Alberto Suppici

Alberto Horacio Suppici (20 November 1898 – 21 June 1981) was a Uruguayan footballer and coach who won the first ever FIFA World Cup, leading the Uruguay team in the 1930 tournament on home soil. Suppici is known as el Profesor (the Professor). His cousin was the professional driver Héctor Suppici Sedes.

Biography

On 22 April 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.

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, 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 people. 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 the World Cup, aged only 31.

Honours

Domestic

Peñarol

• Uruguayan Primera División: 1945

International

Uruguay

• FIFA World Cup: 1930
• Copa América runner-up: 1941; third place: 1929, 1937

Years	Coach	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	Win %	Tournaments
1928–1932	Alberto Suppici	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:SilverMedal 1928 Copa Lipton – Runners-up Template:GoldMedal 1929 Copa Newton – Champions Template:GoldMedal 1929 Copa Lipton – Champions Template:BronzeMedal 1929 South American Championship – Third Place Template:GoldMedal 1930 FIFA World Cup – Champions Template:SilverMedal 1931 Taça Rio Branco – Runners-up Template:SilverMedal 1932 Taça Rio Branco – Runners-up
1935–1941	Alberto Suppici (2nd time)	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:SilverMedal 1935 Copa Juan Mignaburu – Runners-up Template:SilverMedal 1936 Copa Juan Mignaburu – Runners-up Template:GoldMedal 1936 Copa Héctor Gómez – Champions Template:BronzeMedal 1937 South American Championship – Third Place Template:SilverMedal 1937 Copa Newton – Runners-up Template:SilverMedal 1937 Copa Lipton – Runners-up Template:SilverMedal 1938 Copa Juan Mignaburu – Runners-up Template:SilverMedal 1938 Copa Héctor Gómez – Runners-up Template:SilverMedal 1939 South American Championship – Runners-up Template:GoldMedal 1940 Taça Rio Branca – Champions Template:GoldMedal 1940 Copa Héctor Gómez – Champions Template:SilverMedal 1940 Copa Juan Mignaburu – Runners-up Template:SilverMedal 1941 South American Championship – Runners-up

References

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