U.S. Città di Palermo
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| Full name | Unione Sportiva Città di Palermo SpA |
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| Nickname(s) | Rosanero ("Pink-blacks"), Aquile ("Eagles") |
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| Founded | 1898 (Anglo Panormitan Athletic and Football Club) 1987 (US Città di Palermo) |
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| Ground | Stadio Renzo Barbera, Palermo, Italy |
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| Capacity | 36,980 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman |  Maurizio Zamparini |
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| Manager | Francesco Guidolin |
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| League | Serie A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005-06 | Serie A, 5th (due to Serie A scandal convictions) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Unione Sportiva Città di Palermo is an Italian football team which currently plays in Serie A, the top level of Italian football.
The official team colours are pink and black. The team is nicknamed rosanero (referring to the team colours) or aquile (referring to the official logo).
The US Città di Palermo stadium is the Stadio Renzo Barbera, formerly known as La Favorita. It has a capacity of 36,980 people.[1] Originally built in 1932, Stadio Renzo Barbera was renovated in the late 1980's and served as one of several venues for the 1990 FIFA World Cup held in Italy.
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[edit] History
[edit] Foundation and early years
According to the original statute, the team was founded in November 1, 1900, [2] as the Anglo Panormitan Athletic and Football Club by Ignazio Majo Pagano, a young Palermitan who discovered football during a visit to England. However, this account is brought into doubt by the existence of papers, addressed to Joseph Whitaker, English consul in Palermo and first club president, about a Palermitan football team founded in 1898. The first known football match, played by the team on December 30, 1900, ended in a 5-0 defeat to an unidentified English team. The foundation colours of the team were red and blue. The first official match, played on April 18, 1901 against Peloritana in a football field located in Via Notarbartolo, ended in a 3-2 win for the Palermitan side.
In 1907, the club changed its name to Palermo FBC, and the team colors were changed to pink and black. From 1908 to 1915, Palermo played in the Lipton Cup, organized by English billionaire Sir Thomas Lipton. The team then played in a regionally organized league until 1929, when the team was admitted to I Division League (Serie C). In 1932 the club gained promotion to Serie A for the first time, and moved to the Lictorian Stadium in the Favorita neighbourhood, now known as Renzo Barbera Stadium. The 1933-1934 season would display Palermo as an emerging team amidst giants such as Juventus [3]. Troubled times for the young club followed. In 1940 the team was expelled by the Italian Football Federation because of financial problems.
The team, refounded, returned to the Serie A in 1948. Until 1973, the team played only in Serie A and Serie B under the presidence of Renzo Barbera, still known today as the one of the greatest chairmen in the team's history. During its earlier Serie A times, Palermo never qualified for any European competition, obtaining its best results respectively in 1934-1935 (seventh place) and 1961-1962 (eighth).
[edit] Decline
After 1973, Palermo FBC played exclusively in the Serie B, with the exception of the 1984-1985 season, when the club played in Serie C. Despite this, in this period Palermo reached two Italian Cup finals: in 1974, against Bologna, Palermo lost a penalty shoot-out after a 1-1 tie, with the Bologna goal, a penalty, scored during injury time; in 1979, Palermo reached its second Coppa Italia final, but then lost 2-1 to Juventus after extra time, with the equaliser goal for the opponents curiously scored again during injury time, as happened five years before.
In the summer of 1986 the team was again expelled from the league because of financial problems. In the summer of 1987, after a year without football in Palermo, a new club bearing the current name was created and began to play in Serie C2.
A return to Serie B occurred in 1991, but lasted only a year. In 1993, the team again returned to Serie B for 4 more years, and in 1994 wrote a little piece of history with a 1-0 away win to AC Milan in the Coppa Italia second round. In the 1990s, the 1995-1996 season was the highlight for Palermo, obtaining a seventh place after having fought hard for promotion, and even appearing in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia after eliminating Parma and Vicenza among others, with a team mostly composed of Palermitan footballers and coached by Palermo-born Ignazio Arcoleo. However, the following season ended with relegation to Serie C1.
