Corrado Ferlaino (born 18 May 1931) is an Italian engineer and building contractor, known for being the former owner of
Napoli for 32 non-continuous years.
Life and career
Born in Napoli in 1931 from Modesto, an engineer and builder from Calabria who had moved to Napoli in 1920, and Cecilia Pasquali, a woman from
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 ...
. In 1942, Ferlaino moved to
Fermo
Fermo (ancient: Firmum Picenum) is a town and ''comune'' of the Marche, Italy, in the Province of Fermo.
Fermo is on a hill, the Sabulo, elevation , on a branch from Porto San Giorgio on the Adriatic coast railway.
History
The oldest hum ...
with his mother to escape the bombing taking place in Napoli during
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 ...
. He returned to Naples after the war,
graduating from the "Vincenzo Cuoco" scientific high school of Naples.
After graduation, he tried his luck as a racing driver, amateur footballer, and film producer.
After completing his degree in
civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewage ...
at the
University of Bari, Ferlaino establishes his own construction company, starting to build houses in the
Vomero
Vomero () is a bustling hilltop district of metropolitan Naples, Italy — comprising approximately and a population of 48,000.
Vomero is noted for its central square, Piazza Vanvitelli; the ancient Petraio, its earliest path up and down t ...
and
Arenella districts, before gradually expanding his business on other Italian residential areas.
By the 1990s, he is the head of a group holding 43 companies – the bigger being Iper S.r.l. and Delvecchio Construction – producing revenue of
₤400 billion.
In 2002, he entered the
hospitality industry
The hospitality industry is a broad category of fields within the service industry that includes lodging, food and drink service, event planning, theme parks, travel and tourism. It includes hotels, tourism agencies, restaurants and bars.
Sector ...
.
He has been married four times and he is a father of five.
Chairman of Napoli
In 1967, Ferlaino became a minority shareholder of Napoli, whose chairman was Gioacchino Lauro.
In 1969, he expanded his financial involvement by spending
₤70 million to buy 33% of the club from Antonio Corcione, who had recently died.
The rest of the club was owned by
Achille Lauro
Achille Lauro (; 16 June 1887 – 15 November 1982) was an Italian businessman and politician. He is widely considered one of the main precursors of modern populism in Italian politics. He was nicknamed by his supporters ''Il Comandante'' ("The ...
and Roberto Fiore in equal share.
In 1969, Ferlaino managed to get elected chairman with the support of Lauro, who was in contrast with Fiore.
Later, Ferlaino became the main shareholder following the acquisition of Fiore's share.
Ferlaino retained his role until 1993, with tho short interruptions in 1972 and 1983.
Under his management, the club experienced one of the most successful spells of its history in the 1980s, when – also thanks to the performances of
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona (; 30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two joint winners of the FI ...
on the pitch – Napoli won two Serie A titles (
1986–87 and
1989–90), the
1986–87 Coppa Italia
The 1986–87 Coppa Italia, the 40th Coppa Italia was an Italian Football Federation domestic cup competition won by Napoli.
Group stage
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
Group 5
Group 6
Group 7
Group 8
Round of ...
, the
1988–89 UEFA Cup
The 1988–89 UEFA Cup was won by Napoli over Stuttgart.
It was the fourth season that English clubs were banned from European competitions. The English league clubs who otherwise would have qualified were Manchester United and Luton Town.
Rom ...
, and the
1990 Supercoppa Italiana
The 1990 Supercoppa Italiana was a pre-season football match contested by the 1989–90 Serie A winners Napoli and the 1989–90 Coppa Italia winners Juventus.
The match resulted in a 5–1 win for Napoli.
Match details
See also
* Ju ...
.
In 1993, he sold Napoli to Elenio Gallo but returned to be the major shareholder two years later. In 2000, he sold half of his share to Giorgio Corbelli, who became chairman. Ferlaino sold the rest of his share two years later, ending his involvement with the club.
In 2015, he was inducted into
Italian Football Hall of Fame
The Italian Football Hall of Fame ( it, Hall of Fame del calcio italiano) is the hall of fame for association football players that have had a significant impact on Italian football.
It is housed at the '' Museo del Calcio'' in Coverciano, Ital ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferlaino, Corrado
1931 births
Living people
Italian football chairmen and investors
20th-century Italian businesspeople