Torino F.C.

Torino FC 1906

Full name	Torino Football Club 1906 SpA
Nickname(s)	I Granata (The Maroons), Il Toro (The Bull)
Founded	1906 (AC Torino) 2005 (Torino FC)
Ground	Stadio Olimpico (Capacity: 27,500)
Chairman	Urbano Cairo
Head Coach	Gianni De Biasi
League	Serie A
2007-08	Serie A, 15th
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Torino Football Club 1906, commonly referred to as simply Torino, is an Italian professional football club based in Turin, Piedmont that was founded in 1906. The club has spent most of their history in the top tier in Italian football, where they currently play for the 2008–09 season.

Torino, who play in maroon shirts with white shorts have won Serie A seven times, first in 1927–28 and most recently in 1975–76. They have also won Coppa Italia in their home country five times. On the European stage, the nearest Torino have come to success is finishing runners-up in the UEFA Cup, this was achieved in 1991–92. Historically, Torino are the fourth most successful club in Italian football.^[1]

The club was known as Associazione Calcio Torino until 1970, and as Torino Calcio from 1970 to 2005.

History

Foot-Ball Club Torino was founded on 3 December 1906 after a meeting at the Voigt brewery in Via Pietro Micca near the center of Turin. Its foundation involved some Juventus dissidents led by Alfredo Dick, who had left the bianconeri after some at the club wanted to move Juventus out of Turin.^[2] As well as Alfredo Dick, other prominent founders included the Swiss businessman Hans Schoenbrod (first chairman), and Vittorio Pozzo (later manager of Italy).^[3]

The first ground for FBC Torino would be Velodromo Umberto I in the La Crocetta neighbourhood, for which Dick owned the lease. Torino lured some players from other clubs, including FBC Torinese who became defunct as a result.^[4] The fact that Torino's split from Juve was not amicable, saw the rise of a heated local known as the Derby della Mole.^[5]

Italian Football Championship

Torino F.C. took part in the world's first international tournament, Torneo Internazionale Stampa Sportiva 1908 which was hosted in Turin itself organised by the Italian magazine La Stampa Sportiva. Torino lost in the final 3-1 to Swiss side Servette.^[6] In 1909 it was succeeded by the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy, in which a Torino XI comprised of Juve and Torino players participated but did not make it to the final.^[7]

After the early years, Torino were denied their first championship attempt by the outbreak of World War I, and their first title was revoked in 1926/27 due to an irregularity in the match against Juventus. Torino won its first Scudetto, the Italian Serie A league Championship, the following 1927/28 season and, between 1942/43 and 1948/49, the "Grande Torino" (Great Torino), widely considered the best ever team in Italian football history, won five other straight scudetti, led by its captain, Valentino Mazzola.

On May 4, 1949, all but one player (who was out for an injury) of Grande Torino were killed when their plane crashed into the hills of Superga, on the outskirts of Turin. The club never recovered, and after a decade of mediocre seasons, they were relegated to Serie B in 1958/59, although they returned to Serie A the following season.

By the early 1960s and until the late 1980s, Torino had good results in Serie A, including another Scudetto in the 1975/76 season. Since the end of the 1980s, the club went up and down between Serie A and Serie B, the top two divisions with little success, except a Coppa Italia in 1992/93 and a Mitropa Cup win in 1990/91. Among the best results ever achieved in the club's history, it reached the UEFA Cup Final in 1991/92 only to lose it in two aggregate matches to Ajax Amsterdam without being defeated.

In 2004/05, Torino finished 3rd in Serie B and, after winning the playoffs, was promoted back in Serie A. However, the FIGC, the governing body of Italian football, expelled both Torino Calcio and F.C. Messina from Serie A, due to both clubs' financial problems. However, while Messina was re-admitted by a civil court of appeal, Torino was not and it was cancelled from the Italian sport panorama.

Thanks to the 'Lodo Petrucci' (Italian law which allows a sport club that is the direct heir of a cancelled one to be re-admitted one division below the previous one), a new club was founded under the current name Torino F.C. and was admitted to play the next season, again in Serie B. Bought by entrepreneur Urbano Cairo, Torino FC ended its 2005/2006 Serie B campaign in third place, being therefore qualified for the promotion play-offs. Torino subsequently defeated Mantova in the final to earn promotion to Serie A.

