Associazioni Calcio Riunite Messina S.r.l. is an
Italian football
Football ( it, calcio ) is the most popular sport in Italy. The Italy national football team is considered to be one of the best national teams in the world. They have won the FIFA World Cup four times (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006), trailing only Bra ...
club based in
Messina
Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 inhabitants in ...
, Sicily. It currently plays in .
History
Football in Messina
The origins of the team go back to 1900, when Messina F.C. was founded in the city. The club has spent most of its existence in the lower
Italian football
Football ( it, calcio ) is the most popular sport in Italy. The Italy national football team is considered to be one of the best national teams in the world. They have won the FIFA World Cup four times (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006), trailing only Bra ...
leagues. They last competed in
Serie B
The Serie B (), currently named Serie Balkrishna Industries, BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 ...
in 2007–08, which followed three consecutive seasons in
Serie A
The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...
. In July 2008, Messina were excluded from professional football due to financial issues, being later registered into amateur
Serie D
The Serie D () is the top level of semi-professional football in the country. The fourth tier of the Italian league system, the competition sits beneath the third professional league, Serie C. It is administered by the Lega Nazionale Dilettant ...
.
The farthest Messina has reached in the
Coppa Italia
The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since.
History
The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...
is the last 16. This was achieved in the 2000s decade. In the past, they have also reached the semi-finals in the
Coppa Italia Serie C
Coppa Italia Serie C ( it, Serie C Italian Cup), formerly named Coppa Italia Lega Pro, is a straight knock-out based competition involving teams from Serie C in Italian football first held in 1972.
Format
There are a total of six rounds in the c ...
.
Messina have appeared in the Italy's top league, Serie A, for a total of five seasons. The club's first spell in the league was in the 1960s; the second began in the 2000s decade. The highest ever position they have finished is 7th, which happened during the
2004–05 season.
From Messina F.C. to Giostra Messina (1900 to 1939)
The history of Messina Football Club began when Alfredo Marangolo returned to Sicily in August 1900 from studying in London, England. In Great Britain the game of
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
was fast gathering popularity with
The Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
in its early stages.
Messina Football Club were officially founded on 1 December 1900 by Marangolo with the help of
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
reverend "
Caulifield".
At the college where Marangolo visited he had also made the acquaintance of Ignazio Majo Pagano who formed
Anglo Palermitan (Palermo) on his return, only a month before Messina. The first Sicilian derby was held between Messina and Palermo on 18 April 1901; 1,000 fans turned out to Via Notarbartolo for the match. The game ended 3–2 to the Palermitan side.
A strong bond and a healthy rivalry had built up between the two Sicilian clubs and a competition named the ''Whitaker Challenge Cup'' was arranged to be played between them. The first was held in 1905; Messina won another game (3–2) and captured their first trophy. Messina repeated the feat the following year at San Ranieri, capturing the trophy in a 2–1 victory.
![Messina1910](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Messina1910.jpeg)
The earthquake of 1908, which killed 60,000 people in Messina, later affected the club in a large manner; deaths included Charles Bousfield Huleatt, players Frank John Carter, Walter Oates and financial backer George H. Peirce. Football resumed in Messina the following year, thanks largely to Arthur Barret Lascelles who used his own money to ensure football activity in the city would continue. By 1910, the funds of Barret had dried up, and the club was folded, Società Ginnastica Garibaldi Messina (''Gymnastic Society Garibaldi Messina'') briefly took its place, until it too was dissolved due to the First World War.
After World War I, a club under the name US Messinese was founded and entered the following year's
Coppa Federale Siciliana, an all Sicilian championship contested in
Messina
Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 inhabitants in ...
,
Catania
Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also by ...
and
Palermo
Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...
. Messina finished as runners-up.
The club participated in the Italian Football Championship of
1921–22, organised by the C.C.I., finishing third in the Sicilian group section; this was the first championship in which clubs from the island were entered. The following season the
FIGC
The Italian Football Federation ( it, Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio; FIGC), known colloquially as ''Federcalcio'', is the governing body of football in Italy. It is based in Rome and the technical department is in Coverciano, Florence.
It ...
and CCI were unified. This coincided with mergers in Messina, as another side, Umberto I Messina, was incorporated into US Messinese, and, therefore, the club changed its name to US Messinese Umberto I in October 1922. The following month this new side was fused again, this time with Messina Sporting Club; creating the Messina Football Club. Only two years later, in December 1924, FC Messina was melted, and the players became part of the reformed US Messinese.
