March 9 – Scouts, Bandits, Vimto and Inter

THE year 1908 was notable for a number of reasons. It was the year that Lord Baden Powell started his scouting movement, Henry Ford launched the Model T car that would bring vehicle ownership to the masses, the FBI was founded, the IV modern Olympic games were held in London, bandits Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid were supposedly gunned down in Bolivia, and in Manchester a wholesaler of herbs, spices and medicines named John Noel Nichols invented Vimto.

Meanwhile on this day in that busy year FC Internazionale Milano was founded by disaffected members of the Milan Cricket and Football Club – AC Milan to you and me.

The story goes that a few Swiss and Italian members of AC were unhappy with the Italian domination of the team and wanted a more cosmopolitan feel to their new club, hence the Internazionale name. Foreign players were welcomed and the first team captain was a Swiss names Hernst Manktl.

The decision to form a splinter club was entirely vindicated just two years later in 1910 when Inter won the Scudetto for the first time with Virgilio Fossati captaining and coaching the team. Although Fossati was killed in the First World War, a second title is won in 1920.

In the 1920s Benito Mussolini and his fascist cronies came to power and went down the predictable oppressive dictatorship route of re-branding everything to suit the new glorious regime. Inter were no exception and in 1928 they were forced to merge with the Milanese Unione Sportiva and renamed Ambrosiana SS Milano. Fans pretty much ignored this and continued calling their team ‘inter’ and the club picked up a third Scudetto in 1930.

A first Coppa Italia was won in 1939 when the team was led by the first true world football superstar, Giuseppe Meazza – the man after whom the San Siro was renamed.

After the Second World War the club reverted to its original name and went on the enjoy the most successful period in its history, especially in the 1960s when league championships flowed like wine and the team won two European Cups on the bounce in 1964 and 1965.

By the 1990s the good times had largely dried up for Inter with hated rivals AC Milan and Juventus hoovering up all the silverware in sight. It remains the only decade in which the Nerazzurri failed to win the Scudetto, despite chairman Massimo Moratti lavishing millions on new signings like Ronaldo, Christian Vieri and HernÃ¡n Crespo.

Inter would have to wait until 2005 before they had to remember where they had stuck the keys to the trophy cabinet when they finally won the Coppa Italia which they would also life in 2006.

They were also the largest beneficiaries of the Calciopoli scandal that rocked Italian football when they were awarded the 2005-06 championship following the disqualification of AC Milan an Juventus. With Juve relegated for the following season and AC hit with an eight point deduction the way was clear for Inter to pick up another Scudetto in 2007.

With Juve’s demotion to Serie B Inter also become the only Italian club to have never been relegated in their entire history – a fact their fans take great delight in reminding their Milan counterparts during their derby matches at the San Siro.

Enjoy a very uncharacteristic high-scoring Milan derby from a couple of years back below and make sure you come back here tomorrow for more historical delights.