Italo Vassalo


Italo Vassallo is a former Eritrean born, Italo-Eritrean footballer. He played with Ethiopia internationally, sharing in its 1962 African Cup victory over Egypt. 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.

Biography

Italo Vassalo was born in Asmara in 1940 from an Italian soldier named Vittorio Vassalo 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".
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.
So, he played with Ethiopia internationally, sharing in its 1962 African Cup victory over Egypt. 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:
He later played at FIFA World Cup qualifiers in 1970. His brother Luciano Vassalo was also a footballer for the Ethiopian team.
He retired from active tournaments in the 1970s and went back to Eritrea, where he worked as a local team coach. Now Italo owns a restaurant in Asmara.