Finally, Messinese qualified for the semi-finals of the International League, after beating Palermo, 3–0, in the Sicilian championship of
1924–25. Here, Messinese played against
Alba Roma,
Cavese
Cavese 1919 S.r.l., commonly known as just Cavese, is an Italian football club based in Cava de' Tirreni, Campania, that currently plays in . The first city club was founded in 1919 as Unione Sportiva Cavese. It was refounded as Pro Cavese in 1 ...
and
Liberty Bari, but failed to win a single match, scoring only two goals in six games. Messina would be promoted to
Serie B
The Serie B (), currently named Serie Balkrishna Industries, BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 ...
for the
1932–33 campaign under the presidency of Francesco Lombardo and Koenig's coaching and remained in the league for six seasons. The spell in
Serie B
The Serie B (), currently named Serie Balkrishna Industries, BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 ...
was also notable for the local rivalry between them and
Calcio Catania
Catania S.S.D., commonly known as Catania, is an Italian football club based in the city of Catania, Sicily, that plays in .
Originally founded in 1908 as ''Associazione Sportiva pro Educazione Fisica'', the club boasts 17 appearances in the ...
.
.
= From 1940 to 1947
=
Down in
Serie C
The Serie C () is the third-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie B and Serie A. The Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico (Lega Pro) is the governing body that runs the Serie C.
The unification of the Lega Pro ...
, AC Messina were withdrawn and folded during 1940–41. The following season, in 1941–42, a club named US Peloro 1906 changed its name and became US Mario Passamonte (named after a fallen hero of the war in Africa). The idea was to enter the club into
Serie C
The Serie C () is the third-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie B and Serie A. The Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico (Lega Pro) is the governing body that runs the Serie C.
The unification of the Lega Pro ...
in place of Messina. However this was unsuccessful, until the following season.
It would not be long before all activity was halted in
Italian football
Football ( it, calcio ) is the most popular sport in Italy. The Italy national football team is considered to be one of the best national teams in the world. They have won the FIFA World Cup four times (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006), trailing only Bra ...
for World War II. After several mergers in 1945, including one between US Passamonte and AP Messina, the club AS Messina subsequently emerged as a post-war representative of
Messina
Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 inhabitants in ...
. This was not a clean cut merger. Some players and officials formed the rival club Giostra Messina. Both Giostra and AS Messina reached the finals of the Southern League but eventually finished fourth and fifth respectively.
A.C. Riunite Messina
In 1947, the two teams ''AS Messina'' and ''Giostra Messina'' were united as one merged club Associazioni Calcio Riunite Messina, abbreviated as AC Riunite Messina.
The 1950s for Messina began in glorious fashion, they were crowned champions of Serie C under the management of
Yugoslav manager Mihalj Balačić. Messina did not falter in
Serie B
The Serie B (), currently named Serie Balkrishna Industries, BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 ...
. During their first season in the league they avoided relegation. Giuseppe Melazzo and the Comitato Reggenza owned the club during this new period of relative success. During the following season, Messina finished in third place.
Throughout the rest of the 1950s, Messina remained in the division as a whole finishing in a respectable position. Goffredo Muglia took over as president in 1958, to begin a brand new era for the club. For the first time in their history, Messina were crowned champions of
Serie B
The Serie B (), currently named Serie Balkrishna Industries, BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 ...
during the 1962–63 season. The race for the championship was a very close one and went down to the last day of the season, with Messina finishing above
Bari
Bari ( , ; nap, label= Barese, Bare ; lat, Barium) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, southern Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy a ...
and
Lazio
it, Laziale
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.
For their first ever season in
Serie A
The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...
, the football squad for Messina included; Morelli, Brambilla, Stucchi, Pagani, Dotti,
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
vian Benitez, Ghelfi, Fascetti, Morbello, Canuti and Clerici. Messina's first game in Serie A took place on 15 September 1963. It ended in a 3–1 defeat against
Sampdoria
Unione Calcio Sampdoria, commonly referred to as Sampdoria (), is an Italian professional football club based in Genoa.
The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, ...
at
Stadio Luigi Ferraris
The Stadio comunale Luigi Ferraris, also known as the Marassi from the name of the neighbourhood where it is located, is a multi-use stadium in Genoa, Italy. The home of Genoa C.F.C. and U.C. Sampdoria football clubs, it opened in 1911 and is ...
