Latest news with #AndreaPirlo
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Controversial ex-Leeds owner accused of 'killing' historic Italian club where Andrea Pirlo and Sandro Tonali came through as they face being kicked out of pro football
A controversial former owner of Leeds United has been accused of killing a historical Italian club after it went bankrupt. Brescia, who finished 15th in Serie B last season, have been set to compete in Serie C next term due to financial issues that have seen them, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, fail to register the club. It is suggested that there are £2.5million of unpaid debts at the club, putting the future of the 114-year-old club in serious doubt. The club is currently owned by former Leeds chief Massimo Cellino, who owned Leeds between 2014 and 2017 and was a controversial figure during his time in charge. He bought Brescia after selling Leeds, with La Gazzetta dello Sport writing that the 68-year-old has 'deliberately killed' the club. The side, which are the former club of a number of legendary players in the game, have been unable to register in Serie C due to the debt not being paid, meaning they are set to play amateur football next season. Brescia are the former side of the likes of Andrea Pirlo and Sandro Tonali - with the former Newcastle midfielder plying his trade there between 2012 and 2021. Other names to have played for the club include Pep Guardiola, Luca Toni, Mario Balotelli and Roberto De Zerbi. In their history, Brescia have played 23 seasons in Serie A - most recently in the 2019-20 campaign. But their financial situation has nosedived under Cellino, who continues to make enemies in the football world. While at Leeds, the Italian seemingly accidentally sacked manager Brian McDermott, later claiming he had asked for the couch to be replaced, not the coach. In 2014, the Football League said Cellino had failed the owner's test required to acquire a football club, before the decision was overturned on appeal. He would later clash with McDermott again when the coach took a holiday, claiming the club had 'no manager' before he made a number of coaching changes. He went through managers quickly, before being disqualified by the Football League in 2014 having been found guilty of tax evasion by an Italian court. He returned to the club in May 2015. That month, he branded manager Neil Redfearn 'weak' and 'a baby', before again changing bosses. He was later disqualified again, before clashing with fans over the sale of the club. He also tried to ban Sky Sports from entering the ground, had his ban lifted again after being acquitted of tax evasion, and eventually sold the club to Andrea Radrizzani in May 2017. Away from football, he was arrested in February 2013 for attempted embezzlement and fraudulent misrepresentation after an investigation into the construction of the Stadio Is Arenas. he was held in custody for two weeks with no further action taken. He had two prior criminal convictions from 1996 and 2001.
The Irish Sun
5 days ago
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Iconic Italian football club where Pep Guardiola and Mario Balotelli played goes bankrupt and faces boot from league
AN ITALIAN club over 100 YEARS OLD is set to go extinct after being declared bankrupt. Brescia - in the second-division Serie B - was left in debts over £2.5million and have been unable to pay them. Advertisement 3 Roberto Baggio and Andrea Pirlo during theit time with Brescia Credit: Getty 3 Pep Guardiola, pictured here in 2001, also played for Brescia Credit: Getty 3 Mario Balotelli had a year with the club Credit: Getty Images - Getty As a result, they have been gone bankrupt and look set to go extinct after 114 years of history. Recognisable names such as Roberto Baggio, Pep Guardiola, Andrea Pirlo, Luca Toni Marek Hamsík, Mario Balotelli and Roberto De Zerbi all played for the club. Balotelli spent a year with Brescia after signing in 2019 - scoring five in 19 games but he left after the club's relegation. Brescia is owned by Massimo Cellino - who was in chagrge of Leeds between 2014 and 2017 - before buying the Italian side. Advertisement READ MORE IN FOOTBALL But he had a troubled tenure in Yorkshire and left amid fan protests and much discontent. Brescia were promoted to Serie A in 2019 but were relegated in the very next season. Things went from bad to worse this campaign after they were deducted four points amid their financial woes. It saw them relegated to Serie C - but owner Cellino has not registered them in the wake of failing to pay off his debts. Advertisement Most read in Football Brescia are now the only Italian side facing bankruptcy and expulsion from the league. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Spal, once of the Serie A, said in a statement: 'With great regret, the owners of Spal announce that the club will not participate in the 2025-26 Serie C campaign. 'It is a painful epilogue that arrived after numerous attempts to find concrete solutions that could guarantee the continuation of the project. Advertisement 'Unfortunately, the current conditions do not make that possible. "In the last four years, the owners made significant financial efforts, investing €50m in liquidity, with €12m alone in the last season, in an attempt to relaunch Spal and give the city of Ferrara a team suited to its history and passion. 'However, the results were not satisfactory, nor proportional to the level of investment.' Advertisement
