Catania S.S.D., commonly known as Catania, 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 ...
club based in the city of
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 ...
,
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
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, that plays in .
Originally founded in 1908 as ''Associazione Sportiva pro Educazione Fisica'', the club boasts 17 appearances in the top flight, achieved moderate success, reaching the top position of eighth place 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 ...
on four occasions: during the early 1960s and again in 2012–13. However, this has not stopped it remaining one of the most important clubs in
Southern Italy
Southern Italy ( it, Sud Italia or ) also known as ''Meridione'' or ''Mezzogiorno'' (), is a macroregion of the Italian Republic consisting of its southern half.
The term ''Mezzogiorno'' today refers to regions that are associated with the peop ...
; is the 12th most popular team in Italy, with around 600,000 fans. The club also went on a number of dissolutions and refoundations, the last happening in 2022.
History
Origin
The origins of football being played by representatives of the
Province of Catania
The Province of Catania ( it, Provincia di Catania; scn, Pruvincia di Catania) was a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily in southern Italy. Its capital was the city of Catania. It had an area of and a total population of about 1, ...
can be traced back to English
cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. Cargo ships are usu ...
s, thanks to the workers who brought the game to
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
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, demographi ...
. Specifically, the earliest Catania team can be traced to a match which took place on 2 May 1901 at ''San Raineri di Messina'' against
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 ...
; the team was named Royal Yacht Catania, an English ship with a local Catanian crew.
The ship workers' team was just a pastime, however, and Catania's first professional and most stable football club was founded on 19 June 1908 by Italian film director Gaetano Ventimiglia and Francesco Sturzo d'Aldobrando, who founded the club under the name A.S. Educazione Fisica Pro Patria. Early on, they would always play against sailors visiting the port of Catania, particularly from foreign ships. Though their first ever match was against the Italian battleship , the game ended in a 1–1 draw and the Catania line-up that day consisted of Vassallo, Gismondo, Bianchi, Messina, Slaiter, Caccamo, Stellario, Binning, Cocuzza, Ventimiglia and Pappalardo. Just two years later, they changed the name to Unione Sportiva Catanese.
Foundation
In the north of Italy, football was more organised and those clubs competed in the early
Italian Football Championship
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
s, while the southern clubs competed in competitions such as the Lipton, Sant' Agata and Agordad cups. US Catanese survived
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and just after played in the local
Coppa Federale Siciliana. Seven seasons later, in 1927, they were entered into the Campionato Catanese, which was won in the 1928–29 season. As they gained promotion, the team entered the Second Division, but the fascist reform of Italian football dictated the disbandment of Catanese and the establishment of Società Sportiva Catania on 27 June 1929.
[Tutto il Catania minuto per minuto (Antonio Buemi, Roberto Quartarone, Carlo Fontanelli, Alessandro Russo, Filippo Solarino - Geo Edizioni); pp. 101, 102, 105, 106, 109, 110, 116] The new club first 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 the 1934–35 season, where they finished fourth; that year,
Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...
won the Serie B title.
Catania played in the league for three seasons during this period before ultimately being relegated. 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 ...
, Catania were crowned champions in the 1938–39 season, finishing above Sicilian rivals
Siracusa and Messina, who came in second- and third-place respectively. Their return to Serie B was not a pleasant one; the club finished bottom of the league and won only three games that season. The club's name was briefly changed to Associazione Calcio Fascista Catania during the 1942–43 season 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 ...
, which ended prematurely due to
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
Rebirth
After World War II ended, a local competition was organised, the Campionato Siciliano. US Catanese were back; at the end of that season, a local team named Elefante Catania were merged into the club. The merged club kept the Catanese name and competed in Serie C during the 1945–46 season, but finished last. In the same league that season, a team called Virtus Catania were also present, finishing eighth.
At the end of the season, Catanese and Virtus merged to form Club Calcio Catania, with the club's first president as Santi Manganaro-Passanisi, who had previously been president of Catanese. They were entered into Serie C, where they spent three seasons. After an epic duel with
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 ...
for first place in the league, Catania prevailed with stars such as Goffi, Messora, Ardesi and Prevosti, thereby gaining promotion to Serie B for the 1948–49 season.
Golden years
The late 1950s through 1960s are considered the
golden years for the Catanian club, as they managed to achieve promotion to
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 ...
on two occasions during this time. Their first promotion from Serie B came when, during the 1953–54 season, they beat
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 ...
and
Lombardy
Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...
side
Pro Patria to be crowned champions of the division. Their first season in Serie A saw the club achieve a respectable 12th-place finish, but the club were forcibly relegated due to financial scandal (as were
Udinese
Udinese Calcio, commonly referred to as Udinese, is a professional Italian football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, that currently plays in Serie A. It was founded on 30 November 1896 as a sports club, and on 5 July 1911 as a fo ...
).
Under the management of
Carmelo Di Bella
Carmelo Di Bella (January 30, 1921 – September 9, 1992) was an Italian football player and manager. Di Bella spent the vast majority of his career in Sicily where he was a prominent figure in the footballing scene, especially in relation to the ...
, who had played for the club in the late 1930s, Catania gained promotion from Serie B in the 1959–60 season. The race for promotion in third spot went down to the last day of the season and was very tense. Catania had lost their final game 4–2 to
Brescia
Brescia (, locally ; lmo, link=no, label= Lombard, Brèsa ; lat, Brixia; vec, Bressa) is a city and ''comune'' in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Iseo. ...
and needed
Parma
Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...
to get a good result against
Triestina
Unione Sportiva Triestina Calcio 1918, commonly referred to as Triestina, is an Italian football club based in Trieste, Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Originally founded in 1918, the club has been re-established several times in its history. As of the ...
for the Sicilian club to secure promotion. That is exactly what happened, and Catania had thus gained promotion once more.