Even in its worst seasons, Torino has often achieved good results in epic matches (the so-called "derbies") against the other Turin team, Juventus. Since 1990 the club has played in the 69,040 capacity Stadio Delle Alpi, shared with Juventus. Prior to 1990 the clubs shared the Stadio Comunale for thirty years, Torino moving there from the glorious Stadio Filadelfia, home of Grande Torino. Starting with the 2006/07 season Torino will move into a new, smaller ground of its own, the Stadio Grande Torino (which is the renewed former stadio comunale).
Actually the Stadio delle Alpi (that is of Juventus Turin propriety) is closed for a future rebuilt: after that maybe Torino will still use it for a number of high profile matches. When playing at home Torino wears a maroon top and white shorts (sometimes is full maroon) but when playing else where the team wears all white. When practicing Torino wears red and white or red and black.

A lineup of the Grande Torino.

Il Grande Torino

Grande Torino ("The Great Torino") is the name by which the legendary Torino F.C. team of the 1940s is popularly known in Italy. Grande Torino set many important records of Italian football, all of which still stand today.

Grande Torino played with the 4-4-2 10 years before the Brazil 1958 World Cup team, and some of their game tactics anticipated by 35 years the Dutch Total Football that revolutionized the game in the 1970s.

The all-star starting lineup of Grande Torino that died at Superga is the most famous in Italian football history as every Italian fan knows it: Valerio Bacigalupo, Aldo Ballarin, Virgilio Maroso, Pino Grezar, Mario Rigamonti, Eusebio Castigliano, Romeo Menti, Ezio Loik, Guglielmo Gabetto, Valentino Mazzola, and Franco Ossola; the son of Ossola is now the major biographer of the Club's history.

The Italy national football team starting lineup in the second half of the forties consisted almost entirely of Grande Torino players, which regularly contributed with 8-9 starters. On May 11, 1947, for the friendly match between Italy and Hungary 3-2, the Azzurri starting lineup was made of 10 Grande Torino players plus the Juventus goalkeeper Sentimenti IV. Italian manager Vittorio Pozzo reserved the Azzurri starting keeper Valerio Bacigalupo; otherwise it would have been the whole Grande Torino team playing for Italy.

Legendary captain Valentino Mazzola was also the captain of the Italy national football team as well as the father of Sandro Mazzola, who was also a great champion playing for Internazionale Milano and Italy in the 1960s-70s. Valentino was an all-around playmaker midfielder who could direct the team, pass, score, tackle, defend, inspire and lead his teammates.

Grande Torino records

• Most consecutive Italian Serie A league titles: 5 straight championships from 1943 to 1949 (1942/43, 1945/46, 1946/47, 1947/48, 1948/49, (in 1944 and 1945 no league matches were played because of World War II), which ties Juventus record of 5 straight Serie A league titles of 1930/31, 1931/32, 1932/33, 1933/34 and 1934/35
• Most consecutive seasons undefeated at home: 4 straight seasons (1945/46, 1946/47, 1947/48, 1948/49)
• Most consecutive league matches undefeated at home: 93 straight matches, with 83 wins and 10 draws (from January 24, 1943 to April 30, 1949) and just two visiting teams that didn't allow any goal.
• Most points in one season (before the 3 points per win rules): 65 points (1947/48)
• Biggest ever advantage on the English average: 6 points above (1946/47)
• Greatest ever home win: 10-0 to Alessandria (1947/48)
• Greatest ever away win: 0-7 to AS Roma (1945/46 Serie A Finals)
• Most wins in one season (16 teams league): 20 wins in 30 matches (1942/43)
• Most wins in one season (21 teams league): 29 wins in 40 matches (1947/48)
• Most home wins in one season: 19 wins on 20 matches (1947/48)
• Most away wins in one season (16 teams league): 10 wins in 15 matches (1942/43)
• Most home points in one season: 39 points on 40 available (1947/48)
• Most away points in one season (16 teams league): 22 points on 30 available (1942/43)
• Fewest home points lost in one season: 1 point on 40 available (1947/48 and 1948/49)
• Fewest away defeats in one season: 3 defeats on 19 matches (1946/47 and 1948/49)
• Most goals scored in one season: 125 goals (1947/48)
• Most home goals scored in one season: 89 goals (1947/48)
• Most away goals scored in one season (16 teams league): 31 goals (1942/43)
• Most goals scored in the 5 championship seasons: 408 goals scored (1942/43, 1945/46, 1946/47, 1947/48, 1948/49)
• Fewest goals suffered in one season (21 teams league): 33 goals (1947/48)
• Fewest away goals suffered in one season (16 teams league): 9 goals (1942/43)
• Best ever percentage of goals scored in one season: 3.787 goals per match (1947/48)
• More points in the second half of the season: 36 points on 40 available (1947/48)

The Superga tragedy

Main article: Superga air disaster

On May 4, 1949, after having secured their record fifth back-to-back Serie A title, and on their way home after a friendly match with Benfica in Lisbon, Portugal, the airplane carrying Grande Torino crashed against the Basilica of Superga, on a hill near Turin, killing nearly all the players and managers.^[8]

Grande Torino is still much loved by Italian football fans as a symbol of national pride that helped Italian people get through the hardships of post World War II.

