Venezuela national football team
The Venezuela national football team (Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Venezuela) represents Venezuela in men's international football and is controlled by the Venezuelan Football Federation (FVF), the governing body for football in Venezuela. They are nicknamed La Vinotinto ("Red wine") because of the traditional burgundy color of their shirts. When playing at home in official games, they usually rotate between three stadiums: The Polideportivo Cachamay in Puerto Ordaz, the Estadio José Antonio Anzoátegui in Puerto La Cruz and the Estadio Pueblo Nuevo in San Cristóbal. In friendly matches, they tend to rotate between the rest of the stadiums in the country.
 | |||
| Nickname(s) | La Vinotinto | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Federación Venezolana de Fútbol (FVF) | ||
| Confederation | CONMEBOL (South America) | ||
| Head coach | José Peseiro | ||
| Captain | Tomás Rincón | ||
| Most caps | Juan Arango (129) | ||
| Top scorer | Salomón Rondón (30) | ||
| Home stadium | Estadio José Antonio Anzoátegui Polideportivo Cachamay Estadio Pueblo Nuevo | ||
| FIFA code | VEN | ||
| |||
| FIFA ranking | |||
| Current | 25  | ||
| Highest | 25 (November 2019) | ||
| Lowest | 129 (November 1998) | ||
| First international | |||
 .svg.png){kind=small} (Panama City, Panama; 12 February 1938) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
.svg.png){kind=small} .svg.png){kind=small} (Caracas, Venezuela; 16 January 1959) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
 (Rosario, Argentina; 10 August 1975) | |||
| Copa América | |||
| Appearances | 18 (first in 1967) | ||
| Best result | Fourth place (2011) | ||
Unlike other South American nations, and akin to some Caribbean nations, baseball is extremely popular in Venezuela, which diverts athletic talent away from football, contributing to its historic lack of success in CONMEBOL competitions. As of 2018, they are the only CONMEBOL side to have never qualified for the FIFA World Cup. Often Venezuela would go through entire qualification tournaments without recording a single win, although this has not happened since 1998. Until 2011, their best finish at the Copa América was fifth in their first entry, in 1967. It is only recently with the spread of the World Cup's popularity in nations where football was not the primary sport (such as Japan, the United States, and Australia) that the national team found incentives to increase player development and fan support. As of December 2019, Venezuela has the highest position on the FIFA World Ranking of any team that has not yet qualified for the World Cup, being ranked 25th.[2]
In spite of its lackluster senior performance, Venezuela has been notable for being the first country from outside the three traditional CONMEBOL forces (Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay) to reach the final of any FIFA competition, with its U-20 team achieved the feat in 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup.[3]
History
Backstory
Venezuela did not participate in FIFA World Cup qualification until the 1966 qualifiers in which they were drawn with Uruguay and Peru, but failed to register a point in four games. In the 1970 qualifiers they managed to register a point, and after withdrawing from the 1974 series, repeated that in the 1978 qualifiers. The 1982 qualifiers saw them register their first win, over Bolivia. They wouldn't register another World Cup qualifying win until the 1994 series when they defeated Ecuador. A highlight of the 1998 qualifiers was goalkeeper Rafael Dudamel scoring against Argentina in a 5–2 defeat.
Despite poor results during the 1960s and 1970s, outstanding players like Luis Mendoza and Rafael Santana achieved recognition. Venezuela at that time also managed to qualify for the 1980 Summer Olympics, its first ever major international football competition Venezuela participated.
Richard Páez era
After José Omar Pastoriza's resignation during the 2002 World Cup qualifyings, Richard Páez took the technical direction of the National Team. Finishing this process, Venezuela achieved 4 victories in a row against Uruguay, Chile, Peru, and Paraguay; winning more than 1 game in row, their first away game and not finishing in the last place for the first time in their World Cup qualifying history.
However, the team failed to qualify for both the 2002, and 2006 World Cups, gaining 12 and 18 points respectively. After this, the team advanced to the second round Copa America 2007 in Venezuela, is the first time they could reach it on this competition.