Catania returned into Serie A for the
1960–61 season to begin what would be a six-year stay in the league. Their return season was emphatic, as the newly promoted club finished in eighth above top Italian clubs such as
Lazio
it, Laziale
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and
Napoli
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
. This season produced several notable wins; they beat Napoli and
Bologna
Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...
twice,
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, ...
3–0 at home and most notably beat
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
4–3 in Sicily. Additionally, on the final day of the season, they beat
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 ...
2–0, with goals from Castellazzi and Calvanese. This rubbed the salt into the wounds of Inter, who lost the closely contested title that year to
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 ...
.
Four years later, in 1965, Catania would also finish eighth in the league, this time above
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 ...
and Sicilian rivals
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 ...
. Many of the club's most notable stars played around this time, such as midfielders Alvaro Biagini and the Brazilian
Chinesinho
Sidney Colônia Cunha (28 June 1935 – 16 April 2011), commonly known as Chinesinho (''Little Chinese''), was a Brazilian footballer who played professionally, at both club and international levels, as a midfielder.
Career
Born in Rio Grande, Ch ...
, along with wingers Carlo Facchin and
Giancarlo Danova
Giancarlo Danova (18 November 1938 – 15 June 2014) was an Italian football forward who played for A.C. Milan, Torino F.C., Catania Calcio, Atalanta B.C., Fiorentina F.C. and Mantova Calcio. During his career he played on three Italian Cha ...
in the side. Catania more than held their own amongst the giants of Italian football, with wins against Juventus (2–0),
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 ...
(2–0) and Lazio (1–0).
Mixed fortunes in the 1970s and 1980s
After Catania's relegation in 1966, Carmelo Di Bella left and the club stayed in Serie B, later notably clashing with
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 ...
in the
Sicilian derby
The Derby di Sicilia or Sicilian Derby in English, is a local derby between football in Italy, Italian football (soccer), football clubs Calcio Catania and S.S.D. Palermo. Catania and Palermo are the two main cities on the island of Sicily, and th ...
before the Palermitan club was promoted. Catania followed in
1969–70 with a third-place finish, ensuring promotion. Their stay in Serie A this time, however, was very brief, and they were relegated after just one season. Their most impressive results that season was 3–1 win against Lazio and a draw at home against Milan. Catania lacked goalscorers at the time, as they only scored 18 goals altogether in 30 games.
Worse was to come for the club, who in 1973–74 were relegated down to
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 ...
, but they were able to bounce straight back with a promotion into Serie B as champions. A similar situation occurred in 1976–77, where they were relegated down to Serie C. This time, however, they were not able to bounce right back; they finished second and then third before finally being crowned champions of what was now known as
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 1979–80.
After three short seasons, Catania were promoted after finishing in third place, behind Milan and Lazio, into Serie A. They played the 1983–84 season in Italy's top league, but it proved to be an especially dismal season, with only one win (which came against
Pisa
Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...
) and 12 points despite the presence of
Claudio Ranieri
Claudio Ranieri Grande Ufficiale OMRI (; born 20 October 1951) is an Italian football manager and former player. He will be the new head coach of club Cagliari from 1 January 2023.
Ranieri began his managerial career in the lower leagues in ...
and Brazilian imports Luvanor and
Pedrinho.
Decline and revival
The decline of Catania began most evidently after its last relegation to Serie B. The team was no longer able to reach the top division of Italian football, and instead continued to decline, remaining in
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 ...
for the latter part of the 1980s. The lowest point of the club's history, however, was reached in 1993, when the team's participation for the year was cancelled by the
Italian Football Federation
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 ...
(FIGC) due to financial irregularities.
After a long judicial battle, however, magistrates declared the FIGC's decision as invalid, thus forcing it to include Catania back into the footballing fold for the year. Catania was thus included in the
Sicilian Eccellenza (the sixth tier of Italian football), but in the meantime another Sicilian football team,
Atletico Leonzio from
Lentini
Lentini ( scn, Lintini, historically Liuntini; la, Leontīnī; grc, Λεοντῖνοι) is a town and in the Province of Syracuse, South East of Sicily (Southern Italy).
History
The city was founded by colonists from Naxos as Leontini in 72 ...
(in the
Province of Syracuse
The Province of Syracuse ( it, provincia di Siracusa; scn, pruvincia di Sarausa) was a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily in Italy. Its capital was the city of Syracuse, a town established by Greek colonists arriving from Corinth ...
), had been relocated in the city and renamed
Atletico Catania
Unione Sportiva Dilettantistica Atletico Catania is an Italian association football club founded in 1967 and based in Catania, Sicily. Throughout its history, the club played extensively at Serie C1 and Serie C2 professional level, almost gaini ...
. Despite all of this, the "real" Catania was able to rise back to
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 a relatively small number of years, and even back to Serie B in 2002.
In 2003, Catania was at the centre of a controversy that led to the enlargement of Serie B from 20 to 24 teams, known as ''Caso Catania''. The club claimed that
Siena
Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.
The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centuri ...
fielded an ineligible player in a 1–1 tie, a result which saw Catania relegated, whereas the two extra points from a victory would have kept them safe. They were awarded a 2–0 victory before the result was reverted because the guilty player was a substitute which did not play the match, then Catania appealed to the judges of the
Autonomous Region of Sicily who re-awarded the victory again. In August, the FIGC decided to let Catania, along with
Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...
and
Salernitana
Unione Sportiva Salernitana 1919, commonly referred to as Salernitana, is
an Italian football club based in Salerno, Campania. The original club was founded in 1919 and has been reconstituted three times in the course of its history, most recentl ...
, stay in Serie B; the newly reborn
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 ...
were also added for the 2003–04 season. The ruling led to protests and
boycott
A boycott is an act of nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organization, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons. The purpose of a boycott is to inflict som ...
s by the other Serie B clubs that delayed the start of the season, until the intervention of the
Italian government
The government of Italy is in the form of a democratic republic, and was established by a constitution in 1948. It consists of legislative, executive, and judicial subdivisions, as well as a Head of State, or President.
