Giovanni Paramithiotti () was an Italian sporting director of Albanian origins. He was one of the founders and first chairman of the football club

Internazionale Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Since 1 ...

(1908–1909).

Biography

Paramithiotti was born in

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, into a wealthy family of

Cham Albanian Cham Albanians or Chams (; , ), are a sub-group of Albanians who originally resided in the western part of the region of Epirus in southwestern Albania and northwestern Greece, an area known among Albanians as Chameria. The Chams have their ow ...

origins. In the 18th century, his ancestors left Albania, which was part of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

at that time, by joining the

Albanian diaspora The Albanian diaspora () are the ethnic Albanians and their descendants living outside of Albania, Kosovo, southeastern Montenegro, western North Macedonia, southeastern Serbia, northwestern Greece and Southern Italy. The largest communities ...

for better life opportunities. They moved away from Yanina Sanjak, in the region of

Epirus Epirus () is a Region#Geographical regions, geographical and historical region, historical region in southeastern Europe, now shared between Greece and Albania. It lies between the Pindus Mountains and the Ionian Sea, stretching from the Bay ...

, precisely from the current area of

Paramythia Paramythia () is a town and a former municipality in Thesprotia, Epirus, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Souli, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 342.197 ...

, and preserved their origin as being from Paramythia with the surname Paramithiotti. They moved to Venice, Italy, where he was born. He was one of the founders of Inter Milan in 1908 after they severed ties with

AC Milan (), commonly referred to as Milan or AC Milan () mainly outside of Italy, is an Italian professional Football club (association football), football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Founded in 1899, the club competes in the Serie A, the top tie ...

and was elected as the first chairman of the new football club, remaining in office for only one year. According to the chronicles of the time, Paramithiotti was not particularly liked by the supporters due to his reputation as a jinx, which forced him not to show up at the stadium. However, one day, he was not recognised because he was watching the match with a fake beard and moustache, and as Inter won the match, his bad reputation was put to an end. In 1909, after one year, he was succeeded by Ettore Strauss in his place, following the wishes of the

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

majority of the club's members. He died in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

on 11 March 1943.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paramithiotti, Giovanni Inter Milan chairmen and investors Italian football chairmen and investors 1943 deaths Italian people of Albanian descent