A.C. Perugia Calcio

AC Perugia
Full name Associazione Calcistica Perugia Calcio S.r.l.
Nickname(s) Grifoni (Griffins)
Founded 1905
2005 (refounded)
2010 (refounded)
Ground Stadio Renato Curi,
Perugia, Italy
Ground Capacity 28,000
Chairman Massimiliano Santopadre
Manager Pierpaolo Bisoli
League Serie B
2014–15 Serie B , 6th
Website Club home page

Associazione Calcistica Perugia Calcio,[1] previously A.C. Perugia, Perugia Calcio and commonly referred to as simply Perugia, is an Italian association football club based in Perugia, Umbria. Founded in 1905 (refounded in 2005 and 2010 due to financial troubles) has amongst its best records a runners-up season in Serie A 1978-79, in which they finished unbeaten, and the 2003 UEFA Intertoto Cup. The team currently plays in Serie B after promotion from Lega Pro Prima Divisione in 2013-14 season.

History

A.C. Perugia

A.C. Perugia were founded on 9 June 1905, after the merger of U.S. Fortebraccio and Libertas.

Promotion to Serie B in 1966 would mark the beginning of one of the club's most successful periods. Perugia spent the next eight years in Serie B before promotion to Serie A for the first time in 1975.

In the club's first Serie A season, Perugia finished eighth with 31 points- just short of a European place. Star players in the side included defender Pierluigi Frosio and midfielders Renato Curi and Franco Vannini. The side remained in the top half of the table for the rest of the decade, finishing runners-up in 1979 with 11 wins and 19 draws, resulting in the only unbeaten side not to win a title. However, tragedy and scandal marred this period. In 1977, Curi died of a heart attack during a league match with Juventus, while Vannini's career was ended by injury in 1979. The Totonero scandal in 1980 led to a 5-point penalty and relegation in 1981. Ilario Castagner was coach during this period.

The club spent the first half of the 1980s trying to get back to Serie A, nearly succeeding in 1984-85. Another scandal in 1986 forced Perugia down to Serie C2. It was during this time that Fabrizio Ravanelli would be discovered, he would later go on to a career with Reggiana, Juventus, Middlesbrough and several other clubs before returning to Perugia.

The controversial and eccentric Luciano Gaucci took control of the club. The side returned to Serie B in 1994 and under the guidance of Giovanni Galeone reached Serie A in 1996. Perugia started well before Gaucci's decision to replace Galeone with Nevio Scala. The side's form subsequently declined before a late rally gave them a chance of survival- a 2–1 defeat at Piacenza in the final round sealed their fate. With Castagner back in charge, Perugia won a play-off with Torino to secure a return to the top flight.

The next six seasons saw Perugia hold their own in Serie A with foreign imports including the Japanese international Hidetoshi Nakata in 1998.[2] The team came under scrutiny when Gaucci criticised and eventually terminated the contract of his own player, Ahn Jung-Hwan of South Korea, for scoring the golden goal that knocked Italy out of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and allegedly insulting the Italian nation. Ahn's national manager Guus Hiddink spoke out against the sacking.[3] Following the outcry, Ahn's sacking was reversed, but by then the player himself expressed no desire to return to the club anymore.

In the Summer of 2003, Perugia signed English striker Jay Bothroyd, and Al-Saadi Gaddafi (the son of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi).[4] Soon after, the club were one of three winners of the 2003 UEFA Intertoto Cup after beating VfL Wolfsburg of Germany 3-0 on aggregate. This qualified the team to the 2003-04 UEFA Cup, in which they were eliminated in the third round by PSV Eindhoven.[5]

Perugia Calcio

Old logo Perugia calcio (2005–2010)

The new chairman Vincenzo Silvestrini had re-established the club in 2005 as Perugia Calcio.