Current squad

As of September 15, 2008^[9]

No. Position Player 1 GK Matteo Sereni 3 DF Marco Pisano 4 MF Blerim Džemaili 5 MF Eugenio Corini 6 DF Angelo Obinze Ogbonna 7 FW Nicola Ventola 8 MF Simone Barone 9 FW Elvis Abbruscato 10 MF Alessandro Rosina (Captain) 11 FW Nicola Amoruso 14 DF Cesare Natali 18 FW Dominique Malonga 19 MF Aimo Stefano Diana 21 DF Ivan Franceschini

No. Position Player 22 DF Marco Di Loreto 23 MF Ignazio Abate 24 MF Jürgen Säumel 27 MF Paolo Zanetti 28 MF Tommaso Vailatti 29 MF Gianluca Rolandone (from youth team) 30 FW Roberto Stellone 31 GK Alberto Fontana 32 DF Riccardo Colombo 33 DF Matteo Rubin 50 DF Francesco Pratali 90 FW Rolando Bianchi 99 GK Alex Calderoni

For all transfers and loans pertaining to Torino for the current season, please see 2008 Summer transfers.

Managerial history

Torino have had many managers and trainers, some seasons they have had co-managers running the team, here is a chronological list of them from 1912 onwards.^[10]

Name Nationality Years Vittorio Pozzo 1912–1922 Karl Sturmer 1922–1924 Peter Farmer 1924–1926 Amerigo Schoeffer 1926–1927 Tony Cargnelli 1927–1929 Karl Sturmer 1929–1930 Vittorio Morelli di Popolo 1930–1931 Adolfo Baloncieri 1931–1932 Francesco Hansel 1932–1933 Eugen Payer 1933–1934 Augusto Rangone 1934 Tony Cargnelli 1934–1937 Gyula Feldmann 1937–1938 Antonio Janni 1938 Egri Erbstein 1938–1939 András Kuttik 1939–1940 Angelo Mattea 1940 Tony Cargnelli 1940–1942 András Kuttik 1942–1943 Vittorio Pozzo 1944 Luigi Ferrero 1945–1947 Mario Sperone Roberto Copernico 1947–1948 Leslie Lievesley Egri Erbstein 1948–1949 Giuseppe Bigogno Roberto Copernico 1949–1951 Mario Sperone 1951–1952 Oberdan Ussello 1952–1953 Jesse Carver 1953–1954 Annibale Frossi 1954–1956 Fioravante Baldi 1956–1957 Blagoje Marjanović 1957–1958 Fioravante Baldi 1958 Federico Allasio 1958–1959 Quinto Bertoloni 1959 Imre Senkey 1959–1960 Giacinto Ellena 1960 Beniamino Santos 1960–1963 Giacinto Ellena 1963 Nereo Rocco 1963–1966

Name Nationality Years Marino Bergamasco Nereo Rocco 1966–1967 Edmondo Fabbri 1967–1969 Giancarlo Cadè 1969–1971 Gustavo Giagnoni 1971–1974 Edmondo Fabbri 1974–1975 Luigi Radice 1975–1980 Ercole Rabitti 1980–1981 Romano Cazzaniga 1981 Massimo Giacomini 1981–1982 Eugenio Bersellini 1982–1984 Luigi Radice 1984–1989 Claudio Sala 1989 Sergio Vatta 1989 Eugenio Fascetti 1989–1990 Emiliano Mondonico 1990–1994 Rosario Rampanti 1994–1995 Nedo Sonetti 1995–1996 Francesco Scoglio 1996 Lido Vieri 1996 Mauro Sandreani 1996–1997 Lido Vieri 1997 Giancarlo Camolese 1997–1998 Graeme Souness Edoardo Reja 1998 Emiliano Mondonico 1998–2000 Luigi Simoni 2000–2001 Giancarlo Camolese 2001–2002 Renzo Ulivieri 2002–2003 Renato Zaccarelli 2003 Giacomo Ferri 2003 Ezio Rossi 2003–2005 Renato Zaccarelli 2005 Daniele Arrigoni 2005 Paolo Stringara 2005–2006 Gianni De Biasi 2006 Alberto Zaccheroni 2006 Gianni De Biasi 2006–2007 Walter Novellino 2007–2008 Gianni De Biasi 2008-present

Honours

National

• Serie A

• Champions (7): 1927-1928, 1942-43, 1945-46, 1946-47, 1947-48, 1948-49, 1975-76^[11]
• Runners-up (7): 1907, 1914-1915, 1928-1929, 1938-1939, 1941-1942, 1976-1977, 1984-1985