. As a whole, the first part of the season was not a success. They won only two games, but they managed to turn it around in the second half of the season with 7 wins, beating
Juventus
Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...
(1–0),
Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional football club based in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while the actual club was refounded in August 2002 fo ...
(1–0) and Sampdoria (4–3). The surge of wins in the latter part of the season helped them stay up, finishing 14th.
The next season for the club in Serie A would not be so fortunate. They were relegated in 17th place. Some notable high points of the season included a 1–0 victory over
Roma
Roma or ROMA may refer to:
Places Australia
* Roma, Queensland, a town
** Roma Airport
** Roma Courthouse
** Electoral district of Roma, defunct
** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council
*Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
at the
Stadio Olimpico
The Stadio Olimpico (English: ''Olympic Stadium'') is the largest sports facility in Rome, Italy, seating over 70,000 spectators. It is located within the Foro Italico sports complex, north of the city. The structure is owned by the Italian Na ...
. A team from Rome would also be the opposition for Messina's other most impressive result of the season. They stunned
Lazio
it, Laziale
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, beating them, 4–0, on the last day of the season.
The Sicilian side were not able to bounce straight back up into Serie A, and, in fact, after their third season back down in Serie B were relegated. After several seasons finishing in and around the top 10 positions of
Serie C
The Serie C () is the third-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie B and Serie A. The Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico (Lega Pro) is the governing body that runs the Serie C.
The unification of the Lega Pro ...
, Messina were relegated down to
Serie D
The Serie D () is the top level of semi-professional football in the country. The fourth tier of the Italian league system, the competition sits beneath the third professional league, Serie C. It is administered by the Lega Nazionale Dilettant ...
in the 1972–73 season. The club managed to bounce straight back, winning the Serie D championship and achieving promotion back into C. After a few decent seasons in the upper parts of the table, relegation struck Messina again. In the 1979 season
Serie C2
Lega Pro Seconda Divisione was the fourth highest football league in Italy, the lowest with a professional status. Usually it consisted of 36 teams, but in the 2011–12 season, there were 41 teams divided geographically into two divisions of 2 ...
was formed and Messina were placed into it.
By 1983, Messina were champions of
Serie C2
Lega Pro Seconda Divisione was the fourth highest football league in Italy, the lowest with a professional status. Usually it consisted of 36 teams, but in the 2011–12 season, there were 41 teams divided geographically into two divisions of 2 ...
and had a future star amongst their ranks in
Salvatore Schillaci
Salvatore Schillaci (; born 1 December 1964), commonly referred to by his nickname Totò, is an Italian former professional association football, footballer, who played as a striker (association football), striker. During his club career, he pl ...
. The club, now back on the right track, came close to promotion to Serie B in 1985 with a third-place finish just behind
Palermo
Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...
, and won
Serie C1
Lega Pro Prima Divisione was the third highest football (soccer), football league in Italy. It consisted of 33 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 16 and 17 teams for group A and B respectively. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1 ...
and earned themselves promotion back to
Serie B
The Serie B (), currently named Serie Balkrishna Industries, BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 ...
the following season.
Time in Serie B during the 1980s, was a pleasant one for the Sicilian side. They notched seventh and eighth-place finishes. In 1989, Schillaci was sold to Turin giants
Juventus
Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...
, and, just three seasons after Schillaci's departure, Messina lost their position in Serie B and were relegated down to C1 and then spiraled into further trouble. The club finished 12th in Serie C1 in the 1992–93 season, but, due to financial difficulties, the
FIGC
The Italian Football Federation ( it, Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio; FIGC), known colloquially as ''Federcalcio'', is the governing body of football in Italy. It is based in Rome and the technical department is in Coverciano, Florence.
It ...
cancelled all professional football activity for Messina.
In 1993, it was included to
Sicilian Promozione, and in 1994, it was admitted in
Sicilian Eccellenza. In this league the club has played until 1998, when following the relegation in
Sicilian Promozione, it was dissolved.
A.S. Messina
The decision was thought to be unjust by the club and fans, with Messina been thrown into a footballing abyss never known before. In the summer of 1993, A.S. Messina was founded with the president Pietro La Malfa, beginning in the amateurs national championship (C.N.D.) with the objective to bring back the ''giallorossi'' to professional football.