In November 2007, Páez resigned after discrepancies with media and supporters.[4]
César Farías era
With a new coach César Farías, Venezuela national team improved their performances. At the beginning of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying, Venezuela won its first game in World Cup qualifying against long unbeaten Ecuador in Quito. Something similar happened to Bolivia in La Paz, where Venezuela won for the first time at Bolivian altitude. Also, they received their first point against Brazil in qualifying. Despite not ultimately reaching the 2010, Venezuela achieved its best result in qualifying. They finished this round with 22 points in 18 matches, surpassing Peru and Bolivia for eighth place in the region.
On 6 June 2008, Venezuela achieved its second-ever triumph over Brazil, defeating the Seleção 2–0 in a friendly match in Boston, United States. Venezuela obtained excellent results in the 2011 Copa América when they finished fourth, their highest finish in the tournament to date. With a squad composed mostly of players playing in Europe, they began 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification with a historic result (1–0) against Argentina in Puerto La Cruz, beating the Argentines for the first time.
Noel Sanvicente era
On 4 September 2014, Noel Sanvicente was made coach of the Venezuela national team.[5] On 5 September 2014, the team lost its first match with Sanvicente under the helm 3–1 against South Korea in Bucheon.[6]
Sanvicente's first tournament came in the 2015 Copa América, with Venezuela drawn in Group C of the competition. Their opening game finished with an upset victory over tournament favorites Colombia by 1–0, but subsequent defeats to Peru and Brazil saw La Vinotinto eliminated.
Venezuela began the World Cup qualification campaign with a 1–0 defeat against Paraguay at home, and would not earn their first point until their match against Peru, a 2–2 draw in Lima where Venezuela led until the last minute of stoppage time. Their match with Chile ended in a disappointing 4–1 defeat, Sanvicente announced his resignation a week later after mutual consent with the FVF. At the time of Sanvicente's departure, Venezuela was last in the qualification standings with a sole point, and was unofficially eliminated.
Rafael Dudamel era
Sanvicente was replaced by former Vinotinto goalkeeper Rafael Dudamel, who decided to revamp the entire national team squad, by injecting the team with the promising young generation of Venezuelan players that finished second at the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup that was dubbed as the country's first ever football Golden Generation.[7] Under his coaching, La Vinotinto quickly improved and reached the quarterfinals in the Copa América Centenario, with two 1–0 wins over Jamaica and Uruguay and a 1–1 draw against Mexico in the group stage and then a 4–1 defeat to Argentina in the quarter-finals. In the 7th matchday of the 2018 World Cup qualifier, Venezuela lost to Colombia 2–0 in Barranquilla, the first loss against Los Cafeteros since 2009. Later, on matchday 11, Venezuela won for the first time in the qualifier, 5–0 over Bolivia in Maturín with a hat-trick from Josef Martínez and goals from Jacobo Kouffati and Rómulo Otero.
On 2 January 2020, Dudamel resigned from the national team.
Copa América history
Venezuela first participated at the Copa América in 1967, and finished fifth after defeating Bolivia 3–0 with a side containing Mendoza and Santana. The 1975 tournament saw Venezuela drawn in a group with Brazil and Argentina, and finished bottom with an 11–0 defeat to Argentina. In the 1979 edition, which would be the international swansong for Mendoza and Santana, they drew 0–0 with Colombia and 1–1 with Chile. A highlight of the 1989 tournament was midfielder Carlos Maldonado's four goals. In the 1993 series, Venezuela drew with Uruguay and the United States.
The team's overall Copa América record has been relatively poor (goal difference 33–145 before the 2011 Copa América), but the "Auge Vinotinto" (Vinotinto Rise) period in the early 2000s (decade) brought increased attention to the sport in the country, which in turn brought increased support from both government and private institutions. Said support contributed greatly to the "Vinotinto's" rise in quality. In 2007, during the Copa América held in Venezuela, the team progressed to the quarterfinals for the first time in its history after finishing first in a group containing Peru, Bolivia, and Uruguay. Venezuela's 2–0 victory over Peru during the competition was its first Copa América victory since 1967.