The Italian Constitutio ...
.
The league was reduced to 22 teams for 2004–05, while at the same time Serie A expanded from 18 to 20 teams. During the start of that season, Antonino Pulvirenti, chairman of the flight company
Windjet and owner of
Acireale
Acireale (; scn, Jaciriali, locally shortened to ''Jaci'' or ''Aci'') is a coastal city and ''comune'' in the north-east of the Metropolitan City of Catania, Sicily, southern Italy, at the foot of Mount Etna, on the coast facing the Ionian Sea. ...
, a Sicilian
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 ...
team, bought the club. Catania's new ownership let the team enjoy a revival, and in
2005–06 Catania ended in second position, earning promotion to Serie A.
Return to Serie A
The
2006–07 season saw Catania 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 its first appearance in 22 years. In their first year back, Catania began well, and though they recorded a couple of heavy defeats, their home form saw them peak as high as fourth after 20 games.
Their return season changed drastically on 2 February 2007, due to the
2007 Catania football violence incident. It happened during the
Sicilian derby
The Derby di Sicilia or Sicilian Derby in English, is a local derby between football in Italy, Italian football (soccer), football clubs Calcio Catania and S.S.D. Palermo. Catania and Palermo are the two main cities on the island of Sicily, and th ...
with
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 ...
, where policeman
Filippo Raciti
On 2 February 2007, association football, football Football hooliganism, violence occurred between football supporters and the law enforcement in Italy, police in Catania, Sicily, Italy. The clashes occurred during and after the Serie A match be ...
was killed during football-related violence caused by Catania
ultras
Ultras are a type of association football fans who are renowned for their fanatical support. The term originated in Italy, but is used worldwide to describe predominantly organised fans of association football teams. The behavioural tende ...
outside the
Stadio Angelo Massimino
Stadio Angelo Massimino (previously known as Stadio Cibali) is a multi-use stadium in Catania, Italy. It is used mostly for football matches and the home of Calcio Catania. The stadium was built in 1935 by architect Raffaele Leone on behalf of ...
. The event led FIGC Commissioner
Luca Pancalli
Luca Pancalli (born 16 April 1964) is an Italian sports manager and former swimmer. He is currently the Commissioner of the Italian Football Federation.
Biography
After having won a national youth modern pentathlon championship, Pancalli became ...
to cancel all football-related events in the country for a period of time, including league and national team matches. Catania chairman and owner Antonino Pulvirenti announced his willingness to leave the football world, stating it was not possible to go on producing football in Catania.
After the Italian football league restarted, Catania continued on but dropped in form largely. In truth, their slump in form had started just before the derby incident and all together they failed to win for 12 games in a row before beating
Udinese
Udinese Calcio, commonly referred to as Udinese, is a professional Italian football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, that currently plays in Serie A. It was founded on 30 November 1896 as a sports club, and on 5 July 1911 as a fo ...
1–0 in late April 2007, where they eventually finished 13th.
The following season, with manager
Pasquale Marino
Pasquale Marino (born 13 July 1962) is an Italian football manager and former midfielder. He most recently served as the manager of Crotone.
Career
Playing career
In his playing career, started for his home team, Marsala, Marino never played in ...
leaving for Udinese and
Silvio Baldini
Silvio Baldini (born 11 September 1958 in Massa) is an Italian association football manager, last in charge of Serie B club Perugia.
Career Early years
Born in Massa but hailing from nearby Carrara, Baldini started his coaching career in 1984 ...
taking charge of the team, proved to be much harder. Poor results in the league table were however coupled with impressive performance 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 ...
, where Catania reached a historical place in the semi-finals, then lost to
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 ...
. Meanwhile, Baldini resigned from his post on 31 March 2008, being replaced by
Walter Zenga
Walter Zenga (; born 28 April 1960) is an Italian manager (association football), football manager and former player who last managed Serie A club Cagliari Calcio, Cagliari. He was a long-time Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for In ...
in a somewhat surprise appointment (at least due to Zenga's lack of expertise at the Serie A level). Despite this, Zenga managed to lead the ''rossazzurri'' off the relegation zone, saving his side from falling down to Serie B in a heated final week game, a 1–1 home tie to Roma, with an equaliser goal scored by
Jorge Martínez in the 85th minute. Zenga was successively confirmed in charge of the team for the upcoming 2008–09 season.
On 5 June 2009, Zenga left Catania to be the manager at arch-rival Palermo. He was replaced by Gianluca Atzori, a relative coaching neophyte with just one year's experience at Lega Pro Prima Divisione team
Ravenna
Ravenna ( , , also ; rgn, Ravèna) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 408 until its collapse in 476. It then served as the cap ...
. Atzori was noted for using an attacking
4–3–3
In association football, the formation of a team refers to the position players take in relation to each other on a pitch. As association football is a fluid and fast-moving game, a player's position (with the exception of the goalkeeper) in a ...
formation at Ravenna and was expected to continue a similar approach with the ''Elefanti''.
On 8 December 2009,
Siniša Mihajlović
Siniša Mihajlović ( sr-Cyrl, Синиша Михајловић, ; 20 February 1969 – 16 December 2022) was a Serbian professional Footballer, football player and Football coach (association football), manager.
During his career as a football ...
was appointed new head coach of Catania, taking over from Atzori. He signed a contract until June 2011 with the ''Elefanti''. Arriving at the club that was dead last in the Serie A standings, Mihajlović debuted with a loss against
Livorno
Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...
. The following week, however, his team pulled off a stunning upset by beating heavily favoured
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 ...
away in
Turin
Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...
with a 2–1 scoreline. After Mihajlović's departure to Fiorentina, Catania appointed
Marco Giampaolo
Marco Giampaolo (; born 2 August 1967) is an Italian coach (sport), manager, and former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Midfielder (association football), midfielder. He was most recently the head coach of Serie A cl ...
as new head coach for the 2010–11 season. In January 2011, Catania decided to remove Giampaolo from his position due to poor results and replace him with former Argentine star
Diego Simeone
Diego Pablo Simeone González (; ; born 28 April 1970, nicknamed El Cholo (), is an Argentine professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder; he has been the manager of Atlético Madrid since December 2011.