They played in the Campionato Nazionale Dilettanti for four seasons, finishing high up for the first three of them, but in the 1996–97 season, they were ranked last and relegated to the
Sicilian Eccellenza league.
In the 1998–99 season, they were relegated to
Sicilian Promozione and were dissolved.
From U.S. Peloro to F.C. Messina Peloro
In the summer of 1994, after the merger of ''Villafranca'' and ''Tremestieri'', U.S. Peloro was founded. It played two seasons in
Eccellenza Sicily
Eccellenza Sicily ( it, Eccellenza Sicilia) is the regional Eccellenza football division for clubs in Sicily, Italy. It is competed amongst 32 teams, in two different groups (A and B). The winners of the Groups are promoted to Serie D. The clubs w ...
, and in 1996, it was promoted to Campionato Nazionale Dilettanti (
Serie D
The Serie D () is the top level of semi-professional football in the country. The fourth tier of the Italian league system, the competition sits beneath the third professional league, Serie C. It is administered by the Lega Nazionale Dilettant ...
). Then, in the 1996 season, the club played in the same league as the town's other team, ''A.S. Messina'', where it was ranked 6th.
In July 1997, the club changed its name to Football Club Messina Peloro. In a few short seasons, the club ramped up the Italian league system, from ''Campionato Nazionale Dilettanti'' in the 1997–98 season, Messina were promoted into
Serie C2
Lega Pro Seconda Divisione was the fourth highest football league in Italy, the lowest with a professional status. Usually it consisted of 36 teams, but in the 2011–12 season, there were 41 teams divided geographically into two divisions of 2 ...
as champions. Promoted to
Serie C1
Lega Pro Prima Divisione was the third highest football (soccer), football league in Italy. It consisted of 33 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 16 and 17 teams for group A and B respectively. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1 ...
in 2000, they immediately managed to fight hard for a promotion spot back to
Serie B
The Serie B (), currently named Serie Balkrishna Industries, BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 ...
, winning promotion to
Calcio Catania
Catania S.S.D., commonly known as Catania, is an Italian football club based in the city of Catania, Sicily, that plays in .
Originally founded in 1908 as ''Associazione Sportiva pro Educazione Fisica'', the club boasts 17 appearances in the ...
after play-offs. In less than a decade, under the presidency of Aliotta, Messina had climbed back up from the abyss and were back in the upper part of the Italian league system.
After two seasons in Serie B, local entrepreneur Pietro Franza took over, and in 2003–04, Sicily returned into
Serie A
The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...
under coach
Bortolo Mutti
Bortolo Mutti (born 11 August 1954 in Trescore Balneario, Bergamo) is an Italian football manager and a former player, who was most recently manager of Livorno.
His older brother Tiziano Mutti also played football professionally. To distinguish ...
. The club had not appeared in the top Italian league since 1965, a total of forty years.
After being tipped as
underdogs
An underdog is a person or group in a competition, usually in sports and creative works, who is largely expected to lose. The party, team, or individual expected to win is called the favorite or top dog. In the case where an underdog wins, the ...
in
Serie A
The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...
for the 2004–05 season, Messina surprised doubters by producing several good results including defeating both of the Milanese clubs, beating
AC Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 and 1982–83 seasons ...
first at
San Siro
Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, commonly known as San Siro, is a football stadium in the San Siro district of Milan, Italy, which is the home of A.C. Milan and Inter Milan. It has a seating capacity of 80,018, making it one of the largest stadiums in ...
2–1, and then later in the season also with
Internazionale
Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter is ...
, this time at home, for the first time in their history; the winning goal was struck by
Rafael
Rafael may refer to:
* Rafael (given name) or Raphael, a name of Hebrew origin
* Rafael, California
* Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Israeli manufacturer of weapons and military technology
* Hurricane Rafael, a 2012 hurricane
Fiction
* ''R ...
in the third minute of
injury time
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
.
Messina managed to stay clear of relegation throughout the whole season, and eventually finished in seventh place in the table, just a single place away from securing a
UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store Solid, solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, porcela ...
place. Also during this period, for the first time in the club's history, Messina players were called up in the
Italy national football team
The Italy national football team ( it, Nazionale di calcio dell'Italia) has represented Italy in international football since its first match in 1910. The national team is controlled by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), the governing bo ...