2011 Copa América
At the 2011 Copa América championship, Venezuela reached the semi-finals round for the first time by defeating Chile in the quarter-final, 2–1. Despite their commanding presence against Paraguay in their semifinal, Venezuela was unable to convert their chances into goals. They would eventually lose 5–3 to Paraguay in a penalty shootout after remaining scoreless in normal and extra time. Venezuela and Peru played for third place at the Estadio Ciudad de La Plata, where Venezuela would suffer their biggest loss of the tournament, losing 4–1 to Peru and falling into fourth place overall. Nonetheless, it was their best ever finish at the competition.
Group B:
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 5 |
.svg.png){kind=small} |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 5 |
.svg.png){kind=small} |
3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
 |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 1 |
Results:
| 3 July 2011 Group stages | Brazil | 0–0 | | La Plata, Argentina |
| 16:00 UTC-3 | Report | Stadium: Estadio Ciudad de La Plata Referee: Raúl Orosco (Bolivia) |
| 9 July 2011 Group stages | Venezuela | 1–0 | | Salta, Argentina |
| 18:30 UTC-3 | C. González  |
Report | Stadium: Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena Referee: Wálter Quesada (Costa Rica) |
| 13 July 2011 Group stages | Paraguay | 3–3 | | Salta, Argentina |
| 19:15 UTC-3 | Alcaraz Barrios Riveros |
Report | Rondón Miku Perozo |
Stadium: Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena Referee: Enrique Osses (Chile) |
| 17 July 2011 Quarterfinals | Chile  | 1–2 | | San Juan, Argentina |
| 19:15 UTC-3 | Suazo |
Report | Vizcarrondo Cichero |
Stadium: Estadio del Bicentenario Referee: Carlos Vera (Ecuador) |
Team image
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Venezuela national football team kits. |
Venezuela made its international debut in the Central American and Caribbean Games held in Panama in 1938, wearing the vinotinto (burgundy) color. In the 1967 Copa América Venezuela also wore the Peñarol shirt v Chile to avoid colors clash, as Venezuela had arrived in the Estadio Centenario (Peñarol's frequent venue) with no alternate shirts.[8]
In 1993, a vertical band with the colors of the National flag was added to the left side of the jersey, which changed its colors to a more traditional red tone. This lasted until 1996 when Venezuela returned to the vinotinto tone.[9]
Nevertheless, in 1998 Venezuela adopted a yellow/blue/red schem, similar to their flag colors, by Mexican manufacturer "ABA Sports".[9] The national team returned to the traditional color in 2000. It has been remaining (with few changes)[10] as the main uniform up to present days.