The Irish Sun
18-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Sampdoria ‘no longer relegated from Serie B' with iconic club ‘revived' just four days after they were doomed
SAMPDORIA will no longer be automatically relegated from Serie B – just four days after they were doomed to life in Italy's third tier. The iconic club set European football alight in the late 80s and early 90s, culminating in Serie A glory in 1991. 1 Sampdoria will no longer be automatically relegated from Serie B after being handed a shock lifeline Credit: Getty The same period also saw But their fortunes have since steadily declined, eventually resulting in However, the club has endured even more pain in the lower leagues. And just four days ago, Sampdoria fans' worst fears were realised as READ MORE IN FOOTBALL Yet in a shock twist, they have now been handed a dramatic lifeline. Fellow Serie B strugglers Brescia finished 15th this term, just two points ahead of Sampdoria. But they have now been deducted four points as a penalty for financial issues, sending them to 18th place instead. It means Sampdoria moved into 17th, and therefore have qualified for a relegation play-off against Salernitana, now in 16th. Most read in Football BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS Sampdoria take the place of Frosinone, who are the main beneficiaries of Bresca's points deduction and have confirmed their survival with a 15th-place finish. But it gives Sampdoria a second bite of the cherry, with a two-legged tie now taking place to determine their fate. Eight of the greatest players to never win the Ballon d'Or despite their incredible careers It is certainly an ending dramatic enough to match their disastrous season, which has seen four managers enter the dugout. Italy legend Andrea Pirlo was sacked in August after taking just one point from Sampdoria's opening three games. Andrea Sottil and Leonardo Semplici were also given their marching orders, while Alberico Evani could now stay should the playoffs go his way. Sampdoria used an incredible 38 players this season, including five different goalkeepers. But they will be hoping star players like ex-Liverpool striker Fabio Borini and former England U21s ace Ronaldo Vieira can finally step up to the plate.
The Irish Sun
14-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Inside the curious case of former Serie A and European champions as their worrying demise hits devastating new low
FOR a few years they were the darlings of Italian and even European football. But now they are staring into the abyss of the lowest low in their history. 8 Sampdoria suffered the worst day in their club's history on Tuesday Credit: Getty 8 The club's passionate fans have been let down by events on the field and in the boardroom Credit: Getty 8 Roberto Mancini was the main man as Sampdoria enjoyed a trophy-laden few years in the 1980s and 1990s Credit: Getty Sampdoria enjoyed their best years in the late 1980s and early 1990s - spearheaded by their record goalscorer and appearance-maker Roberto Mancini plus Gianluca Vialli chipping in, too. During that time, they won all four of their Coppa Italia crowns and were European Cup Winners' Cup winners in 1990. The club's solo Serie A title followed a year later. In 1991-92, they reached the European Cup final, losing 1-0 to Barcelona at Wembley. READ MORE ON FOOTBALL Sampdoria finished no lower than seventh in Serie A for eight straight seasons between 1986-87 and 1993-94. Even by 1998, their worst season was ninth before suffering relegation in 1998-99. Four years in Serie B followed then by 18 of the next 19 back in the top flight. But after Most read in Football CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS And it means the iconic club will drop into the third-tier Serie C for the very first time in their 78 years in existence next term. A 0-0 draw at Juve Stabia in their final game of the season confirmed that Sampdoria ended the campaign 18th in Serie B. Their tally of 41 points was only four fewer than 11th-placed Modena. But the season was, in truth, a mess. Sampdoria used 38 players in Serie B this term. And that includes a staggering FIVE different goalkeepers across the wretched