Paolo Mazza (21 July 1901 – 31 December 1981) was an Italian

football manager ''Football Manager'' (also known as ''Worldwide Soccer Manager'' in North America from 2004 to 2008) is a series of football management simulation video games developed by British developer Sports Interactive and published by Sega. The game bega ...

. He was co-manager of 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 ...

at the

1962 FIFA World Cup The 1962 FIFA World Cup was the seventh edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football championship for senior men's national teams. It was held from 30 May to 17 June 1962 in Chile. The qualification rounds took place bet ...

, together with

Giovanni Ferrari Giovanni Ferrari (; 6 December 1907 – 2 December 1982) was an Italian footballer who played as an attacking midfielder/inside forward on the left. He is regarded as one of the best players of his generation, one of Italy's best ever players, ...

. Mazza career as a footballer was served entirely in the lower divisions, he became first manager and then sporting director of

SPAL Società Polisportiva Ars et Labor, commonly known as S.P.A.L. (), is a professional football club based in Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. The team plays in Serie B, the second tier of the Italian football league system. Founded in 1907, sinc ...

, the main club in

Ferrara Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital of the Province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream ...

. In 1946, he became President of the club and pioneered the idea of training centres at youth level, opening the Centro Giovanile di Addestramento. Nicknamed ''Il Rabdomante'' (the Diviner) by journalist Gianni Brera due to his skill for talent-spotting, he helped SPAL reach

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 ...

, well above the level expected from such a small club. In 1962, despite being out of management and coaching for nearly 25 years, the Italian FA asked him to act as Assistant Manager of the 1962 World Cup squad in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

. Italy was knocked out at the first round stage. However, just a few days after his return, he made one of his most notable signings when picking up

Fabio Capello Fabio Capello (; born 18 June 1946) is an Italian former professional football manager and player. As a player, Capello represented SPAL 1907, Roma, Milan and Juventus. He played as a midfielder and won several trophies during his career which ...

from Pieris for two million Lira (around £500).

References

External links

Article on Mazza in ''La Nuova Ferrara''
1901 births 1981 deaths Italian footballers Italian football managers 1962 FIFA World Cup managers Association footballers not categorized by position {{italy-footy-bio-stub