Ituano Futebol Clube, commonly referred to as simply Ituano, is a
Brazilian association football club in
Itu
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU)In the other common languages of the ITU:
*
* is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for many matters related to information and communication technologies. It was established ...
,
São Paulo
São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
. They currently play in the
Série C, the third tier of
Brazilian football
Football is the most popular sport in Brazil and a prominent part of the country's national identity. The Brazil national football team has won the FIFA World Cup five times, the most of any team, in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002. Brazil an ...
, as well as in the
Campeonato Paulista Série A2
Campeonato Paulista Série A2 is the second tier of the professional state football league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. It is run by the São Paulo State Football Federation (FPF).
Clubs
2025 Série A2
List of champions
There a ...
, the second tier of the São Paulo
state football league.
Founded on May 24, 1947, Ituano won the
São Paulo State League twice.
The club's home colours are red and black and the team mascot is a
rooster
The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...
.
History
The club was founded on May 24, 1947, by employees of
Estrada de Ferro Sorocabana
Rail transport in Brazil began in the 19th century and there were many different railway companies. The railways were nationalised, nationalized under RFFSA (Rede Ferroviária Federal, Sociedade Anônima) in 1957. Between 1999 and 2007, RFFSA ...
(Sorocabana Railroad), based in Itu. When founded the club was originally known as Associação Atlética Sorocabana. In the 1960s, the club changed its name to Ferroviário Atlético Ituano and in the 1990s the club again changed its name, this time to Ituano Futebol Clube.
In 1977 a group of sportsmen of Itu unified the football of the city around Ferroviário Atlético Ituano (FAI) and reactivated the Liga Ituana de Futebol (Ituano Football League). In 1978 the club played in
Série A3 the third level of the São Paulo state professional football championship. They were promoted to the
Campeonato Paulista
The Campeonato Paulista Série A1, commonly known as Campeonato Paulista, nicknamed Paulistão, is the top-flight professional state football league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. Run by the São Paulo State Football Federation (FPF), ...
, the top-flight professional football league in São Paulo in 1989 after clinching the
Série A2 championship.
In 2002, Ituano became one of the few teams from outside the São Paulo metroplex area to win the
Campeonato Paulista
The Campeonato Paulista Série A1, commonly known as Campeonato Paulista, nicknamed Paulistão, is the top-flight professional state football league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. Run by the São Paulo State Football Federation (FPF), ...
.
In 2003, Ituano became the champion of the
Campeonato Brasileiro Série C
The Campeonato Brasileiro Série C, commonly known as the Série C or the Brazilian Série C to distinguish it from the Italian Serie C, is the third tier of the Brazilian football league system.
Unlike the first and second divisions, the Sér ...
after surpassing teams like Santo Andre who won the Copa Do Brasil one year later.
In 2007, Ituano were relegated back to the Brasileiro Serie C after finishing in last place and one year later were not playing in the Brazilian top 4 divisions.
In 2014, Ituano became one of the few teams outside of the São Paulo metroplex area to win the
Campeonato Paulista
The Campeonato Paulista Série A1, commonly known as Campeonato Paulista, nicknamed Paulistão, is the top-flight professional state football league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. Run by the São Paulo State Football Federation (FPF), ...
twice beating Santos in the final.
Juninho Paulista
Osvaldo Giroldo Júnior (born 22 February 1973), known as Juninho or Juninho Paulista, is a Brazilian former footballer who played as an attacking midfielder and is now the national team co-ordinator of the Brazil national football team. During ...
, a former player from the club's academy and former
Brazilian international, became the club's president in 2010. Juninho joined in a player-president capacity helping the team avoid relegation on the final day of the
2010 season with the decisive goal in a 3–2 victory.
In 2014, Ituano won the Campeonato Paulista, defeating the storied
Santos Futebol Clube
Santos Futebol Clube () is a Brazilian sports club based in Vila Belmiro, a ''bairro'' in the city of Santos. It plays in the Campeonato Paulista, the state of São Paulo's premier state league, as well as the Campeonato Brasileiro Sér ...
on penalty kicks.
In 2019,
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
signed young winger
Gabriel Martinelli from the club and he quickly became a first-team regular.
Stadium
Ituano's stadium is Estádio Novelli Júnior, inaugurated in 1947. The stadium has a capacity of 18,000 people.
Mascot
The club mascot is a cock wearing the team kit. The nickname was received in 1957 when Sorocabana played against Club Atlético Ituano (Third Division champions in 1954–55, who have no connection with the current Ituano FC). On this occasion Sorocabana lost the match but the supporters said that the team had
fought like a cock and from there the club received its nickname.
Rivalries
Ituano's biggest rival is
Paulista Futebol Clube
Paulista Futebol Clube, also called as Paulista de Jundiaí or simply Paulista, is a Brazilian football team from Jundiaí, in São Paulo, founded on 17 May 1909. They currently play in the Campeonato Paulista Série A4, the fourth tier of the ...
and they contest the Briga de Galo. Other major rivals are
Ponte Preta and
São Bento, representing the cities of
Campinas
Campinas (, ''Plains'' or ''Meadows'') is a Brazilian Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in São Paulo (state), São Paulo State, part of the country's Southeast Region, Brazil, Southeast Region. According to the 2020 estimate, the city's popul ...
and
Sorocaba
Sorocaba () is a municipality in the interior of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. With over 723,000 inhabitants, it is the seventh-largest city in the state and the second-largest outside the Greater São Paulo region, ranking behind only Cam ...
, respectively.
Players
Current squad
Youth team
Out on loan
Honours
Official tournaments
Others tournaments
State
*
Campeonato Paulista do Interior (2): 2017, 2022
Runners-up
*
Copa Paulista
The Copa Paulista de Futebol, formerly known as Copa FPF, also sometimes called Copa Federação Paulista de Futebol or, in English, São Paulo State Cup, is a tournament organized by Federação Paulista de Futebol Company every second half of ...
(3): 1999, 2003, 2015
*
Campeonato Paulista Série A2
Campeonato Paulista Série A2 is the second tier of the professional state football league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. It is run by the São Paulo State Football Federation (FPF).
Clubs
2025 Série A2
List of champions
There a ...
(1): 1997
References
External links
*
Current Squad
{{Campeonato Paulista
Association football clubs established in 1947
Football clubs in São Paulo (state)
1947 establishments in Brazil