Results and fixtures
2019
| 10 September 2019 Friendly | Colombia  | 0–0 | | Tampa, United States |
| 20:30 (UTC–5) | Lerma  Moreno Muriel |
Report | Ángel Mago Soteldo |
Stadium: Raymond James Stadium Referee: Ted Unkel (United States) |
| 10 October 2019 Friendly | Venezuela | 4–1 | .svg.png){kind=small} | Caracas, Venezuela |
| 18:00 (UTC–4) | Herrera Machís Rondón |
Report | Jusino Álvarez |
Stadium: Estadio Olímpico de la UCV Attendance: 20,112 Referee: Gustavo Murillo (Colombia) |
| 14 October 2019 Friendly | Venezuela | 2–0 |  | Caracas, Venezuela |
| 18:00 (UTC–4) | Rondón Machís |
Report | Julien |
Stadium: Estadio Olímpico de la UCV Attendance: 12,627 Referee: Gustavo Murillo (Colombia) |
| 19 November 2019 Kirin Challenge Cup 2019 | Japan  | 1–4 | | Suita, Japan |
| 19:25 (UTC+9) | Sasaki Hashimoto Yamaguchi |
Report | Rondón Soteldo Villanueva Manzano Rincón |
Stadium: Panasonic Stadium Suita Attendance: 33,399 Referee: Mohd Amirul Izwan Yaacob (Malaysia) |
2020
| 26 March 2020 2022 FWCQ | Colombia | Postponed | | Barranquilla, Colombia |
| 15:30 (UTC−5) | Report | Stadium: Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez |
| 31 March 2020 2022 FWCQ | Venezuela | Postponed |  | Mérida, Venezuela |
| Report | Stadium: Estadio Metropolitano de Mérida |
2021
| TBA 2021 Copa América | Brazil | v | | Cali, Colombia |
| Stadium: Estadio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero |
| TBA 2021 Copa América | Colombia | v | | Cali, Colombia |
| Stadium: Estadio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero |
| TBA 2021 Copa América | Venezuela | v | | Bogotá, Colombia |
| Stadium: Estadio El Campín |
| TBA 2021 Copa América | Qatar  | v | | Cali, Colombia |
| Stadium: Estadio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero |
| TBA 2021 Copa América | Venezuela | v | .svg.png){kind=small} | Cali, Colombia |
| Stadium: Estadio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero |
2020 Copa América group standing
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
(H) Host.
2022 FIFA World Cup qualification standing
Players
Current squad
The following 39 players was called up for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification postponed matches against Colombia and Paraguay that were going to be played on 23 and 31 March 2020, respectively.
Caps and goals are correct as of 19 November 2019, after the match against Japan.
Friendlies not recognized by FIFA are not counted.
Recent call-ups
The following players have been called up for the team in the last 12 months.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DF | Williams Velásquez | 22 April 1997 | 0 | 0 |  |
v. |
| MF | José Martínez | 7 August 1994 | 0 | 0 | |
v. |
PRE Preliminary squad | ||||||
Records
Most caps
Blue highlights denotes active players. Only FIFA International A matches are being counted.
| Position | Name | Period | Caps | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Juan Arango | 1999–2015 | 129 | 22 | |
| 2 | José Manuel Rey | 1997–2011 | 115 | 11 | |
| 3 | Tomás Rincón | 2008– | 101 | 1 | |
| 4 | Jorge Alberto Rojas | 1999–2009 | 91 | 3 | |
| 5 | Miguel Mea Vitali | 1999–2012 | 84 | 1 | |
| 6 | Salomón Rondón | 2008– | 80 | 30 | |
| 6 | Roberto Rosales | 2007– | 80 | 1 | |
| 6 | Oswaldo Vizcarrondo | 2004–2016 | 80 | 7 | |
| 9 | Luis Vallenilla | 1996–2007 | 76 | 1 | |
| 10 | Gabriel Urdaneta | 1996–2005 | 75 | 9 | |
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Top scorers
Blue highlights denotes active players. Only FIFA International A matches are being counted.