In 1997, the team, relegated to the Serie C2 division after a dramatic and shocking defeat in a play-off against Battipagliese, was saved by the federation due to the expulsion of Ischia Isolaverde, another Serie C1 team.
[edit] Back to Serie A
In 2000, the team was bought by AS Roma chairman Franco Sensi, but missed a spot in the promotion playoffs. However, Palermo won Serie C1/B and got promoted to Serie B the next year, after a hard fight against fellow islanders Messina, which were reached at the top of the table just at the last matchday.
Sold to retail trade enterpreneur Maurizio Zamparini in the summer of 2002 after a quiet Serie B season, the former Venezia owner brought in Sicily football stars such as Mario Santana, Filippo Maniero, Kewullay Conteh, Stefano Morrone, Vasile Valentin Năstase, Arturo Di Napoli from his past club, and other notable footballers such as Antonino Asta.
The 2002-2003 season, the first of the Zamparini era, quickly found out not to be easy, as coach Ezio Glerean, signed from Cittadella and known for his heavily-attacking 3-3-4 style of play, was fired after just one league match, a 4-2 away defeat to Ancona. Glerean was replaced by then-unknown coach Daniele Arrigoni, with just a one-year, not particularly positive, experience in the Serie B league with Messina. Arrigoni, unable to guide his team to the top places, was fired at the twentieth matchday, after a home defeat, again to Ancona, and replaced by experienced coach Nedo Sonetti. In his time at Palermo, Sonetti managed to climb the league table, but missed the Serie A promotion in the last match, a 3-0 away defeat to Lecce, who obtained the last promotion place. Palermo ended in fifth place, and Sonetti was not confirmed at the helm of the rosanero, being instead replaced by Empoli coach Silvio Baldini.
In 2003-2004, Zamparini reinforced the team with top signings such as Luca Toni, Lamberto Zauli and Eugenio Corini. However, Baldini was fired on January 2004, after a shocking home defeat to Salernitana followed by public attacks from the head coach on the team chairman. Palermo, in third place at the time and reinforced still further with signings of Fabio Grosso, Antonio and Emanuele Filippini, replaced Baldini with Francesco Guidolin, who won the Serie B title in the 2003/2004 season on goal difference over Cagliari. At the end of the season, Luca Toni won hands down the league top-scorer title, with 30 goals in 45 matches.
The 2004-2005 season was the first in Serie A for the current Palermo club, and the first for any Palermo club since 1973. On September 4, 2004, during the 2006 World Cup Qualfications' match Italy vs Norway, played in Palermo, Luca Toni scored the winning goal (the match ended 2-1), the first goal scored by a Palermo player for the Italian national team. Palermo ended the Serie A season with an excellent sixth place, allowing it to qualify for the 2005/2006 UEFA Cup for the first time in its history.
[edit] Recent years
[edit] 2005/2006
After a long and successful time in Sicily, Francesco Guidolin resigned as coach, and Luigi Del Neri was appointed to replace him for the Serie A 2005-06 season. During the summer football market, a number of youngsters were signed, among them Andrea Caracciolo and Stephen Ayodele Makinwa, and Luca Toni was sold to ACF Fiorentina for €10m. The team had a good start in the new season, showing a spectacular way of playing, most notably with an exciting 3-2 win against Inter Milan, remembered as the highest point of that part of the season. That season, Palermo also made its UEFA Cup debut, easily defeating Anorthosis Famagusta of Cyprus 6-1 (aggregate: 2-1, 4-0) over two legs in its first appearance at the European level. In the group stage US Città di Palermo went against illustrious opponents like RCD Espanyol and Lokomotiv Moscow and against less illustrious but still tough opponents like Maccabi Petach Tikva FC and Brøndby IF. They won Group B with eight points (they had a higher goal differential than second-placed RCD Espanyol).