: first was Alessandro Parisi in 2004, then
Carmine Coppola
Carmine Valentino Coppola (; June 11, 1910 – April 26, 1991) was an American composer, flautist, pianist, and songwriter who contributed original music to ''The Godfather'', ''The Godfather Part II'', ''Apocalypse Now'', '' The Outsiders'', an ...
in 2005 who was called up twice by the ''azzurri''.
Despite this impressive form, Messina were still in danger of being relegated from Serie A at the end of the season, due to a possibility of not having enough finances available to compete in the league. Eventually, though, they successfully managed to stay in the Serie A league. In the 2005–06 season, Messina were unable to repeat their previous impressive season, leading to the sacking of Mutti, who was replaced by
Giampiero Ventura
Gian Piero Ventura (; born 14 January 1948) is an Italian football manager.
His playing career as a midfielder was spent in the lower leagues, having not made the grade at Sampdoria, where he began his coaching career with the youth team in 1976 ...
. Despite all, they looked to be mathematically relegated from the top division after Day 36. losing the derby against Reggina, 3–0. However, due to the
Serie A scandal of 2006
''Calciopoli'' () was a sports scandal in Italy's top professional association football league Serie A and to a lesser extent Serie B. Involving various clubs and numerous executives, both from the same clubs and from the main Italian football b ...
, Messina avoided relegation to Serie B despite finishing 18th.
Messina started the 2006–07 season with
Bruno Giordano
Bruno Giordano (; born 13 August 1956) is an Italian football manager and former player, who was deployed as a forward and is mostly remembered for winning the title of Serie A capocannoniere (top goalscorer) achieved with Lazio as well as for ...
as head coach; however, he was replaced on 30 January 2007, by
Alberto Cavasin
Alberto Cavasin (born 9 January 1956) is an Italian football manager and former player.
Playing career
Cavasin, a right back, started his professional career in 1973 for Treviso; he then played for a number of Serie A, B and C clubs, with s ...
because of poor results. On 2 April, following a 2–0 away defeat to
Cagliari
Cagliari (, also , , ; sc, Casteddu ; lat, Caralis) is an Italian municipality and the capital of the island of Sardinia, an autonomous region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name ''Casteddu'' means ''castle''. It has about 155,000 inhabitant ...
, another team involved in the battle to avoid relegation, Cavasin was sacked, and Giordano was recalled to fill the coaching position. Giordano's record was even worse in his second time at Messina, with four defeats in four matches. With Messina second-last placed in the table five matchdays prior to the end of the season, Giordano was sacked again on 23 April, and replaced by
Bruno Bolchi
Bruno Bolchi (; 21 February 1940 – 27 September 2022) was an Italian football manager and player, who played as a midfielder. Throughout his playing career, he played for Inter, Verona, Atalanta, and Torino, as well as the Italy national team ...
. Messina were relegated at the end of the season.
After a quiet Serie B season in 2007–08, in July 2008 Messina chairman Pietro Franza announced he did not find any investor ready to take over the club and that he was consequently giving up the club's
Serie B
The Serie B (), currently named Serie Balkrishna Industries, BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 ...
membership, declaring that he would look forward to enter the club into an amateur league. On 1 August, it was confirmed that Messina was admitted to
Serie D
The Serie D () is the top level of semi-professional football in the country. The fourth tier of the Italian league system, the competition sits beneath the third professional league, Serie C. It is administered by the Lega Nazionale Dilettant ...
. In November 2008, the Court of Messina declared the club to be bankrupt and appointed a trustee to start a search for potential investors.
A.C. Rinascita Messina
![A](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/A.C.R._Messina.png)
In March 2009, Rome-based entrepreneur Alfredo Di Lullo acquired Football Club Messina Peloro in a blind auction held by the Court of Messina in April 2009. The club was renamed A.C. Rinascita Messina (''rinascita'' means "revived"). On 4 January 2011, the club was transferred to the group Martorano which on 14 August 2011, sold it to Raffaele "Lello" Manfredi.
In June 2012, the club was acquired by a consortium led by prominent football manager
Pietro Lo Monaco, former managing director at Serie A club Catania and one of the masterminds behind the club's rise into top flight in the 2000s. Messina finished 4th in Group I and qualified to the promotion playoffs in the 2011–12 season. It eliminated
Battipagliese
Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica Battipagliese is an Italian football club from Battipaglia, Campania. The club currently plays in Serie D.