• Coppa Italia

• Champions (5): 1935-36, 1942-43, 1967-68, 1970-71, 1992-93
• Runners-up (8): 1937-38, 1962-63, 1963-64, 1969-70, 1979-80, 1980-81, 1981-82, 1987-88

• Serie B

• Champions (3): 1959-60, 1989-90, 2000-01
• Seria A Playoffs (2): 2004-05; 2005-06

• Italian Super Cup

• Runners-up (1): 1993-1994

International

• UEFA Cup

• Runners-up (1): 1991-92

• Mitropa Cup

• Winners (1): 1990-91

• Memorial Pier Cesare Baretti

• Winners (1): 1990
• Runners-up (1): 1993

Youth

• Italian Youth Championship (record)
• 1966/67 - 1967/68 - 1969/70 - 1976/77 - 1984/85 - 1987/88 - 1990/91 - 1991/92
• Italian Youth Cup (record)
• 1982/83, 1983/84, 1985/86, 1987/88, 1988/89, 1989/90, 1998/99
• Viareggio International youth Tournament
• 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1995, 1998

Notable players

Christian Abbiati Aldo Agroppi Nicola Amoruso Enrico Annoni Antonino Asta Valerio Bacigalupo Dino Baggio Aldo Ballarin Dino Ballarin Adolfo Baloncieri Simone Barone Enzo Bearzot Giorgio Bresciani Pasquale Bruno Luca Bucci Luciano Castellini Eusebio Castigliano Angelo Cereser Sandro Cois Eugenio Corini Roberto Cravero Giuseppe Dossena Rubens Fadini Marco Ferrante Giacomo Ferri Giorgio Ferrini Stefano Fiore Natalino Fossati Diego Fuser Luca Fusi Gugliemo Gabetto Fabio Galante Giovanni Galli Francesco Graziani Giuseppe Grezar Gianluigi Lentini Ezio Loik Cristiano Lucarelli Luca Marchegiani Virgilio Maroso Danilo Martelli Valentino Mazzola Romeo Menti Gigi Meroni Roberto Mozzini Roberto Mussi Roberto Muzzi Franco Ossola Eraldo Pecci Gianluca Pessotto Silvio Piola Roberto Policano

Paolino Pulici Fabio Quagliarella Mario Rigamonti Ruggiero Rizzitelli Roberto Rosato Alessandro Rosina Claudio Sala Patrizio Sala Franco Selvaggi Aldo Serena Andrea Silenzi Giuliano Terraneo Christian Vieri Lido Vieri Renato Zaccarelli Patricio Hernández Julio Libonatti Beniamino Santos Toni Polster Walter Schachner Vincenzo Scifo Johan Walem Fernando Júnior Walter Casagrande Müller Pinga Robert Jarni Krunoslav Jurčić Joe Baker Tony Dorigo Gerry Hitchens Jocelyn Angloma Benoît Cauet Abédi Pelé Samuel Kuffour Wim Kieft Faas Wilkes Dionisio Arce Iosif Fabian Denis Law Nikola Lazetić Joaquín Peiró Martín Vázquez Hasse Jeppson Hakan Şükür Álvaro Recoba Carlos Aguilera Enzo Francescoli Gustavo Méndez Haris Škoro

References

1. ↑ "Italy -All-Time Table 1898-2002", RSSSF.com (23 June 2007). 
2. ↑ "La Storia della Juventus - 1905", JuventusStory.it (8 June 2007). 
3. ↑ "Calcio" (PDF). Comune Torino. Retrieved on August, 2007.
4. ↑ "Edoardo Bosio and Football in Turin". Life in Italy. Retrieved on August, 2007.
5. ↑ "Football Derby matches in Italy", FootballDerbies.com (29 June 2007). 
6. ↑ RSSSF. "Torneo Internazionale Stampa Sportiva 1908 (Torino)". Retrieved on 2007-06-20.
7. ↑ RSSSF. "Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy (Torino)". Retrieved on 2007-06-20.
8. ↑ Time.com
9. ↑ "Prima Squadra Serie A TIM 2008/2009" (in Italian). Torino FC. Retrieved on 2008-08-02.
10. ↑ "Gli allenatori della storia del Torino", ArchivoToro.it (24 June 2007). 
11. ↑ Torino won the title in the 1926-27 season, but it was later revoked.

External links

• (Italian) Torino FC Official website
• (English)Torino FC, Unofficial Site Dedicated to Torino FC - The First In English Language
• (Italian)Torino FC, Unofficial Site Dedicated to Torino FC - Italian Language
• (Italian) History all-time of Torino FC
• (Italian) Torino FC Supporters Forum

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