However, the successful performances at the European level were not repeated in domestic competition, and Palermo gradually lost touch with the top sides of the Serie A table. Despite intensive activity during the January football market, which brought notable players such as David Di Michele and Federico Agliardi to the club, Palermo's poor results continued with a disappointing 1-3 loss at home against A.C. Siena, Del Neri was fired, and Giuseppe Papadopulo was appointed to replace him for the remaining half of season. Papadopulo made his debut at the helm of Palermo with a sensational 3-0 win to AC Milan for the Italian Cup quarter-finals return match, overturning the 1-0 for the rossoneri of the first round and thus qualifying to the semi-final round for the third time in the club's history, with Palermo being facing AS Roma on this occasion. Later, however, AS Roma eliminated Palermo in the next round, overtuning a 2-1 loss to the rosanero with a 1-0 home win.
Palermo's European adventure instead ended in the round of 16 of the UEFA Cup, being eliminated to FC Schalke 04 in a 3-1 aggregate loss, after having defeated Czech team SK Slavia Praha in the round of 32.
Palermo ended its season in eighth place, being thus qualified for the 2006-07 Intertoto Cup. The coach at the start of next season will be, once again, Francesco Guidolin. Guidolin was re-hired to a three year deal after Zamparini let go of coach Papadopulo, who was signed on for another year with the Rosanero.
[edit] 2006/2007
Due to the Serie A scandal of 2006, the FIGC had stated they would not enter Palermo into the summer tournament. Palermo qualified for the UEFA Intertoto Cup (play-in tournament to the UEFA Cup) finishing in the 8th spot of the Serie A table. The decision initially meant extra time for Palermo to rest and make offseason acquisitions in the transfer market. After the verdicts penalized Juventus F.C., S.S. Lazio, ACF Fiorentina and A.C. Milan, Palermo have again qualified for the 2006-2007 UEFA Cup.
In the 2006 summer transfer window, Palermo signed several notable players, such as Italian international Aimo Diana, Australian Mark Bresciano, and two Brazilians, Fábio Simplício (signed from Parma for €5.5 mln) and Amauri (signed from A.C. ChievoVerona for circa €7 mln). Several football pundits regarded Palermo as a potential protagonist in the 2006/2007 Serie A season, and a strong candidate for a Champions League qualification place.
In the first UEFA Cup round, Palermo defeated English team West Ham United F.C., with two victories (1-0 at Boleyn Ground, London; 3-0 at Stadio Renzo Barbera, Palermo). Thus, Palermo progressed to the group stages of the UEFA Cup, where the Sicilian side challenges Celta de Vigo, Eintracht Frankfurt, Fenerbahçe SK and Newcastle United F.C..
On September 20 2006, following the 5-3 home win in the Sicilian derby with Calcio Catania, US Palermo sat clearly on top of the Serie A table for the first time in its history, with three wins in three games. Several other notable victories, including a 2-0 away win to AC Milan at San Siro stadium, the first time Palermo defeates the rossoneri at home in a league match, led Palermo to the top positions. The team is currently third-placed, behind Inter and AS Roma.
[edit] Colours and badge
The official badge as of 2004 is a pink/black escutcheon with an eagle in the verge of flowing off inside it, and the official club denomination "U.S. Città di Palermo" on the top. The eagle represents the city of Palermo, as it appears also in the city's coat of arms.
Palermo originally played with red and blue as its official colours, but switched to the current pink and black in 1907, contemporarily to the denomination change to Palermo Foot Ball Club. The colours' choice were suggested by count Giuseppe Airoldi, as "colours of the sad and the sweet" which he believed to be a good fit for a team characterized by "results as up and down as a Swiss clock".[4] This choice is unique in football, as Palermo is the only top football team to use pink and black as official colours.
