Portuguesa F.C.

The club was founded on 10 April 1972, in Acarigua in the northern part of the state of Portuguesa.

The encounter between Portuguesa and Estudiantes de Mérida is one of the most classic and oldest of Venezuelan football, they are two of the most traditional clubs in the country. The first match played between both teams was on 28 May 1972, in the Copa Venezuela. The match ended with a 1–1 draw, with goals from Chiazzaro at the 73rd minute and Cholo Mendoza at the 79th minute, and so beginning the oldest ongoing classic in the country.

Portuguesa played the so-called Clásico portugueseño against Llaneros de Guanare, these are the two most important clubs in the state of Portuguesa, both having a good number of fans. The first meeting between the two took place on September 28, 1986 (with a scoreless draw) and continued, for now, until 2022 when Llaneros was dissolved.

• Primera División
  • Winners (5): 1973, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978

• Copa de Venezuela
  • Winners (3): 1973, 1976, 1977

• Segunda División Venezolana
  • Winners (2): 2005–06, 2013–14

• Copa Libertadores: 9 appearances

1974: Group Stage

1975: Group Stage

1976: Group Stage

1977: Semi-finals

1978: Group Stage

1979: Group Stage

1981: Group Stage

1984: Group Stage

2024: Second stage

• Copa CONMEBOL: 1 appearance

1997: First round

The José Antonio Páez Stadium is a sports infrastructure built for the practice of football, located in the city of Acarigua in the state of Portuguesa of the western plains of Venezuela. Despite not being the capital of the region, the building was built in that place by the booming development of the place; owes its name to the recognized hero of Venezuelan independence and the first president of Venezuela, José Antonio Páez.

It is the headquarters of Portuguesa Fútbol Club, currently playing in the First Division of Venezuela. Its facilities have the capacity to hold approximately 14,000 spectators; in 2007 it underwent considerable improvements to be used in the National Sports Games of 2007.

It has a good fan base, having been a successful club in the past in Venezuelan football, with organised groups such as the Lanceros Rojinegros who are usually located in the south stand of the stadium.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

•   Isidoro 'Pescaito' Rodríguez 1972
•   Walter Roque 1973 -1974
•   Vladica Popović 1974 – 1975
•   Benjamín Fernández 1975 – 1976
•   Celino Mora 1977 – 1979
•   Carlos Felipe Núñez 2003 – 2004
•   Liberio Mora 2006 – 2007
•   Celino Mora 2007 – 2008
•   William Pacheco 2008
•   Eduardo Contreras 2008 – 2009
•   José Luis Jiménez 2009
•   Gustavo Valencia 2010
•   Johnny Lucena 2010 – 2012
•   Carlos Felipe Núñez 2012
•   José Luis Dolgetta 2013
•   Francesco Stifano 2013 – 2014
•   Lenin Bastidas 2014 – 2015
•     Renato Renauro 2016
•   Horacio Matuszyczk 2016 – 2017
•     Carlos Horacio Moreno 2017 – 2018
•   Yobanny Rivero 2019 – 2020
•     José Parada 2019 – 2020
•   Alí Cañas 2020 – 2022
•   Martín Brignani 2022 – 2023
•   Jesús Ortíz 2023 –

President   VEN Vito Recchimurzo Díaz 
Vice President   VEN Maiker Frías
Members   VEN Orlando Cárdenas
Members   VEN Luis Fernández
Members   VEN Olympia Labrador
Adviser   VEN Gianni Mazzocca
General Manager   VEN Eduardo Herrera
Sports Manager   VEN Gerzon Chacón
Manager of Operations   VEN Rafael Guaricuco

Media and Press ||   VEN Patricia Almao – Media Director Francisco Miliani – Media Assistant María Gabriela Almao – Social Networks Juan Sánchez – Photographer Raiber Jiménez – Graphic Designer

•   Don Gaetano Costa (1972 – 1978)
•   Juan Rondon (2008 – 2010)
•   Nelson Escobar (2010 – 2014)
•   Generozo Mazzoca (2014 – 2019)
•   Maiker Frías (2019 – 2024)
•   Vito Recchimurzo (2024 – )

The radio station that broadcasts the games of the five-time Venezuelan champions.

• Official website