Latest news with #SerieC
New Straits Times
3 days ago
- Business
- New Straits Times
Brescia points deduction offers Sampdoria relegation lifeline
ROME: Sampdoria could escape their first ever relegation to Italy's third division after Brescia were hit with a four-point deduction yesterday. Sampdoria drew their final game of the Serie B season 0-0 on May 13 to finish 18th in the 20-team division. The bottom three are all relegated while the teams in 16th and 17th meet in a two-leg playoff. Brescia finished two points and three places above Samp but on Thursday were punished by an Italian Football Federation (FIGC) tribunal for accounting and administrative infractions. Brescia dropped to 18th and face immediate relegation while Samp are heading for a two-legged play-off against Salernitana. The two matches are scheduled for June 15 and 20 June, which gives Brescia time to appeal. Sampdoria were Italian champions in 1991 and European Cup finalists the following year. They are one of seven Italian clubs who have played all their football in Serie A or Serie B and never dropped into Serie C. Sampdoria were relegated to Serie B in 2023. They were close to going bust but were saved by current president Matteo Manfredi and former Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani, who has since exited the club. The club's majority shareholder is Singaporean businessman Joseph Tey. Samp made the promotion playoffs last season but posted a loss of 40.7 million euros in their 2024 accounts. Club icons Alberico Evani and Attilio Lombardo were hired as coaches in April in an attempt to save Samp from the drop after significant transfer market activity both last summer and in January. Evani is Samp's fourth head coach of the season after Andrea Pirlo, Andrea Sottil and Leonardo Semplice.
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Brescia relegated to Serie C after points deduction, Sampdoria to contest play-out
Brescia relegated to Serie C after points deduction, Sampdoria to contest play-out Italian side Brescia have been relegated to Serie C after they were docked eight points by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) on Thursday for a series of financial violations, meaning Sampdoria will contest a play-out to stay in the division. Brescia, who finished their Serie B campaign 15th and had avoided the relegation play-out thanks to head-to-head goal difference over 16th Frosinone, were deducted four points in the current season which dropped them to the third tier. They will serve another four-point deduction in the 2025-26 season. The club's president Massimo Cellino, formerly in charge of Leeds United, and managing director Edoardo Cellino were handed six-month bans by a FIGC tribunal. The bottom three teams in Serie B automatically drop to the third tier, while the teams finishing 16th and 17th contest a play-out to stay up. Brescia's relegation means that Frosinone earned Serie B safety, while Salernitana will face Sampdoria instead in the decider. The ruling is subject to appeal, a verdict of which is expected on June 12, Italian news agency ANSA reported. The play-out first leg is expected to be played on June 15, local media said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ibrahimovic role in Milan Futuro relegation disaster explained
The Milan Futuro project got off to the worst possible start with an immediate relegation from Serie C at the end of their first season in senior football, which leaves many pointing the blame at technical director Jovan Kirovski and the man responsible for his appointment, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Here is where it all went wrong for Milan Futuro and the role that Ibrahimovic had to play. What is Milan Futuro? Milan are one of three Italian clubs along with Juventus and Atalanta who have a reserve team competing in Serie C for 2024-25. Silvano Vos joins Milan Futuro Juventus Next Gen were the first of these sides to be established, rebranding in 2022, while Milan Futuro and Atalanta U23 joined the professional leagues for the start of the 2024-25 campaign. Advertisement All three of the aforementioned sides compete in different divisions of the Serie C set-up. Atalanta U23 finished the 2024-25 season in eighth place of Serie C Group A, Juventus Next Gen in ninth in Group C, while Millan Futuro finished in 18th in Group B and lost in their relegation play-off against SPAL over the weekend, confirming their relegation to Serie D. Why Ibrahimovic is partly responsible for Milan Futuro failure Zlatan Ibrahimovic smiles prior to the Italian Serie A football match between Unione Sportiva Sassuolo and AC Milan at the Mapei Stadium in Reggio Emilia, on April 14, 2024. (Photo by Piero CRUCIATTI / AFP) (Photo by PIERO CRUCIATTI/AFP via Getty Images) claims that Ibrahimovic is the 'number one responsible for this defeat across the board'. Ibrahimovic has been serving as a senior advisor to RedBird Capital, who own Milan, despite not holding an official position with the club itself. While he is not a club employee, Ibrahimovic is effectively the owner Gerry Cardinale's 'man-on-the-ground', and has authority to speak and act in his absence. Advertisement Among Ibrahimovic's decisions this season was the appointment of former LA Galaxy director Jovan Kirovski as a Rossoneri academy director, overseeing the Milan Futuro project as one of his main responsibilities. Kirovski was technical director of LA Galaxy when Ibarhimovic moved to MLS from Manchester United as a player. Former Rossoneri defender Daniele Bonera was confirmed as the inaugural head coach of the Milan Futuro side at the end of June 2024. Questions have since been asked over the appointment of Bonera, when another ex-Milan defender in Ignazio Abate, who had successfully worked with most of the current Milan Futuro team as U19 coach the year prior, was not considered and then allowed to leave. Ignazio Abate gestures during the Serie A-B U16 Final match between AC Milan and AS Roma at Stadio Cino e Lillo Del Duca on June 25, 2022 in Ascoli Piceno, Italy. (Photo by) There had been reports of growing tension between Ibrahimovic and Abate prior to the coach's departure. Among the reasons for the breakdown in that relationship comes down to the treatment of Ibrahimovic's son, Maximillian. Advertisement Maximilian Ibrahimovic is a member of the Milan youth set-up, and was handed a professional contract last summer, which also raised eyebrows given that he was offered a deal before teenage sensation Francesco Camarda, who scored 485 goals in just 89 appearances for the Rossoneri youth sides. Francesco Camarda celebrates his goal that was later disallowed by VAR during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD3 match between AC Milan and Club Brugge KV at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on October 22, 2024 in San Siro, Italy. (Photo by) There was also tension between Abate and Zlatan Ibrahimovic when Abate did not hand a Primavera debut to Maximillian at the start of the 2024-25 season. In the end, Abate left to join fellow Serie C side Ternana, who eventually finished the season in 2nd place in Serie C Group B, the same league as Milan Futuro. Advertisement It was Bonera who led Milan Futuro into their first season in Serie C, but a poor start to life in charge meant that he was dismissed in February and replaced by another former Rossoneri star in Massimo Oddo, a member of Italy's 2006 World Cup-winning squad. Official: Milan Futuro appoint Massimo Oddo as head coach With the costs of replacing the coach midway through the season, on top of around €4m spent on transfer fees for the Futuro side, and the costs involved with setting the team up in Serie C, it is estimated that Milan have spent a total of €15m on a project that has been dubbed a 'failure' by various outlets in Italy. The relegation to Serie D is likely to result in the departure of Kirovski, Ibrahimovic's choice to lead the Futuro side. And for now, Milan are left considering how to move forwards with the Futuro side, given that they will now compete in a semi-professional league in 2025-26.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
📸 Genoa taunt Samp with savage banner after their Serie C drop 🤯
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here. It's well known that the rivalry between Genoa and Sampdoria is one of the fiercest in Italy, and every opportunity becomes fertile ground for provocations. This time, it's the rossoblù fans who strike, taking advantage of the historic—and sensational—relegation of their blucerchiati cousins to Serie C, the first in their history. After days of mockery spread throughout Genoa, Genoa's supporters raised the stakes. Just before kickoff against Atalanta, a banner appeared in the Gradinata Nord aimed at the Samp crowd: 'Manfredi and Radrizzani, thank you.' The sarcastic reference is to a message displayed by Sampdoria supporters two years ago, when the arrival of Matteo Manfredi and Andrea Radrizzani was greeted with enthusiasm. At the time, in the South stand, a banner read: 'Manfredi and Radrizzani, thank you from all Sampdoria fans,' a symbol of hope and trust in the new direction. Today, after a disastrous season and a bitter relegation, Genoa's rivals have decided to return the 'thanks,' but with an unmistakably mocking tone.
Irish Examiner
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Stunned Sampdoria relegated to Serie C: how did it come to this?