[edit] Stadium
Palermo plays its home matches at Stadio Renzo Barbera, located in the Favorita neighbourhood. The stadium first opened in 1932, during the fascist regime, with the name Stadio Littorio (Lictorial Stadium). The inaugural match was played on January 24, 1932, against Atalanta; Palermo won it 5-1. In 1936, it was renamed Stadio Michele Marrone, after a fascist hero who died in the Spanish civil war. Initially there racetrack was present, and there were no curved sections, only terraces and a stand. In 1948, the stadium assumed the denomination of Stadio La Favorita, after the neighbourhood where it was located, and was also rebuilt, without racetrack and with two curved sections, increasing its capacity to 30,000. In 1984 it was again enlarged, giving a capacity of circa 50,000. On the occasion of the 1990 FIFA World Cup, the stadium was renovated with the addition of seats, but the capacity, which was reached on only two occasions before 1990, was reduced to circa 30,000. During the 1989 renovation works, five employees died following the collapse of a section of the stadium. In 2002 the stadium was renamed in honour of Renzo Barbera, legendary Palermo chairman in the 1960s and the 1970s.
[edit] Supporters
A majority of Palermo supporters came from the city and its neighbourhood. However, Palermo is also widely popular throughout Western Sicily, as well as among Sicilian immigrants in northern Italy, leading Palermo to have one of the largest followings in its away matches. Support for Palermo is closely associated to a strong sense of belonging to Sicily; indeed, it is not uncommon to see Sicilian flags waved by fans and ultras during Palermo matches.
Palermo's biggest rivals by far are fellow islanders Catania. Matches between Palermo and Catania are usually referred to as Sicilian derbies, despite the existence of a third valid Sicilian team, Messina, now playing in Serie A alongside Palermo and Catania. Rivalry with Messina, where it exists, is considered to be much weaker than that with Catania.
Palermo fans are also twinned with Lecce ultras.
[edit] Current squad
As of September 4, 2006[5]
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- Out on loan
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- For recent transfer, see List of transfers of Serie A - 2006/2007 season.
[edit] Youth squad
As of September 11, 2006[6]
Note: most players are granted first team number; however, this does not necessarily mean they have been used in any first team match.
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[edit] Notable former players
[edit] Up to the 1970s
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[edit] Recent times
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[edit] Notable former managers
Karl Csapkay- Luigi Del Neri
- Carmelo Di Bella
- Giuseppe Papadopulo
- Nedo Sonetti
Čestmír Vycpálek
[edit] Achievements
- Coppa Italia runners-up: 2
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- 1973-74, 1978-79
- Serie B: 4
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- 1931-32, 1947-48, 1967-68, 2003-04
- Serie B runners-up: 2
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- 1958-59
- Serie C: 1
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- 1941-42
- Serie C1 winners: 3
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- 1984-85, 1992-93, 2000-01
- Serie C1 runners-up: 2
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- 1990-91, 1998-99
- Serie C2: 1
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- 1987-88
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- 1990-91
[edit] Records
- Most league goals – 62, Carlo Radice (1929-1932)
- Most Serie A league goals – 40, Domenico Di Maso (1949-1954)
- Most goals in a season – 30, Luca Toni (2003-2004)
- Most league appearances – 321, Roberto Biffi (1988-1999)
- Most Serie A league appearances – 151, Gino Giaroli (1949-1954)
- Current player with most league appearances – 138, Franco Brienza
- Biggest win and biggest home win – 8-0 (v. Pro Patria, November 5, 1950)
- Biggest away win – 7-1 (v. Lecce, October 23, 1994)
- Biggest defeat and biggest away defeat – 0-9 (v. AC Milan, February 18, 1951)
- Biggest home defeat – 0-4 (two times), 1-5 (two times), 2-6 (most recent: 1-5 v. Udinese, March 13, 2005)
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.worldstadiums.com/europe/countries/italy/sicilia.shtml
- ^ http://www.ilpalermocalcio.it/it/societa/storia.jsp
- ^ http://www.elleerresrl.it/
- ^ http://www.palermo.repubblica.it/speciali/bentornati/pdf/16.pdf
- ^ http://www.ilpalermocalcio.it/it/2006/rosa.jsp
- ^ [1] & [2]
[edit] External links
- (Italian) (English) Official site
- (Italian) (English) Fan Site
- (English) Palermo statistics
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