Hugo Eugen Rietmann

Ugo Rietmann
Rietmann (centre) as referee with the captains of A.M.C. and U.S. Milanese, 12 October 1912.
Personal information
Full name Hugo Eugen Rietmann
Date of birth (1886-08-26)August 26, 1886
Place of birth Calprino, Canton Ticino, Switzerland
Date of death October 2, 1959(1959-10-02) (aged 73)
Place of death Milan, Italy
Position Midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1902 Mediolanum ? (?)
1905–1906 F.C. Bergamo ? (?)
1906–1907 Milan 0 (0)
1909 Internazionale 1 (0)
Managerial career
1914 Italy (Technical Commission)
1915 Italy (Technical Commission)
1920 Italy (Technical Commission)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Hugo Eugen Rietmann, later known by the Italianized name Ugo (Calprino, 26 August 1886 – Milan, 2 October 1959), was a Swiss-born naturalized Italian entrepreneur, footballer, referee, and manager, who played as a midfielder.

A member of the ancient ruling patrician Rietmann family of St. Gallen[1], he is best remembered in sporting history as one of the 44 founding members of Inter Milan.[2][3] In 1948, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the F.I.G.C. (Italian Football Federation), he was honored with the title of Pioneer of Italian Football.[4][5]

Biography

Born in Calprino (renamed Paradiso in 1929) in the Canton of Ticino to Werner Rietmann and Maria Schlegel, he belonged to a historic Swiss patrician lineage. Rietmann settled in Milan, where he established himself as an entrepreneur and merchant in the textile industry, with offices located at Piazza della Scala No. 4.[1][6][7]

Despite holding Swiss citizenship, he maintained a deep bond with Italy. During the Great War, he volunteered for the Royal Italian Army, serving as an officer in the Italian Red Cross.[8]

He is buried at the Monumental Cemetery of Milan in the section dedicated to Protestants, listed among the "Illustrious Burials" of the cemetery.

Sporting Career

Footballer and the Foundation of Inter

A passionate athlete, Rietmann began his football career playing for various Milanese and Lombard clubs of the era, including SEF Ginnastica Mediolanum[9], Foot-Ball Club Bergamo[10], and AC Milan[11]. While at Milan, however, he never made an official appearance for the first team.[11]

His legacy is inextricably linked to March 9, 1908. That evening, at the L'Orologio restaurant in Milan, Rietmann and his brother Hans were among the 44 dissidents who broke away from Milan to sign the founding charter of Foot-Ball Club Internazionale (Inter Milan). His name appears on the original founding document alongside other pioneers such as Giorgio Muggiani and the Hintermann brothers. During the founding meeting, his brother Hans was proposed as the club's first Economo (Treasurer), though the position was ultimately awarded by vote to Mr. Bosisio, then Secretary of the Italian Football Federation[12][3].

As a player for Inter, Rietmann occupied the role of midfielder. His time on the pitch was brief:

  • He was part of the very first Nerazzurri lineup, which famously featured eight Swiss players.
  • He made only one official appearance during the 1909 season: a 0–2 defeat against US Milanese on January 24, 1909.[2]

Referee and Executive

After retiring from active play, Rietmann became a central figure in Italian football institutions:

  • A.I.A. (Italian Referees Association): He was a founding member of the association in 1911 and served as its Auditor (Sindaco). In 1927, he helped establish the Milanese branch of the A.I.A., remaining an active executive for three decades.[13][14]
  • Italian National Team: Between 1914 and 1920, he was appointed three times to the Technical Commissions responsible for selecting and managing the Italian national team.[15][5]
  • On-field Activity: He refereed the First Category (top Italian division until 1922) from 1911 to 1920. [13]Among his most notable matches as a referee was the 1913 semifinal of the Coppa Beretta-Rietmann between U.S. Milanese and Milan (2–0). The trophy was eventually won by Inter FC against Torino (3–2).[16]

Honors

  • Pioneer of Italian Football (1898–1948): Awarded by the F.I.G.C. in 1948 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Federation.[17]

References

  1. ^ a b St. Gallen (1910). Bürgerbuch der Stadt St. Gallen 1910. St. Gallen: Verlag der Fehr´schen Buchhandlung.
  2. ^ a b "Ugo Rietmann | Giocatori | F.C. Internazionale | inter.it". Inter - inter.it | I M Inter Milano. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  3. ^ a b "115 years of Inter: the rest is history". Inter.it. 8 March 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  4. ^ "Bollettino Ufficiale della F.I.G.C., n. 45 (18 Feb 1949); n. 46 (27 Feb 1949)". F.I.G.C. Official Bulletin (in Italian). 1949.
  5. ^ a b "Una ricostruzione storica conferma: l'inglese William Garbutt guidò per 6 gare gli Azzurri". FIGC – Museo del Calcio (in Italian). 16 March 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  6. ^ Nuova guida della città di Milano e sobborghi ideata e compilata da G. Savallo. Italia, Agenzia E. Savallo, 1880.
  7. ^ Guida di Milano. Italia, Savallo, 1884.
  8. ^ Archivio di Stato di Milano, liste di leva del Comune di Milano. Nella sua scheda è stato scritto che chiese di servire lo stato italiano quale ufficiale di Sanità nel 1915, malgrado non avesse alcun obbligo militare non avendo ancora la cittadinanza italiana.
  9. ^ "Wayback Machine" (PDF). www.magliarossonera.it. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 13 February 2026. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  10. ^ "Cent'anni di sport a Bergamo", vicino al Presidente Matteo Legler.
  11. ^ a b "Hugo Eugenio Rietmann". Magliarossonera.it (in Italian). Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  12. ^ "Stagione 1908". www.storiainter.com. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  13. ^ a b "Associazione Italiana Arbitri - 75 anni di storia", Vallardi & Associati aprile 1987, pag. 18: citato quale membro del primo consiglio direttivo all'atto della fondazione il 27 agosto 1911.
  14. ^ "Annuario Italiano del Football stagione 1913-1914", pag. 74 nel "Consiglio Direttivo".
  15. ^ https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/ital-coach-triv.html
  16. ^ Magliarossonera.it, Stagione 1913-1914, in Magliarossonera.it.
  17. ^ Bollettino ufficiale della FIGC, comunicato ufficiale n. 45 del 18 febbraio 1949. Con comunicato n. 46, al Palazzo Tursi di Genova il 27 febbraio 1949 furono consegnati i distintivi d'onore alle persone che avevano dato un contributo rilevante allo sviluppo del gioco del calcio in Italia nel periodo 1898-1914 (comprese le persone già decedute): 7 presidenti; 12 del Piemonte; 15 della Lombardia; 5 del Veneto; 6 della Liguria; 2 dell'Emilia, 4 della Toscana; 5 del Lazio; 2 della Campania; 2 delle Puglie; 1 della Sicilia.
  • Media related to Hugo Rietmann at Wikimedia Commons
  • Profile at StoriaInter.com (it)
  • Inter 1908–09 season player list at Inter-Calcio.it (it)
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