In his cl ...
, who had no previous experience at Serie A level but managed to guide the Sicilians to safety before to part company by the end of the season, after only four months in charge of the team. As a replacement, Catania appointed 37-year-old
Vincenzo Montella
Vincenzo Montella (; born 18 June 1974) is an Italian retired footballer and current manager, who played as a striker. He is current manager of Süper Lig club Adana Demirspor.
Montella's nickname during his playing career was "Aeroplanino", i ...
at his second managerial experience after having served as caretaker at Roma during the final part of the 2010–11 season.
Then came
Rolando Maran
Rolando Maran (born 14 July 1963) is an Italian Association football, football coach (sport), manager who was most recently the head coach of Pisa S.C., Pisa.
His playing career as a Defender (association football), defender was spent mostly wit ...
in the
2012–13 season, who guided Catania to a record-breaking season where they accrued 56 points from 38 Serie A matches. The season also saw Catania take a record number of home wins in one season, its record number of victories overall in a single top flight campaign, as well as its record points total in Serie A for the fifth consecutive season. They also finished ahead of
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 ...
at the conclusion of the season and were just five points away from competing in the
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
, which would have been an incredible achievement for the side.
Another decline and 2022 bankruptcy
After being relegated from Serie A after the
2013–14 season, Catania was again relegated to the
Lega Pro
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 ...
and deducted nine points, after, during the
2014–15 season, head coach and owner Antonio Pulvirenti admitted to
fixing
Fixing may refer to:
* The present participle of the verb "to fix", an action meaning maintenance, repair, and operations
* "fixing someone up" in the context of arranging or finding a social date for someone
* "Fixing", craving an addictive drug, ...
five matches.
The club announced that Sport Investment Group Italia S.p.A. (S.I.G.I.) acquired 95.4% of the club's assets on Friday, 24 July 2020. On 16 January 2021, a preliminary purchase agreement was signed, with which a group of investors represented by the
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
lawyer
Joe Tacopina
Joseph Tacopina (born 14 April, 1966) is an American lawyer. He was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York to Italian immigrants.
Early life and education
Raised in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, Tacopina attended Poly Prep and Skidmore College, be ...
undertook to purchase all shares from SIGI. The takeover however never materialized, and on 22 December 2021 the club was declared insolvent and entered administration. Following three auctions and a takeover offer by entrepreneur Benedetto Mancini which did not meet requirements, the club's provisional exercise by the Tribunal of Catania was effectively ended on 9 April 2022, thus paving the way to the club's immediate exclusion from the
2021–22 Serie C
The 2021–22 Serie C is the eighth season of the unified Serie C division, the third tier of the Italian football league system.
Changes
The league is composed by 60 teams, divided into three different groups. On 31 May 2021, the league committee ...
season. Soon after, the Italian Football Federation formalised the club's exclusion from the Italian professional ranks with immediate effect, and released all of the club's players and non-playing staff.
2022 refoundation
In June 2022, Australian development industry entrepreneur Ross Pelligra, whose mother was born in Catania, was assigned by the City of Catania the right to register a new club in the Italian
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 compliance with
Article 52 of N.O.I.F. regulation. He promised to invest ingent economical resources with the main goal to bring back Catania in Serie A, also showing interest in acquiring the ''Torre Del Grifo'' training center, built during the Pulvirenti era and considered one of the best in Italy.
The new club, named Catania Società Sportiva Dilettantistica, with Ross Pelligra as president and
Vincenzo Grella
Vincenzo is an Italian male given name, derived from the Latin name Vincentius (the verb ''vincere'' means to win or to conquer). Notable people with the name include:
Art
* Vincenzo Amato (born 1966), Italian actor and sculptor
*Vincenzo Bell ...
as vice-president, was subsequently admitted to the
2022–23 Serie D
The 2022–23 Serie D is the seventy-third season of the top level Italian non-professional football championship. It represents the fourth tier in the Italian football league system.
Rules
The season will provide a total nine promotions to Ser ...
.
Players
Current squad
Presidential history
Catania have had several presidents over the course of their history, some of which have been the owners of the club, others have been honorary presidents, here is a list of them from 1946 onwards.
Managerial history
Catania have had many managers and trainers throughout the history of a club, in some seasons more than one manager was in charge. Here is a chronological list of them from 1946 onwards.
{,
, width="10",
, valign="top",
{, class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
, -
!rowspan="1", Name
!rowspan="1", Years
, -
, align=left,
Giovanni Degni
, align=left, 1946–48
, -
, align=left,
Nicolò Nicolosi
Nicolò Nicolosi (9 August 1912 – 3 May 1986) was an Italian football player and manager from Lercara Friddi in the Province of Palermo. During his career, Nicolosi played as a forward for Lazio, Napoli and Atalanta in Serie A.
He played for ...
, align=left, 1948
, -
, align=left, Miroslav Banas
, align=left, 1948–49
, -
, align=left,
Mario Magnozzi
Mario Magnozzi (; 20 March 1902 – 25 June 1971) was an Italian footballer who played as a forward. He competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics with the Italy national team.
Club career
Magnozzi was born in Livorno, and played for his home-town ...
, align=left, 1949–50
, -
, align=left,
Stanislav Klein
, align=left, 1950
, -
, align=left, Lajos Politzer
, align=left, 1950–51
, -
, align=left, Nereo Marini
, align=left, 1951–52
, -
, align=left, Rodolfo Brondi
, align=left, 1952
, -
, align=left,
Giulio Cappelli
Giulio Cappelli (; 4 March 1911 – 16 December 1995) was an Italian footballer who played as a forward. He competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics with the Italy national football team, winning a gold medal in the tournament.