t was not meant to go like this. On a Tuesday evening on the outskirts of Naples, Sampdoria – one of the most beloved Italian clubs of the past 40 years – slipped into Serie C with a whimper – the first time in the club's history that they have been relegated to Italy's third tier. At the final whistle, following a dismal goalless draw at Juve Stabia, Sampdoria's players wept on the pitch. Back home, fans of the club's intercity rivals, Genoa, spilled out on to the shared streets in celebration, setting off fireworks, chanting 'Sampdoria is no more'. That is not quite the case, but it's going to be a long way back for Il Doria, who have long been more accustomed to battling with Juventus than Juve Stabia. Memories of that legendary era in the late 1980s and early '90s seem distant now, as Sampdoria's young and obscenely talented Italians, namely the late Gianluca Vialli and Roberto Mancini, swaggered their way to the 1991 Scudetto in one of the most iconic football shirts of all time; a blue, white red and black masterpiece. Their accomplishments in winning four Coppa Italia titles between 1985 and 1994, the 1990 European Cup Winners' Cup and even their European Cup final appearance against Barcelona at Wembley in 1992 were both incredible and an unsustainable benchmark for the future. Yet, even after Sampdoria's relegation from Serie A in 2023, nobody saw this coming. How did it come to this? In Serie B this season, Sampdoria have cycled through four managers, the first of whom was Andrea Pirlo. The Italian guided La Samp to a playoff place in 2023-24 but after a poor start to this season, was sacked after just three games. Andrea Sottil lasted until December but the worst was to come under Leonardo Semplici, who averaged far less than a point per game between Christmas and his departure in April. Angry supporters reacted by throwing stones and flares at Semplici and his staff on the team bus shortly before his exit. The latest manager is Alberico Evani, who you might remember from Italy's triumphant Euro 2020 campaign as an assistant to Mancini, going viral on the sidelines with his immaculate moustache, trendy spectacles and designer suits. Evani was appointed last month with club (and Crystal Palace) legend Attilio Lombardo as his assistant and lost only one of his six games in charge. Ultimately, though, nine points from those six games was not enough, with Sampdoria a point shy of safety. Club legend Mancini joined Sampdoria in an advisory role this season after the former Manchester City manager left his post as Saudi Arabia head coach last year. Many fans blame Sampdoria's sporting director, Mancini's son Andrea, for their current plight. This season has seen the club field 38 players, including five different goalkeepers. Recent attempts to further bolster the squad have also failed. M'Baye Niang, the former Milan striker who is still 30 years old, joined in January on a six-month contract but has scored just three times in 16 matches. Sampdoria's problems are bigger than a misfiring striker but Niang spurning two gilt-edged chances on Tuesday at Juve Stabia, when a single goal would have saved them from automatic relegation, was particularly painful. GLORY DAYS: Sampdoria goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca and team mate Attilo Lombardo celebrate after the 1994 Copa Italia victory. Pic: Clive Brunskill/Allsport It is not just the players of yesteryear that Sampdoria fans are pining for. Paolo Mantovani is a legendary figure in the club's history, having guided Sampdoria through their golden era as president from 1979 until his death in 1993. Recent owners and suitors have struggled to provide stability: Massimo Ferrero stepped down in 2021 after being jailed as part of an investigation into corporate crimes and bankruptcy. Vialli tried to lead a conglomerate to purchase Sampdoria before ill health and his death in January 2023, before a consortium led by London-based financier Matteo Manfredi succeeded in buying the club (alongside Andrea Radrizzani, although the former Leeds United owner has since stepped aside). However, the new regime's scattergun approach to managers and signings – bringing in players as varied as veteran forward Fabio Borini and 21-year-old Barcelona starlet Estanis Pedrola – has failed, with a crisis of confidence spreading from the boardroom to the players and the fans on the terraces. What is next? Serie C is a regional division split geographically into three groups from north to south. The top and bottom-placed teams in these three mini-leagues are promoted and relegated automatically, with the rest decided by a complex series of playoffs. Many of the stadiums at this level have a capacity of fewer than 2,000 (as a comparison, there are no grounds that small even in the National League South, the sixth-tier of English football). Sampdoria are a giant at this level – the biggest club to drop to Serie C that weren't relegated directly because of financial issues – but promotion next season is not a given. There are many recent Serie A alumni already lurking here: Crotone, Perugia, Vicenza, Catania and Pescara are just some of the larger clubs all fighting to return to their former glories. SPAL, who were in Serie A as recently as five years ago, even face a nervy relegation playoff against Milan's reserve side this Saturday in a desperate bid to avoid dropping into Serie D. At Sampdoria this summer, uncertainty has permeated every level of the club as the dust settles on their relegation from Serie B, with 19 players out of contract this summer and Evani's position under review. Will Manfredi continue to invest? Will Mancini take a more active role or quietly disappear? Whatever happens, Sampdoria and everyone with a rose-tinted fondness for those halcyon '90s days will be hoping that it doesn't get any worse. Guardian
