U.C. AlbinoLeffe

AlbinoLeffe
Full name Unione Calcio AlbinoLeffe Srl
Nickname(s) Celeste (The Light-Blue)
Seriani
Founded 1998
Ground Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia,
Bergamo, Italy
(Capacity: 24,642)
Chairman Gianfranco Andreoletti
Head coach Daniele Fortunato
League Serie B
2010–11 Serie B, 18th
Home colours
Away colours

Unione Calcio AlbinoLeffe is an Italian association football club based in Leffe and also representing the town of Albino, in the Province of Bergamo, Lombardy. AlbinoLeffe plays its home games at the Atleti Azzurri d'Italia stadium, in the city of Bergamo, and its official colors are dark blue and azure blue. The team currently plays in Serie B, the second tier of the Italian football league system.

AlbinoLeffe has been connected in Italian media to systematic match fixing as a club controlled by Singapore-based organized crime.[1][2][3]

Contents

History

The club was created in 1998 as a result of the merger between former Serie C2 (fourth division) teams Albinese Calcio and S.C. Leffe, respectively from Albino and Leffe, two neighboring towns. In their first season, the club finished 2nd in the Serie C2 and won a promotion after defeating Modena in the Girone A playoffs. After rising to the Italian Serie C1 (third division), they performed at the middle of the pack, finishing 9th in 2000 and 13th in 2001.

However, in 2002, the Seriani went to the finals of the Coppa Italia Serie C, where they defeated Livorno 2–1 at home before losing 2–3 on the road. They won the tournament on the tiebreaker (Most away goals scored).In league play they again finished 13th. In 2003, AlbinoLeffe, under coach Elio Gustinetti, finished second in league play before heading to the promotion play-off. There, they defeated Padua in the semifinals, then had a surprising triumph over Pisa Calcio final, which pushed them up to Serie B.

The team plays its home games at the Atleti Azzurri d'Italia stadium in Bergamo, the chief-town of the province where both Albino and Leffe are located, on account of the Leffe municipal stadium's low capacity (2,260 seats). AlbinoLeffe used to play there before its promotion to Serie B. Even though AlbinoLeffe was considered to be an outsider in Serie B, which historically includes several former Scudetto winners, the team remerkably managed to avoid relegation in the last two seasons. In 2005–2006, after a great comeback in the second half of the season following the appointment of Emiliano Mondonico as new head coach, Albinoleffe ended the season in eighteenth place and managed to save itself from relegation by prevailing in the playouts against Avellino (score: 2–0, 2–3). The 2006–2007 Serie B campaign, the fourth consecutive for the small Lombard team, ended with a good tenth place, well ahead of the relegation zone.

Historically, AlbinoLeffe's home games have been characterized by very low attendance, as shown by the average 2,400 spectators per game in the 2006–07 season, the most successful in the club history.[4]

With local hero Gustinetti back in charge of the team and despite a lineup composed of relative unknowns, the club's 2007–08 campaign started surprisingly well, with the team leading the Serie B table for a few weeks and arousing the interest of the national media, which began providing regular coverage of the team's games. This has thus far failed to improve the club's low home attendance, however. During the season, AlbinoLeffe confirmed as a potential candidate for direct promotion to Serie A, however a string of poor results, ended with four consecutive home defeats, the final one being a 0–4 loss to Rimini, denied them the chance to achieve a place in the top two, and persuaded club chairman Gianfranco Andreoletti to sack Gustinetti, who then confirmed not to be in good relationships with the chairman, and appoint youth team coach Armando Madonna as caretaker boss for the final regular season match and the following promotion playoffs.[5] Even after a 1–0 loss to Brescia, AlbinoLeffe managed to win at home in the second leg (2–1) and qualified for the final against Lecce. In the first leg they suffered a 1–0 loss. On 15 June the second match was played in Lecce and the result of the match was 1–1 so AlbinoLeffe didn't reach Serie A.