Club career
Born ...
, align=left, 1952–53
, -
, align=left,
Fioravante Baldi
, align=left, 1953
, -
, align=left,
Piero Andreoli
, align=left, 1953–56
, -
, align=left,
Matteo Poggi
, align=left, 1956–57
, -
, align=left,
Riccardo Carapellese
Riccardo Carapellese (; 1 July 1922 – 20 October 1995) was an Italian football manager and player who played as a striker.
Club career
Carapellese started his career in the 1942–43 season with Spezia in Serie B where he played 19 games and ...
, align=left, 1957
, -
, align=left,
Nicolò Nicolosi
Nicolò Nicolosi (9 August 1912 – 3 May 1986) was an Italian football player and manager from Lercara Friddi in the Province of Palermo. During his career, Nicolosi played as a forward for Lazio, Napoli and Atalanta in Serie A.
He played for ...
, align=left, 1958
, -
, align=left,
Francesco Capocasale
, align=left, 1958
, -
, align=left,
Blagoje Marjanović
Blagoje "Moša" Marjanović ( sr-Cyrl, Благоје "Моша" Марјановић, ; 9 September 1907 – 1 October 1984) was a Serbian football player and manager.
Early life
Born to merchant father Dimitrije and housewife mother Sofija, yo ...
, align=left, 1958–59
, -
, align=left,
Carmelo Di Bella
Carmelo Di Bella (January 30, 1921 – September 9, 1992) was an Italian football player and manager. Di Bella spent the vast majority of his career in Sicily where he was a prominent figure in the footballing scene, especially in relation to the ...
, align=left, 1959–66
, -
, align=left,
Luigi Valsecchi
, align=left, 1966
, -
, align=left,
Dino Ballacci
, align=left, 1966–67
, -
, align=left,
Luigi Valsecchi
, align=left, 1968
, -
, align=left,
Egizio Rubino
, align=left, 1968–71
, -
, align=left,
Salvador Calvanese Luigi Valsecchi
, align=left, 1971–72
, -
, align=left,
Carmelo Di Bella
Carmelo Di Bella (January 30, 1921 – September 9, 1992) was an Italian football player and manager. Di Bella spent the vast majority of his career in Sicily where he was a prominent figure in the footballing scene, especially in relation to the ...
, align=left, 1972–73
, -
, align=left,
Luigi Valsecchi
, align=left, 1973
, -
, align=left,
Guido Mazzetti
, align=left, 1974
, -
, align=left,
Adelmo Prenna
Adelmo Prenna (born 27 May 1930 – 14 December 2008) was an Italian professional football player and coach.
He played for 6 seasons (128 games, 37 goals) in the Serie A for A.S. Roma, SPAL 1907 and Calcio Catania.
He holds the records for mo ...
, align=left, 1974
, -
, align=left,
Gennaro Rambone
, align=left, 1974–75
, -
, align=left,
Egizio Rubino
, align=left, 1975–76
, -
, align=left,
Guido Mazzetti
, align=left, 1976
, -
, align=left,
Carmelo Di Bella
Carmelo Di Bella (January 30, 1921 – September 9, 1992) was an Italian football player and manager. Di Bella spent the vast majority of his career in Sicily where he was a prominent figure in the footballing scene, especially in relation to the ...
, align=left, 1976–77
, -
, align=left,
Luigi Valsecchi
, align=left, 1977
, -
, align=left, Carlo Matteucci
, align=left, 1977–78
, -
, align=left,
Guido Mazzetti
, align=left, 1978
, -
, align=left, Adelmo Capelli
, align=left, 1978–79
, -
, align=left,
Gennaro Rambone
, align=left, 1979–80
, -
, align=left, Lino De Petrillo
, align=left, 1980–81
, -
, align=left,
Guido Mazzetti
, align=left, 1981
, -
, align=left,
Giorgio Michelotti
, align=left, 1981–82
, -
, align=left,
Salvo Bianchetti
, align=left, 1982
, -
, align=left,
Guido Mazzetti
, align=left, 1982
, -
, align=left,
Gianni Di Marzio
, align=left, 1982–84
, -
, align=left,
Giovan Battista Fabbri
Giovan Battista Fabbri (8 March 1926 – 2 June 2015) was an Italian football player and manager.
Career
Fabri managed a number of Italian club sides, including Varese, SPAL , Sangiovannese, Giulianova, Livorno, Piacenza, Vicenza, Ascoli, C ...
, align=left, 1984
, -
, align=left,
Antonio Renna
Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...
, align=left, 1984–85
, -
, align=left,
Gennaro Rambone
, align=left, 1985
, -
, align=left,
Salvo Bianchetti
, align=left, 1985–86
, -
, align=left,
Antonio Colomban
, align=left, 1986
, -
, align=left,
Gennaro Rambone
, align=left, 1986–87
, -
, align=left,
Bruno Pace
Bruno may refer to:
People and fictional characters
*Bruno (name), including lists of people and fictional characters with either the given name or surname
* Bruno, Duke of Saxony (died 880)
* Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologne, ...
, align=left, 1987
, -
, align=left,
Osvaldo Jaconi
, align=left, 1987
, -
, align=left,
Pietro Santin
, align=left, 1987–88
, -
, align=left,
Bruno Pace
Bruno may refer to:
People and fictional characters
*Bruno (name), including lists of people and fictional characters with either the given name or surname
* Bruno, Duke of Saxony (died 880)
* Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologne, ...