After a takeover, in 2009 Perugia Calcio property passed to Perugian entrepreneur and former Pisa owner and chairman Leonardo Covarelli. On 21 May 2010 the Court of Perugia declared the bankruptcy of Perugia Calcio srl.[6] Nobody decided to take over the society at the subsequent auction[7] and on 30 June 2010 the club was unable to join the Italian third level championship 2010–2011. The Italian Football Federation decided on 8 July 2010 to revoke the affiliation of the bankrupt Perugia Calcio Srl.[8]

From A.S.D. Perugia Calcio to A.C. Perugia Calcio

A.S.D. Perugia Calcio

During the summer break 2010, this new club with the same denomination and inheiriting the old side history, was entered into the Serie D Girone E.

On 10 April 2011, Perugia became the first team of the season to get promoted from Serie D to the Lega Pro Seconda Divisione 2011–12, after a 3–2 home victory against Castel Rigone.[9] They eventually won the Girone E. The club also won the 2010–11 Coppa Italia Serie D, beating Turris 1–0 in the final.[10]

A.C. Perugia Calcio

In summer 2011 the club was renamed Associazione Calcistica Perugia Calcio, thus becoming a professional company, to play in the Lega Pro Seconda Divisione/B obtaining the immediate promotion to Lega Pro Prima Divisione. On May 4, 2014, beating Frosinone 1-0, A.C. Perugia wins the 2013-14 Lega Pro Prima Divisione championship and gains promotion to Serie B after 9 years of absence from Italy's second highest football division.

Current squad

As of 21 January, 2016.[11]

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

No. Position Player
1 Italy GK Antonio Rosati
2 Croatia DF Mato Miloš (on loan from Rijeka)
3 Italy MF Francesco Della Rocca
5 Italy MF Stefano Guberti
7 Italy MF Leonardo Spinazzola (on loan from Juventus)
8 Italy MF Giuseppe Rizzo
9 Italy FW Matteo Ardemagni (on loan from Atalanta)
10 Brazil MF Rodrigo Taddei
11 Brazil FW Fabinho
12 Italy GK Alessandro Piacenti
13 Italy DF Marco Rossi
14 Italy DF Massimo Volta
15 Ivory Coast MF Pierre Desiré Zebli
No. Position Player
16 Guadeloupe FW Raphael Mirval
17 Italy DF Nicola Belmonte
18 Italy DF Lorenzo Del Prete
19 Ghana DF Masahudu Alhassan (on loan from Udinese)
20 Bosnia and Herzegovina MF Sanjin Prcić (on loan from Rennes)
21 Uruguay FW Rodrigo Aguirre (on loan from Udinese)
22 Czech Republic GK Lukáš Zima (on loan from Genoa)
23 Italy DF Gianluca Mancini (on loan from Fiorentina)
24 Colombia FW Alexis Zapata (on loan from Udinese)
27 Italy FW Vittorio Parigini (on loan from Torino)
28 Italy FW Salvatore Molina (on loan from Atalanta)
30 Ivory Coast FW Jean-Armel Drolé
33 Italy FW Rolando Bianchi

Out on loan

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

No. Position Player
6 Brazil MF Filipe Gomes (on loan to Partizani)
25 Italy FW Marco Zemelo (on loan to Melfi)
36 Cameroon MF Joss Moudoumbou (on loan to Juventus Youth)

Youth team

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

No. Position Player

Notable former players

See also Category:A.C. Perugia Calcio players
     

Honours

Serie A:

UEFA Intertoto Cup:

Supercoppa di Lega di Seconda Divisione:

  • Winner: 2011–12

Coppa Italia Serie D:

  • Winner: 2010–11

Serie B:

  • Winner: 1974–75

Lega Pro Prima Divisione:

  • Winner: 1932–33, 1945–46, 1966–67, 1993–94, 2013-14

Lega Pro Seconda Divisione:

  • Winner: 1987–88, 2011–12

Serie D:

  • Winner: 1929–30 (as Terza Divisione), 2010–11

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, February 11, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.