First Division.

Turmoil in the First Division

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Their first season in the First Division was unstable as they barely survived relegation. After an acceptable second season in 1986, where relegation was not a huge threat, they were renamed Caracas FC when RCTV bought part of them and had joint leadership with Yamaha. Under the guidance of Manuel Plasencia and Luis Mendoza as the managers of the club, the subsequent 1987 season was their best to date.

Reaching the last set of games in the eight-team tournament, they needed a place in the top two in order to qualify for the Copa Libertadores and compete on an international level. However, they lost on the last weekend to now arch-rivals Deportivo Táchira and barely missed out on international competition. The next year brought changes for the First Division as it would now follow the European format of games being played from the Fall to Spring.

The 1988–89 season started well for Caracas FC and they even lifted the Copa de Venezuela but suspensions and injuries in the second half of the season almost led to the collapse of the team. However, even after many of the team's players left, the team was saved by the Cocodrilos Sports Organization, which was led by Guillermo Valentiner until his passing, and his son, Philip Valentiner is the owner today.

Success in the First Division

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Despite a primarily amateur squad, the team finished fourth in the league during the 1989–90 season. Two years later in the 1991–92 season, under manager Manuel Plasencia, who had stayed through the turmoil, Caracas FC won their first national championship. They went on to win the next two seasons, with the third title in 1993–94 being won under a new manager, Pedro Febles. However, after an unsuccessful 1994–95 season, Plasencia returned to lead the team to a title in the 1995–96 season. It is also worth noting that during this time Caracas FC won the Copa de Venezuela twice, though historically that competition has been marked by instability and anonymity.

After four years of titleless competition, they won their fifth national championship under Carlos Moreno. However, the 1999 season saw Caracas FC reach the semi-finals of the Copa Merconorte, their greatest success to date in international competition. The next year marked the appointment of the then 37-year-old Noel Sanvicente took over the club. He is Caracas' most successful manager as he was able to win five titles in 2002–03, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2006–07, and most recently in 2008–09. He also led Caracas FC to its best ever position in South America's most prestigious club competition, the Copa Libertadores.

In 2010, Noel Sanvicente stepped down from the team following which Ceferino Bencomo took over as manager. Under Ceferino Bencomo, Caracas FC won its eleventh national championship title defeating arch-rival Deportivo Táchira in a two game final.

Caracas F.C. has developed many important players through their academy that are now playing for important clubs around the World, such as Ronald Vargas (AEK Athens F.C) and Luis Manuel Seijas (Internacional de Porto Alegre).

Colors and Uniform

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The club's colors are red, white and black.

  • Home Uniform: A red top with black stripes down the side and on the borders. Paired with black shorts and socks.
  • Away Uniform: A white top with red stripes down the side and on the borders. Paired with white shorts bordered in red and white socks.
  • Third Uniform: A black top with red stripes down the side and on the borders. Paired with black shorts with red borders and black

Stadium

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Caracas FC game, 2008–09 season; in the Estadio Olimpico de la UCV

Caracas Fútbol Club has played their home matches at Cocodrilos Sports Park since the season 2006–07. Cocodrilos Sports Park has a maximum capacity of 3,500 people, with future expansions planned to 6,000 people, and then to 15,000. The field has an artificial grass surface.

For bigger national league or international tournaments games, the club has used the Brígido Iriarte Stadium. This stadium is also used by another professional Caracas club, Deportivo Italia. It has an official capacity of 12,000 people; however, there have been crowds of 20,000 spectators in games against Deportivo Táchira (their historical rival), São Paulo and other teams.

Recently Caracas Fútbol Club has played at the Estadio Olímpico de la UCV which has a maximum capacity of 30,000 spectators. This has been used primarily for the Copa Libertadores along with important First Division matches. Since the 2007–08 season the Estadio Olímpico de la UCV will be used as the temporary home ground because of the expansion and redesign of Cocodrilos Sports Park which is being used as a training facility in the meantime. The stadium meet all the requirements to perform international games like Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana.

Honours

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National

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Performance in CONMEBOL competitions

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2010: Second Round
2014: Second Round
2017: First Round
2018: Round of 16
2019: Round of 16
2020: Second Round
2023: Qualifying Stage
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1998: Group Stage
1999: Semi-finals
1993: Quarter-finals

Current roster

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As of 15 September 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   VEN Wuilker Fariñez
2 DF   VEN Francisco La Mantia
3 DF   VEN Daniel Rivillo
4 DF   VEN Brayan Rodríguez
5 MF   VEN Miguel Vegas
6 DF   VEN Rubert Quijada (captain)
7 FW   VEN Danny Pérez
8 MF   VEN Juanpi
9 FW   COL Yeison Mena
10 MF   VEN Anderson Contreras
11 FW   VEN Edwuin Pernía
12 GK   VEN Frankarlos Benítez
13 FW   VEN Enmanuel Moreno
14 MF   VEN Ender Echenique
15 MF   PAN Leslie Heráldez
16 MF   MEX Daniel Aguilar
No. Pos. Nation Player
17 FW   VEN Lucciano Reinoso
18 FW   VEN Armando Rivas
19 DF   VEN Roger Manríque
20 DF   ARG Marco Campagnaro
21 MF   VEN Vicente Rodríguez
22 FW   VEN Manuel Sulbarán
23 GK   VEN Wilbert Hernández
24 FW   VEN Néstor Jiménez
25 DF   VEN Bianneider Tamayo
27 MF   NGA Blessing Edet
29 DF   VEN Renné Rivas
30 DF   VEN Luis Casiani
MF   VEN Wilfred Correa
44 FW   NGA Shola Oduoye
96 FW   VEN Andris Herrera
99 FW   PAN Everaldo Rose
MF   VEN José Hernández

Managers

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References

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  1. ^ Homewood, Brian (1 June 2009). "S.America roundup-Five-goal Caracas win Venezuela title". Reuters. Archived from the original on 29 December 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
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