| Position | Name | Period | Goals | Caps | Goals/Caps Ratio | Minutes | Goals/90' Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salomón Rondón | 2008– | 30 | 80 | 0.37 | 5,937' | 0.46 |
| 2 | Juan Arango | 1999–2015 | 22 | 132 | 0.18 | 9,918' | 0.21 |
| 3 | Giancarlo Maldonado | 2003–2011 | 22 | 65 | 0.34 | 4,669' | 0.42 |
| 4 | Ruberth Morán | 1996–2007 | 14 | 63 | 0.22 | 4,059' | 0.31 |
| 5 | Josef Martínez | 2011–2019 | 11 | 51 | 0.24 | 2.760' | 0.39 |
| 6 | Miku | 2006–2015 | 11 | 50 | 0.22 | 2,902' | 0.34 |
| 6 | José Manuel Rey | 1997–2011 | 11 | 111 | 0.10 | 9,479' | 0.10 |
| 8 | Daniel Arismendi | 2006–2011 | 10 | 30 | 0.30 | 1,257' | 0.71 |
| 9 | Gabriel Urdaneta | 1996–2005 | 9 | 75 | 0.12 | 5,269' | 0.15 |
| 10 | Juan García | 1989–2009 | 7 | 49 | 0.14 | 2,586' | 0.24 |
| 10 | Oswaldo Vizcarrondo | 2004–2016 | 7 | 80 | 0.09 | 7,509' | 0.08 |
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Competitive record
Head to head
FIFA World Cup
| FIFA World Cup record | FIFA World Cup qualification record | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
 |
Did not enter | Declined participation | |||||||||||||
.svg.png){kind=small} | |||||||||||||||
.svg.png){kind=small} | |||||||||||||||
.svg.png){kind=small} | |||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||
 |
Withdrew | Withdrew | |||||||||||||
|
Did not enter | Declined participation | |||||||||||||
 |
Did not qualify | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 15 | ||||||||
 |
6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 18 | |||||||||
 |
Withdrew | Withdrew | |||||||||||||
|
Did not qualify | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 8 | ||||||||
 |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 9 | |||||||||
|
6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 15 | |||||||||
 |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 18 | |||||||||
|
8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 34 | |||||||||
 |
16 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 8 | 41 | |||||||||
 |
18 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 18 | 44 | |||||||||
|
18 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 20 | 28 | |||||||||
 |
18 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 23 | 29 | |||||||||
|
16 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 14 | 20 | |||||||||
 |
18 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 19 | 35 | |||||||||
|
To be determined | To be determined | |||||||||||||
.svg.png){kind=small} | |||||||||||||||
| Total | 0/21 | 140 | 25 | 25 | 90 | 120 | 315 | ||||||||
Copa América
Champions Runners-up Third Place Fourth Place
| South American Championship / Copa América record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| 1916 to 1963 | Did not participate | |||||||
| Fifth place | 5th | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 16 |
 | Group stage | 10th | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 26 |
| 10th | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 12 | |
| 10th | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 10 | |
| 10th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 8 | |
| 10th | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 11 | |
| 10th | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 15 | |
| 11th | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 11 | |
| 12th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 10 | |
 | 12th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | |
| 12th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 13 | |
| 12th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | |
 | 11th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | |
 | Quarter-finals | 6th | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| Fourth place | 4th | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 8 |
| Group stage | 9th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Quarter-finals | 6th | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| 7th | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | |
| Qualified | |||||||
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| Total | Fourth place | 18/46 | 62 | 8 | 13 | 42 | 47 | 171 |
Pan American Games
| Pan American Games record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|
Fourth place | 4th | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 14 |
|
Fourth place | 4th | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 20 |
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Did not participate | |||||||
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 | ||||||||
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Round 1 | 7th | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
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Did not qualify | |||||||
 | ||||||||
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 | ||||||||
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Round 1 | 12th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
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Did not qualify | |||||||
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| Total | Fourth place | 4/18 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 18 | 43 |
See also
References
- "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 16 July 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
- "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA.com. FIFA. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
- https://www.bbc.com/sport/live/football/40205178
- https://www.emol.com/noticias/deportes/2007/11/26/283172/venezuela-se-quedo-sin-dt-renuncio-richard-paez.html
- FIFA.com. "Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) – FIFA.com". fifa.com. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
- "Korea Republic 3 – 1 Venezuela Match report – 9/5/14 Friendlies – Goal.com". goal.com. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
- https://www.footballparadise.com/jovenes-venezuela-golden-u20-generation/
- Vinotinto aurinegra on AguantenChe website, 18 Jan 2013
- La evolución de la camisa vinotinto desde 1938
- La vinotinto estrenará uniforme on La Patilla website
- Las marcas que han vestido a la Vinotinto on Meridiano.com
- Luis Fernando Passo Alpuin. "Appearances for Venezuela National Team". RSSSF. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Venezuela national football team. |
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