History Foundation
The history of Battipagliese can be traced back to the founding of the comune ...
by a score of 3–1 in the first round but was eliminated by
Cosenza
Cosenza (; local dialect: ''Cusenza'', ) is a city in Calabria, Italy. The city centre has a population of approximately 70,000; the urban area counts more than 200,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Province of Cosenza, which has a populati ...
by a score of 3–0 in the second round. Messina finally became champions of Group I of Serie D and were promoted to
Lega Pro Seconda Divisione
Lega Pro Seconda Divisione was the fourth highest football league in Italy, the lowest with a professional status. Usually it consisted of 36 teams, but in the 2011–12 season, there were 41 teams divided geographically into two divisions of 2 ...
, the fourth level of the Italian league. After winning the
Lega Pro Seconda Divisione/B title, the club was then admitted to play in the unified
2014–15 Lega Pro
The 2014–15 Lega Pro was the first season of the unified Lega Pro division in place of the old Prima Divisione and Seconda Divisione. The league is composed of 60 teams divided into three different groups of 20 each.
Teams
A total of 60 team ...
season.
A.C. Riunite Messina
Since the summer of 2014, the new name of the club is Associazioni Calcio Riunite Messina. In the 2014–15 season, the club was relegated to Serie D, but it was readmitted to Lega Pro for involvement in sporting fraud. Since the summer of 2015, the new owner and president is Natale Stracuzzi. The club failed to submit its surety by the 5 July 2017 deadline and was expelled by Lega Pro. A successor club, A.C.R. Messina
S.s.d. a r.l. was admitted to the
2017–18 Serie D
The 2017–18 Serie D was the seventieth edition of the top level Italian non-professional football championship. It represents the fourth tier in the Italian football league system. A total of 167 teams, divided on geographical grounds into 6 grou ...
.
Rivalries
Messina's biggest rivals are
Reggina
Reggina 1914 S.r.l., commonly referred to as Reggina, is an Italian football club based in Reggio Calabria. Founded in 1914, they currently play in Serie B, and play their home matches at the 27,763 seater Stadio Oreste Granillo.
They are n ...
, located on the mainland, due to their close proximity and matches are known as ''
Derby dello Stretto'' ("Derby of the Strait") as
Messina
Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 inhabitants in ...
and
Reggio Calabria
Reggio di Calabria ( scn, label= Southern Calabrian, Riggiu; el, label= Calabrian Greek, Ρήγι, Rìji), usually referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the largest city in Calabria. It has an estimated popul ...
are separated by the
Strait of Messina
The Strait of Messina ( it, Stretto di Messina, Sicilian: Strittu di Missina) is a narrow strait between the eastern tip of Sicily (Punta del Faro) and the western tip of Calabria ( Punta Pezzo) in Southern Italy. It connects the Tyrrhenian Se ...
.
Colors and badge
Its colours are yellow and red.
Current squad
Notable players
*
Salvatore Aronica
Salvatore Aronica (born 20 January 1978) is an Italian football manager and former player who played as a defender, currently in charge as head coach of Eccellenza Sicily amateurs Don Carlo Misilmeri.
Playing career
Aronica spent his early ca ...
*
Emanuele Curcio
Emanuele Curcio (born 3 May 1953) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a winger. He made 15 appearances for Roma in the 1974–75 Serie A season, scoring twice, and played 71 times in Serie C for Messina and Cosenza.
L ...
*
Julio César de León
Julio César de León Dailey (; born 13 September 1979) is a Honduran footballer who currently plays for Olancho F.C. in the Honduran Liga Nacional de Ascenso as a midfielder. He is known for being a free-kick specialist and was an importan ...
*
Arturo Di Napoli
*
Dimitrios Eleftheropoulos
Dimitrios Eleftheropoulos (Greek: Δημήτριος Ελευθερόπουλος; born 7 August 1976) is a Greek professional football manager and former player, who is the current manager of Super League 2 club Niki Volos.
Club career
Greec ...
*
Antonio Nocerino
Antonio Nocerino (; born 9 April 1985) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder for clubs such as A.C. Milan, Juventus, Palermo, and Orlando City. At international level, he represented the Italian national team ...
*
Alessandro Parisi
*
Igor Protti
Igor Protti (born 24 September 1967) is an Italian former professional Association football, footballer who currently works as a general manager for U.S. Livorno 1915, Livorno.
Throughout his playing career, he made a name for himself as a proli ...
