Deportivo Mandiyú

Foundation and regional success

The club was founded under the name "Club Deportivo Tipoiti" on December 14, 1952, by a group of textile workers from the Tipoiti textile factory in Corrientes, Argentina. Because the Argentine Football Association didn't accept commercial company names, the club had to change its name to "Club Deportivo Mandiyú", which means cotton in the indigenous language of Guaraní.

The club at its peak

After becoming the most successful team of Liga Correntina, Mandiyú started its professional career in 1985 entering the Primera B Nacional. The squad won the 1987–88 championship therefore promoting to Primera División after a 0–0 tie to Quilmes, just one fixture before the end of the tournament. Mandiyú was coached by Juan Manuel Guerra. Some of its most notable players were Adolfino Cañete, José Basualdo and Pedro Barrios.

In 1988 Mandiyú was near to qualify to Copa Libertadores playing a mini-tournament with San Lorenzo de Almagro. Both matches finished 1–1 but San Lorenzo passed to the next stage due to its best position in the Primera División tournament.

Mandiyú achieved some notable performances during its third tenure on the Argentine top division, with notable victories over Boca Juniors (2–1), Independiente (3–0), Racing (4–3) and San Lorenzo (3–2). Forwards Félix Torres and José Blanchart scored 13 goals each. The best campaign in Primera ever was in the 1991 Clausura, where Mandiyú finished 3rd to Boca Juniors and San Lorenzo. Although Mandiyú did not get tremendous results, it ranked 2nd among the teams with less goals received during the tournament. Due to there was no limits to hire foreign players by then, Mandiyú had many Paraguayan and Uruguayan players.

Mandiyú finished 6th in the 1991 Apertura, only 4 points to champion River Plate. The next season (1992 Clausura), the squad made a poor campaign, finishing 18th.

Demise

In 1993, then Mandiyú chairman Eduardo Seferian tried the club to become a S.A. as a way to solve the serious economic problems of the institution but the Argentine Football Association did not allow the transaction. Nevertheless, in 1994 member of Argentine Parliament Roberto Cruz and San Lorenzo leading Roberto Navarro acquired the club for U$S 2 million. Mandiyú hired Diego Maradona as coach, also bringing international goalkeeper Sergio Goycochea to the team.

The project was a big failure, so Mandiyú did a disappointing campaign in 1995 Clausura being relegated to the second division. Finally, the group that managed Mandiyú left the team alleging that they had not enough resources to play the Nacional B tournament. With no visible leaders to manage the club and many debts which could not pay, Mandiyú was disaffiliated from the Liga Correntina. The club was subsequently dissolved.

Huracán Corrientes filled the vacant place left by Mandiyú, promoting to Primera División after winning the Nacional B championship. In 1998, a group of former managers and fans of Mandiyú decided to form a new club, originally named "Deportivo Textil". The word "Mandiyú" was added later, with the intention of keeping the soul of the original club.

Return

In 2010, the club was allowed to participate in the Liga Correntina again. On May 8, 2011, Deportivo Mandiyú made its debut in the second division of the league, defeating Nueva Valencia by 3–0. On August 22, Mandiyú promoted to the top division of Correntino league, remaining undefeated along the tournament.

Deportivo Mandiyú is currently playing the Torneo Argentino B, which arrived after being invited by the Consejo Federal de Fútbol, along with its relative club Textil Mandiyú.

Domestic

Regional