Current squad

As of 31 August, 2011[6]

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 GK Luca Tomasig
3 DF Dario Bergamelli
5 DF Fabio Lebran
6 MF Roberto Previtali
7 FW Domenico Germinale (on loan from Benevento)
8 FW Leandro Antonio Martínez
9 FW Andrea Cocco (on loan from Cagliari)
10 FW Karamoko Cissé
11 DF Valerio Foglio
13 DF Alessandro Malomo
14 MF Alessandro Salvi
16 DF Francesco Luoni
18 MF Andrea Cristiano
21 MF Simon Laner
No. Position Player
22 MF Anthony Taugourdeau
23 MF Mario Pacilli
25 DF Manuel Daffara
27 GK Daniel Offredi
29 MF Michael Girasole
32 FW Omar Torri
39 DF Adam Ambra
55 DF Paolo Maino
58 MF Mehmet Hetemaj
64 DF Rocco D'Aiello (on loan from Triestina)
69 GK Davide Amadori
77 DF Matteo Piccinni
79 DF Pierre Regonesi

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
4 MF Enrico Geroni (at Prato)
7 MF Michael Cia (at Benevento)
17 DF Mattia Serafini (at Prato)
19 FW Massimiliano Pesenti (at Prato)
90 MF Donato Disabato (at Pro Vercelli)

Seasons

Season Div Pos League record Other
P W D L F A Pts
1998–99 Serie C2/A 2nd 34 16 10 8 44 35 58 [7]
1999-00 Serie C1/A 9th 34 11 12 11 36 37 45
2000–01 Serie C1/A 13th 34 7 18 9 27 31 39
2001–02 Serie C1/A 13th 34 8 17 9 33 35 41
2002–03 Serie C1/A 2nd 34 17 12 5 62 36 63 [8]
2003–04 Serie B 18th 46 13 15 18 47 59 54
2004–05 Serie B 11th 38 14 13 15 55 51 55
2005–06 Serie B 18th 38 10 16 16 38 52 46 [9]
2006–07 Serie B 10th 38 11 20 11 46 48 53
2007–08 Serie B 4th 38 23 9 10 67 48 78 [10]
2008–09 Serie B 9th 38 15 13 14 49 49 58
2009–10 Serie B 11th 42 14 13 15 59 56 55
2010–11 Serie B 18th 42 13 10 19 55 66 49 [11]

Former players

See Category:U.C. AlbinoLeffe players.

Former managers

See Category:U.C. AlbinoLeffe managers.

Honours

References

  1. ^ "La gola profonda: "L'organizzazione controllava l'Albinoleffe"". http://www3.lastampa.it/sport/sezioni/calcio/lstp/435152/. Retrieved 24 December 2011. 
  2. ^ [http://www.corriere.it/sport/11_dicembre_22/delfrate-calcioscommesse_ed53ff86-2c6a-11e1-a06d-72efe21acfe6.shtml "Un pari dell'AlbinoLeffe valeva 6,5 milioni di euro"]. http://www.corriere.it/sport/11_dicembre_22/delfrate-calcioscommesse_ed53ff86-2c6a-11e1-a06d-72efe21acfe6.shtml. Retrieved 24 December 2011. 
  3. ^ "Il caso AlbinoLeffe: «Oltre sei milioni su quel pareggio con il Piacenza»". http://www.ecodibergamo.it/stories/Sport/560384/. Retrieved 24 December 2011. 
  4. ^ "Serie B 06-07 attendances". http://digilander.libero.it/stadiapostcardsdgl/B06-07.htm. Retrieved 20 June 2007. 
  5. ^ "Albinoleffe, via Gustinetti" (in Italian). Corriere dello Sport. 26 May 2008. http://www.corrieredellosport.it/Notizie/Calcio/31224/Albinoleffe%2C+via+Gustinetti. Retrieved 26 May 2008. 
  6. ^ "Rosa stagione [Season team]". UC AlbinoLeffe. http://www.albinoleffe.com/component/campionato/?task=rosa. Retrieved 24 January 2011. 
  7. ^ promoted through playoffs
  8. ^ promoted through playoffs
  9. ^ won relegation playoffs to Avellino
  10. ^ lost promotion playoff finals to Lecce
  11. ^ won relegation playoff against Piacenza

External links

U.C. AlbinoLeffe – managers
U.C. AlbinoLeffe – current squad
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