, align=left, 1988–89
, -
, align=left, Carmelo Russo
, align=left, 1989–90
, -
, align=left,
Angelo Benedicto Sormani
, align=left, 1990–91
, -
, align=left, Giuseppe Caramanno
, align=left, 1991–92
, -
, align=left,
Franco Vannini
, align=left, 1992
, width="30",
, valign="top",
{, class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
, -
!rowspan="1", Name
!rowspan="1", Years
, -
, align=left,
Salvo Bianchetti
, align=left, 1992–93
, -
, align=left, Franco Indelicato
, align=left, 1993–94
, -
, align=left, Lorenzo Barlassina
, align=left, 1994
, -
, align=left,
Pier Giuseppe Mosti
, align=left, 1994–95
, -
, align=left, Angelo Busetta
, align=left, 1995
, -
, align=left,
Lamberto Leonardi
Lamberto Leonardi (8 August 1939 – 22 February 2021) was an Italian professional football coach and player.
External linksProfileat Enciclopedia del Calcio
1939 births
2021 deaths
Italian footballers
Association football midfielders
...
, align=left, 1995
, -
, align=left, Aldo Cerantola
, align=left, 1995–96
, -
, align=left,
Mario Russo
, align=left, 1996
, -
, align=left, Angelo Busetta
, align=left, 1996–97
, -
, align=left,
Giovanni Mei
Giovanni Mei (born 15 October 1953) is an Italian former football player and who now works as the technical director of Italian club Fano.
Playing career
Mei played as a central defender, often used as a full-back, spending his youth career ...
, align=left, 1997–98
, -
, align=left, Franco Gagliardi
, align=left, 1998
, -
, align=left,
Piero Cucchi
, align=left, 1998–99
, -
, align=left,
Giovanni Simonelli
, align=left, 1999 – 30 Jun 2000
, -
, align=left,
Ivo Iaconi
Ivo Iaconi (born 11 March 1956 in Teramo) is an Italian football manager and former player.
Playing career
Iaconi played mostly with Serie C and amateur clubs, starting his career with Giulianova in the 1970s. He retired in 1992 after Giulianov ...
, align=left, 1 Jul 2000 – 30 Sep 2000
, -
, align=left,
Vincenzo Guerini
, align=left, 15 Oct 2000 – 5 Dec 2000
, -
, align=left,
Aldo Ammazzalorso
, align=left, 23 Jun 2001 – 18 Dec 2001
, -
, align=left,
Pietro Vierchowod
Pietro Vierchowod (, born 6 April 1959) is an Italian former footballer who played as a defender, and a current manager. He also represented the Italian national side during his career, and was a member of the Italian squad that won the 1982 F ...
, align=left, 2001
, -
, align=left,
Francesco Graziani
Francesco "Ciccio" Graziani (; born 16 December 1952) is an Italian football manager and former football player who played as a forward.
He began his career with Arezzo in 1970, and later joined Torino in 1973, where he remained until 1981, win ...
Maurizio Pellegrino
, align=left, 2001–02
, -
, align=left,
Osvaldo Jaconi
, align=left, 1 Jul 2002 – 31 Dec 2002
, -
, align=left,
Maurizio Pellegrino
, align=left, 20 May 2002 – 18 Nov 2003
, -
, align=left,
John Toshack
John Benjamin Toshack (born 22 March 1949) is a Welsh former professional football player and manager.
He began his playing career as a teenager with his hometown club Cardiff City, becoming the youngest player to make an appearance for th ...
, align=left, 2002–03
, -
, align=left,
Edoardo Reja
Edoardo Reja (born 10 October 1945) is an Italian professional football coach and former player who last manages the Albania national football team.
After a career as a midfielder spent mostly with SPAL and Palermo, he began working as a manage ...
, align=left, 29 Jan 2003 – 6 Apr 2003
, -
, align=left,
Vincenzo Guerini
, align=left, 6 Apr 2003 – 30 Jun 2003
, -
, align=left,
Gabriele MatriccianiStefano Colantuono
Stefano Colantuono (born 23 October 1962) is an Italian football professional football manager and former player, who played as a defender, currently in charge as youth system chief of Salernitana.
Playing career
Colantuono, a centre back, sta ...
, align=left, 1 Jul 2003 – 30 Jun 2004
, -
, align=left, Maurizio Costantini
, align=left, 2004–05
, -
, align=left,
Nedo Sonetti
Nedo Sonetti (born 25 February 1941) is an Italian football manager and former player, who played as a defender.
Biography
Sonetti was born in Piombino, southern Tuscany and lives now in Gorle.
Playing career
As a defender, Sonetti played in ...
, align=left, 2005
, -
, align=left,
Pasquale Marino
Pasquale Marino (born 13 July 1962) is an Italian football manager and former midfielder. He most recently served as the manager of Crotone.
Career
Playing career
In his playing career, started for his home team, Marsala, Marino never played in ...
, align=left, 1 Jul 2005 – 4 Jun 2007
, -
, align=left,
Silvio Baldini
Silvio Baldini (born 11 September 1958 in Massa) is an Italian association football manager, last in charge of Serie B club Perugia.
Career Early years
Born in Massa but hailing from nearby Carrara, Baldini started his coaching career in 1984 ...
, align=left, 1 Jul 2007 – 31 Mar 2008
, -
, align=left,
Walter Zenga
Walter Zenga (; born 28 April 1960) is an Italian manager (association football), football manager and former player who last managed Serie A club Cagliari Calcio, Cagliari. He was a long-time Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for In ...
, align=left, 1 Apr 2008 – 30 Jun 2009
, -
, align=left,
Gianluca Atzori
Gianluca Atzori (born 6 March 1971) is an Italian football manager and former player, current coach of Floriana.
Career
Playing
Atzori started his professional playing career with Rome-based Serie C side Lodigiani in 1988, then playing mostly ...
, align=left, 1 Jul 2009 – 7 Dec 2009
, -
, align=left,
Siniša Mihajlović
Siniša Mihajlović ( sr-Cyrl, Синиша Михајловић, ; 20 February 1969 – 16 December 2022) was a Serbian professional Footballer, football player and Football coach (association football), manager.
During his career as a football ...
, align=left, 8 Dec 2009 – 24 May 2010
, -
, align=left,
Marco Giampaolo
Marco Giampaolo (; born 2 August 1967) is an Italian coach (sport), manager, and former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Midfielder (association football), midfielder. He was most recently the head coach of Serie A cl ...