*
Rahman Rezaei
Rahman Rezaei ( fa, رحمان رضايی, born 20 February 1975) is an Iranian football coach and former player. A centre-back, he also represented the Iran national team.
Club career
He was originally discovered by Iranian manager, Nass ...
*
Christian Riganò
Christian Riganò (born 25 May 1974) is an Italian Association football, football manager and former professional footballer who played as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker.
Career
Early career
Riganò was born in Lipari, Provi ...
*
Salvatore Schillaci
Salvatore Schillaci (; born 1 December 1964), commonly referred to by his nickname Totò, is an Italian former professional association football, footballer, who played as a striker (association football), striker. During his club career, he pl ...
*
Marco Storari
Marco Storari (born 7 January 1977) is an Italian former footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
After a lengthy spell in Italy's lower leagues, he arrived in Serie A aged 27. Steady performances for Messina prompted his signing by A.C. Milan i ...
*
Salvatore Sullo
Salvatore "Sasà" Sullo (born 23 October 1971) is an Italian football coach and a former midfielder.
He was mainly known for having been the captain of Messina from 2001 to 2007 as part of the squad that gained two promotions, which led the team ...
*
Atsushi Yanagisawa
is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a forward. He played for Japan national team.
He is best known for playing the majority of his career at Kashima Antlers, in addition to his spells with Italian sides Sampdoria and ...
*
Riccardo Zampagna
Riccardo Zampagna (born 15 November 1974) is an Italian former footballer who played as a striker.
Playing career
After spending most of his career in the lower leagues ( Serie C1, Serie C2 and D, from 2000 in the second tier), Zampagna final ...
*
Marco Zoro
Marc-André "Marco" Zoro Kpolo (born 27 December 1983) is an Ivorian former professional footballer who played as a central defender.
Club career
Born in Abidjan, Zoro started his career in Italy, first with U.S. Salernitana 1919, without howev ...
Stadium
![Curva sud contro il Torino--2007](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Curva_sud_contro_il_Torino--2007.jpg)
The former club Football Club Messina Peloro have played their home matches in the new Stadio Comunale San Filippo since the 2004–05 to 2008–09 season. Since the season 2009–10 plays here the current team of A.C. Riunite Messina 1947.
The capacity of the stadium is 37,895 seats. It is named after the part of the city in which it is located, but a couple of petitions aim to rename it after the former Messina manager
Franco Scoglio
Francesco "Franco" Scoglio (; 2 May 1941 – 3 October 2005) was an Italian football manager who coached at both national and international level.
Playing career
Francesco Scoglio was born in Lipari, in the province of Messina, Italy. He ...
or the Messina Saint
Hannibal Mary Di Francia.
The old stadium, the 11,000 seater
Stadio Comunale Giovanni Celeste, is now used by S.S.D. Città di Messina, the second team of the city.
Honours
Serie B
The Serie B (), currently named Serie Balkrishna Industries, BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 ...
*1 Champions:
1962–63
Serie C
The Serie C () is the third-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie B and Serie A. The Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico (Lega Pro) is the governing body that runs the Serie C.
The unification of the Lega Pro ...
*2 Champion :
1949–50,
1985–86
Serie C2
Lega Pro Seconda Divisione was the fourth highest football league in Italy, the lowest with a professional status. Usually it consisted of 36 teams, but in the 2011–12 season, there were 41 teams divided geographically into two divisions of 2 ...
*3 Champions: 1982–83, 1999–00, 2013–14
Serie D
The Serie D () is the top level of semi-professional football in the country. The fourth tier of the Italian league system, the competition sits beneath the third professional league, Serie C. It is administered by the Lega Nazionale Dilettant ...
*3 Champions: 1973–74 (Group I),
2012–13
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
(Group I),
2020-21 (Group I)
Campionato Nazionale Dilettanti
The Serie D () is the top level of semi-professional football in the country. The fourth tier of the Italian league system, the competition sits beneath the third professional league, Serie C. It is administered by the Lega Nazionale Dilettanti ...
*1 Champion : 1997–98
Sicilian Championship
*1 Winners: 1924–25
Whitaker Challenge Cup
*2 Winners: 1905, 1906
References
External links
Official twitterfacebookinstagram
{{DEFAULTSORT:Messina
Football clubs in Italy
Football clubs in Sicily
Association football clubs established in 1900
Sport in Messina
Serie C clubs
1900 establishments in Italy
Phoenix clubs (association football)