Perugia Calcio
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| Full name | Perugia Calcio Srl | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Grifoni (Griffons) | |||
| Founded | 1905 2005 (refounded) |
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| Ground | Stadio Renato Curi, Perugia, Italy (Capacity: 27 049) |
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| Assignee | Francesco Patumi | |||
| League | Serie D/E | |||
| 2009-10 | Lega Pro Prima Divisione A, 11th | |||
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Perugia Calcio was a football club based in Perugia, Umbria, direct heir of the old A.C. Perugia, excluded from Italian football because of financial troubles. The new club played in Italian Lega Pro Prima Divisione. The team's colors were red and white.
The original club was formed in 1905, and was cancelled in 2005 after having spent a large part of recent years in Serie A (its last relegation came in 2004).
The team also won the Intertoto Cup in 2003.
The club is also known for going through the entire 1978-79 Serie A season unbeaten and still not winning the championship, instead finishing runners-up.
Perugia had become known for taking a chance on players from "non-traditional" footballing nations, and was the first European team of Japanese star Hidetoshi Nakata[1].
Other famous former foreign players included Ahn Jung-Hwan, Rahman Rezaei and Al-Saadi Qadhafi, son of Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi.
The team came under scrutiny when its owner, Luciano Gaucci, criticized 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.
The new club played only in Serie C1 (now Lega Pro Prima divisione) and was cancelled in 2010 after bankruptcy. During the summer break, a new club with the same denomination and inheiriting the old side history, was entered in Serie D
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History
The club was founded on June 9, 1905 by 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 8th 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- 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. Illario Castagner was coach during this period.
The club spent the first half of the 80s trying to get back to Serie A, nearly succeeding in 1985 with an 11-26-1 record. 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 bizarre decision to replace Galeone with Nevio Scala. The side's form slumped alarmingly 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 an array of home-grown and foreign stars passing through the ranks, most notably Hidetoshi Nakata and Milan Rapaić.
The new chairman Vincenzo Silvestrini, who re-established the club in 2005, has declared his goal to bring the club back to Serie A in four seasons. However, he didn't reach his purpose and he resigned. After a takeover, in 2009 Perugia Calcio property passed to Perugian entrepreuner and former Pisa owner and chairman Leonardo Covarelli.
On 21 May 2010 the Court of Perugia declared the bankruptcy of Perugia Calcio srl[2]. Nobody decided to take over the society at the subsequent auction[3] and on 30 June 2010 the club was unable to join the Italian 3rd level championship 2010-2011. The Italian Football Federation decided on 8 July 2010 to revoke the affiliation of the bankrupt Perugia Calcio Srl[4].
Current squad
As of 17 August, 2010[5] Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable former players
- See also Category:Perugia Calcio players
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Honours
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- Runners-up: 1978–79
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- Winners: 2003
Trivia
Luciano Gaucci (1991 till 2004 chairman) tried also to hire two female footabllers, forwards Hanna Ljungberg and Birgit Prinz, while he succeeded in getting Libyan leader Muhammar Gheddafi's son, Al-Saadi Gheddafi, in the roster.
Notes
- ↑ IHT, November 30, 1998
- ↑ Erika Pontini (21 May 2010) "I giudici: buco da 100 milioni. Falliti Perugia e Mas" (in Italian) La Nazione http://www.lanazione.it/umbria/cronaca/2010/05/21/334800-buco_milioni_falliti_perugia_sentenza_dura.shtml. Retrieved 10 July 2010
- ↑ "CALCIO: ASTA DESERTA PER RILEVARE PERUGIA DOPO FALLIMENTO [Football: Perugia auction deserted after Bankruptcy]" (in Italian) SPR / La Repubblica 9 June 2010 http://sport.repubblica.it/news/sport/calcio-asta-deserta-per-rilevare-perugia-dopo/3792330?refresh_ce. Retrieved 10 July 2010
- ↑ "COMUNICATO UFFICIALE N. 7/A" (in Italian) (PDF) FIGC (Italia football federation) 8 July 2010 http://213.215.145.251/Assets/contentresources_2/ContenutoGenerico/87.$plit/C_2_ContenutoGenerico_25305_StrilloComunicatoUfficiale_lstAllegati_Allegato_0_upfAllegato.pdf. Retrieved 10 July 2010
- ↑ "Rosa Stagione 2009/2010" (in Italian). Perugia Calcio. http://perugiacalcio.webnode.it/la-squadra/idc=69. Retrieved 2010-03-38.
References
- Perugia and Korean hero make peace, CNN International, June 25, 2002
- "Hiddink condemns "childish" Perugia", BBC Sports, June 30, 2002
External links
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