, align=left, 30 May 2010 – 18 Jan 2011
, -
, align=left,
Diego Simeone
Diego Pablo Simeone González (; ; born 28 April 1970, nicknamed El Cholo (), is an Argentine professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder; he has been the manager of Atlético Madrid since December 2011.
In his cl ...
, align=left, 19 Jan 2011 – 1 Jun 2011
, -
, align=left,
Vincenzo Montella
Vincenzo Montella (; born 18 June 1974) is an Italian retired footballer and current manager, who played as a striker. He is current manager of Süper Lig club Adana Demirspor.
Montella's nickname during his playing career was "Aeroplanino", i ...
, align=left, 9 Jun 2011 – 5 Jun 2012
, -
, align=left,
Rolando Maran
Rolando Maran (born 14 July 1963) is an Italian Association football, football coach (sport), manager who was most recently the head coach of Pisa S.C., Pisa.
His playing career as a Defender (association football), defender was spent mostly wit ...
, align=left, 11 Jun 2012 – 20 Oct 2013
, -
, align=left,
Luigi De Canio
Luigi De Canio (born 26 September 1957) is an Italian football manager and a former player who played as a full-back.
Career Player
De Canio, a full back, played mostly with Serie C1 and Serie C2 teams, his lone season in Serie B being 1979– ...
, align=left, 20 Oct 2013 – 16 Jan 2014
, -
, align=left,
Rolando Maran
Rolando Maran (born 14 July 1963) is an Italian Association football, football coach (sport), manager who was most recently the head coach of Pisa S.C., Pisa.
His playing career as a Defender (association football), defender was spent mostly wit ...
, align=left, 16 Jan 2014 – 7 Apr 2014
, -
, align=left,
Maurizio Pellegrino
, align=left, 2014
, -
, align=left,
Giuseppe Sannino
, align=left, 2014
, -
, align=left,
Maurizio Pellegrino
, align=left, 2014–15
, -
, align=left,
Dario Marcolin
, align=left, 2015
, -
, align=left,
Giuseppe Pancaro
Giuseppe Pancaro (; born 26 August 1971) is a former Italian football defender turned coach.
A strong, reliable, and tenacious left-back, who was effective in the air, he was known for his stamina and work-rate, which allowed him to contribute ...
, align=left, 2015–16
, -
, align=left,
Francesco Moriero
Francesco "Checco" Moriero (; born 31 March 1969) is an Italian football former player and current manager, who played as a midfielder, usually as a winger on the right flank. He is the current head coach of the Maldives national football team ...
, align=left, 2016
, -
, align=left,
Pino Rigoli
Pino or Piño may refer to:
People
* Danny Pino (born 1974), American actor
* Domenico Pino (1760–1826), Italian general of the Napoleonic Wars
* Fernando Solanas (born 1936), aka "Pino" Solanas, Argentine filmmaker
* Frank J. Pino (1909–2 ...
, align=left, 2016–17
, -
, align=left,
Mario Petrone
, align=left, 2017
, -
, align=left,
Giovanni Pulvirenti
, align=left, 2017
, -
, align=left,
Cristiano Lucarelli
Cristiano Lucarelli (; born 4 October 1975) is an Italian football manager and a former player who played as a striker from 1992 until 2012. He was most recently the manager of Serie B club Ternana.
Club career
Lucarelli was born in Livorno, ...
, align=left, 2017–18
, -
, align=left,
Andrea Sottil
Andrea Sottil (born 4 January 1974) is an Italian football coach and former footballer, who played as a defender, currently in charge of Udinese.
Player career
Sottil started his career with Torino and made his Serie A debut on 6 December 199 ...
, align=left, 2018–19
, -
, align=left,
Walter Novellino
Walter Alfredo Novellino (born 4 June 1953; ), is an Italian football manager and former player, who played as a midfielder.
Club career
Novellino was born at Montemarano, province of Avellino. After spending his childhood in São Paulo, Brazi ...
, align=left, 2019
, -
, align=left,
Andrea Sottil
Andrea Sottil (born 4 January 1974) is an Italian football coach and former footballer, who played as a defender, currently in charge of Udinese.
Player career
Sottil started his career with Torino and made his Serie A debut on 6 December 199 ...
, align=left, 2019
, -
, align=left,
Cristiano Lucarelli
Cristiano Lucarelli (; born 4 October 1975) is an Italian football manager and a former player who played as a striker from 1992 until 2012. He was most recently the manager of Serie B club Ternana.
Club career
Lucarelli was born in Livorno, ...
, align=left, 2019–20
, -
, align=left,
Giuseppe Raffaele
, align=left, 2020–21
, -
, align=left,
Francesco Baldini
, align=left, 2021–22
, -
, align=left,
Giovanni Ferraro
, align=left, 2022–present
Stadium information
*Name:
Stadio Angelo Massimino
Stadio Angelo Massimino (previously known as Stadio Cibali) is a multi-use stadium in Catania, Italy. It is used mostly for football matches and the home of Calcio Catania. The stadium was built in 1935 by architect Raffaele Leone on behalf of ...
*Location:
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 ...
*Capacity: 23,420
*Inauguration: 27 November 1937
*Pitch Size: 110 x 70 metres
Catania first made their debut at the
Stadio Angelo Massimino
Stadio Angelo Massimino (previously known as Stadio Cibali) is a multi-use stadium in Catania, Italy. It is used mostly for football matches and the home of Calcio Catania. The stadium was built in 1935 by architect Raffaele Leone on behalf of ...
, then called the Stadio Cibali, in 1937. The stadium was renamed in honour of former president Angelo Massimino in 2002; he had been president of the club from 1969 until his death in 1996.
It has been proposed that the club would move to a 33,765 seater stadium named Stadio Dèi Palici, which is to be located in the southern outskirts of the city of Catania in an industrial zone called Pantano d'Arci.