campaign. There has been no consistency in the dugout, either, with Sampdoria going through four managers, too. MANAGERIAL MERRY-GO-ROUND It started with Andrea Pirlo who was Andrea Sottil lasted until October, Leonardo Semplici was pelted with rocks and flares and forced out in March when Alberico Evani came in for the final few weeks but was unable to turn the sinking ship around. Poor recruitment at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris also played its part, with no fewer than 16 players brought in on loan. This season's squad featured ex-Liverpool striker Fabio Borini, former AC Milan man M'Baye Niang and former Manchester United assistant manager Rene Meulensteen's son Melle. Meanwhile, the brilliantly-named Ronaldo Vieira was unable to channel the quality or leadership of his namesakes. Instead, defender Alex Ferrari and his team-mates are racing at speed down to the third tier in embarrassing fashion, having let down the typically passionate partisan fans. And to rub it in even more, arch-rival Genoa revelled in their enemy's struggles by 8 Andrea Pirlo was sacked after three league matches in August Credit: Getty 8 The players hid their faces as the 0-0 draw sent them into Serie C Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 8 They were barely consolable when relegation was confirmed Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 8 The squad includes Fabio Borini and Melle Meulensteen Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 8 Alberico Evani was their fourth manager of a horror campaign season Credit: Getty
Time of India
14-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Sampdoria relegated to Serie C for first time in club history
Sampdoria relegated to Serie C for first time in club history (Image Source: Getty) Sampdoria has fallen to the third level of Italian football for the first time in its 78-year existence. The club, based in Genoa, came 18th in Serie B after being held goalless by Juve Stabia on Tuesday. This catastrophic result happened only 34 years after their best accomplishment—winning Serie A in 1991. The club gathered 41 points from the 38 games in a chaotic season. With only one victory of their last five games, Sampdoria couldn't avoid the direct relegation zone. Salernitana moved over them into the play-off for relegation position with a 2-0 win against Cittadella. Managerial merry-go-round The club's coaches were changed four times in the season. Andrea Pirlo had kicked off the campaign but was axed already after three games with two losses and a draw. Andrea Sottil followed, and Leonardo Semplici followed after. The last desperate measure to prevent the club from dropping into the second tier was made in April, with the club legend Alberico Evani being placed in charge. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Most Remarkable Oscar Outfits Ever Interesticle Undo Evani had one win against other strugglers, which were Cittadella. In spite of the presence of another club icon Attilio Lombardo as assistant, they could not rescue the sinking ship. The constant changes in the coaching were merely representative of the bigger problems at the club. Financial crisis behind relegation The propensity of Sampdoria to money problems has haunted the club in years. The 2024 accounts of the club recorded a loss of 40.7 million euros. They almost went bankrupt after they were relegated to Serie B in 2023. The club was rescued in 2023 by the current president, Matteo Manfredi and the former Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani. Radrizzani has since left and is, since, owned by a majority Singaporean businessman named Joseph Tey. Even after a huge amount of transfer activity last summer and January, the team had difficulties in scoring goals throughout the season. A fall from the European glory of Sampdoria This relegation is a huge come down from a club that once sat at the very top of Italian and European football. Sampdoria only had its solitary Serie A triumph in 1991. They got into the final of the European Cup the following year but were beaten by Barcelona. They also scooped the UEFA Cup Winners Cup in 1990 and they also won the Coppa Italia four times. The club had only spent five seasons out of four decades in Serie B until the month of August 2023. Now they are dealing with the brutal reality of third-tier football for the very first time in their lives. For the fans, the sinking of the club into the Serie C from European bliss is a new chapter in their proud history that hurts. Also Read: 'Time to bounce back' – Fans react as Claudio Ranieri's Roma suffer first Serie A defeat of the year Get IPL 2025 match schedules , squads , points table , and live scores for CSK , MI , RCB , KKR , SRH , LSG , DC , GT , PBKS , and RR . Check the latest IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap standings.