Sports center
Catania carries out its training sessions at the Torre del Grifo Village sports center, considered among the best in Europe, inaugurated on May 18, 2011, and located in the adjacent municipality of Mascalucia. Owned by the Etna club, the center covers an area of 150,000 m
2 and has four regulation soccer fields, two with natural grass and two with synthetic grass, two swimming pools, four gyms, a hotel with 150 beds, local restaurant and canteen. Furthermore, the structure is equipped with a series of futuristic services, among which a multipurpose center open to the public, a hotel and accommodation for the youth sector and a rehabilitation center equipped with state-of-the-art facilities stand out. The center also includes an 8-a-side football field and two 7-a-side football fields. In addition, Torre del Grifo also houses the headquarters of Calcio Catania.
Honours
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! width="250" , Competición
! width="300" , Titles
, - style="font-size: 90%;"
, bgcolor="#d8e2ee" ,
Coppa delle Alpi
Coppa delle Alpi (translated as ''Cup of the Alps'') was a friendly football tournament, first organized by the Italian national league as it started in 1960 and then they were aided by the Swiss League from 1962, for the reason that the majorit ...
, bgcolor="#ecf1f7" , 1960 (representing FIGC)
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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 ...
, bgcolor="#ecf1f7" , 1953-54
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! width="250" , competition
! width="300" , titles
, - style="font-size: 90%;"
, bgcolor="#d8e2ee" ,
Prima Divisione
Prima Divisione (''First Division'') was the name of the first level of the Italian Football Championship from 1921 to 1926. The competition was initially founded in opposition to the FIGC by the richest clubs of Northern Italy, which disagreed the ...
, bgcolor="#ecf1f7" , 1933-34
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! width="250" , competition
! width="300" , titles
, - style="font-size: 90%;"
, bgcolor="#d8e2ee" ,
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 ...
, bgcolor="#ecf1f7" , 1938–39, 1947–48, 1948–49, 1974–75, 1979,80
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! width="250" , competition
! width="300" , titles
, - style="font-size: 90%;"
, bgcolor="#d8e2ee" ,
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 ...
, bgcolor="#ecf1f7" , 1998-99
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! width="250" , competition
! width="300" , titles
, - style="font-size: 90%;"
, bgcolor="#d8e2ee" ,
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 ...
, bgcolor="#ecf1f7" , 1994-95
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! width="250" , competition
! width="300" , titles
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Eccelenza
, bgcolor="#ecf1f7" , 1993-94
important placings
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! width="250" , Coppa delle Alpi
! width="300" , Final
, - style="font-size: 90%;"
, bgcolor="#d8e2ee" , Genoa vs Catania
, bgcolor="#ecf1f7" , 1964
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! width="250" , Coppa Italia
! width="300" , Semifinal
, - style="font-size: 90%;"
, bgcolor="#d8e2ee" , Roma vs Catania
, bgcolor="#ecf1f7" , 2007-2008
Divisional movements
{, class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%; text-align: center;"
, -
!Series!!Years!!Last!!Promotions!!Relegations
, -
, align=center,
A
, 17, ,
2013-14, , - , , 5 (
1955
Events January
* January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama.
* January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut.
* January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...
,
1966
Events January
* January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko.
* January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
,
1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6).
The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history.
Events
Ja ...
,
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
,
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
)
, -
, align=center,
B
, 34, ,
2014–15, , 5 (
1954
Events
January
* January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany.
* January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting.
* January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...
,
1960
It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism.
Events
January
* Ja ...
,
1970
Events
January
* January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC.
* January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...
,
1983
The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...
,
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
), , 6 (
1937
Events
January
* January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua.
* January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Fe ...
,
1940
A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280.
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
*January ...
,
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
,
1977
Events January
* January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
,
1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...
,
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
)
, -
, align=center,
C +C2
, 32
+4, ,
2021–22, , 6 (
1934
Events
January–February
* January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established.
* January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...
,
1939
This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history.
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1
** Third Reich
*** Jews are forbidden to ...
,
1949
Events
January
* January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022.
* January 2 – Luis ...
,
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
,
1980
Events January
* January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
* January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC.
* January 9 – ...
,
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
)
1 (
1999 C2), , 2 (1992–93 Serie C1, 1993✟,2021-22 Serie C, 2022)
, -
!colspan=5, 87 out of 90 years of professional football in Italy since 1929
, -
, align=center, Serie D, D
, 2, , 1994–95 Campionato Nazionale Dilettanti, 1994–95, , 2 (1929–30 Seconda Divisione, 1930, 1994–95 Campionato Nazionale Dilettanti, 1995), , never
, -
, align=center, Eccellenza, E
, 1, , 1993–94 Eccellenza, 1993–94, , 1 (1993–94 Eccellenza, 1994), , never
Club records
*Highest League Position: 8th, in the 1960–61 1964–65 and 2012–13 seasons.
*Most League Appearances: 281, Damiano Morra between 1975 and 1984.
*Most League Goals: 47, Guido Klein and
Adelmo Prenna
Adelmo Prenna (born 27 May 1930 – 14 December 2008) was an Italian professional football player and coach.
He played for 6 seasons (128 games, 37 goals) in the Serie A for A.S. Roma, SPAL 1907 and Calcio Catania.
He holds the records for mo ...
.
*Most Serie A Appearances: 150, Giuseppe Vavassori between 1961 and 1966.
*Most Serie A Points: 56 points in the 2012–13 season
Supporters
Catania is one of the two most supported teams in Sicily, together with harsh rivals Palermo F.C., Palermo, with whom they compete in the Derby di Sicilia.
References
External links
Catania's official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Catania
Catania S.S.D.,
Football clubs in Italy
Football clubs in Sicily
Association football clubs established in 1946
Serie D clubs
Eccellenza
1946 establishments in Italy
Phoenix clubs (association football)