AC Cesena facts for kids
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| Full name | Associazione Calcio Cesena S.p.A. | |||
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| Nickname(s) | I Cavallucci Marini (The Seahorses) I Bianconeri (The White and Blacks) |
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| Founded | 1940 | |||
| Dissolved | 2018 | |||
| Ground | Stadio Dino Manuzzi, Cesena, Italy |
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| Capacity | 23,900 | |||
| Head Coach | Domenico Toscano | |||
| League | Serie C | |||
| 2017–18 | Serie B, 13th of 22 | |||
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AC Cesena, often called Cesena, was an Italian football club. It was located in Cesena, a city in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. The club spent most of its time playing in professional leagues like Serie A and Serie B. Sadly, the club faced financial problems and closed down in 2018. A new club from Cesena, A.S.D. Romagna Centro Cesena, later changed its name to "Cesena F.C." in 2019, hoping to continue the legacy.
The club started in 1940. They first reached Italy's top league, Serie A, in 1973. Overall, Cesena played 13 seasons in Serie A. Their best finish was sixth place in 1976. This allowed them to play in the UEFA Cup, a big European competition. They also earned promotion to Serie A in 1981, 1987, 2010, and 2014.
Contents
Club History
Early Years and First Promotions
AC Cesena was founded in 1940. The team slowly worked its way up through the Italian football leagues. In 1968, they reached Serie B, which is the second-highest league. Just five years later, in 1973, Cesena made it to Serie A for the very first time.
In their first season in Serie A, the club did well, finishing 11th. They repeated this good performance the next year. The 1975–76 season was a big surprise for many. Cesena finished in an impressive sixth place. This high finish meant they qualified for the UEFA Cup, a major European tournament. However, their time in the UEFA Cup was short, and they were relegated from Serie A the following year.
Ups and Downs in the Leagues
Cesena returned to Serie A in 1981. They finished 10th, which was a good result. But in 1983, they were relegated again and spent four years in Serie B. After winning a special play-off game, they were back in Serie A for the 1987–88 season. They managed to stay in the top league for four years, avoiding relegation each time.
After being relegated in 1991, Cesena had another chance to get back to Serie A in 1994. They had a strong team that year. However, they ended up tied on points with another team, Padova. They lost the promotion play-off, which was a tough moment for the club. In 1997, they were relegated even further, to Serie C1. They managed to get promoted back up, but then faced another relegation play-off in 2000. They lost this game, sending them back to the third division for four years.
In the 2005–06 Serie B season, Cesena surprised everyone by competing for promotion to Serie A. They finished sixth and qualified for the promotion play-offs. They avoided relegation the next season, but in 2007–08, they were relegated again.
Return to Serie B and Serie A
Cesena's next season was in Lega Pro Prima Divisione, the new name for Serie C1. They quickly became strong contenders for promotion. They won the league title on the very last day of the season. This meant they were promoted straight back to Serie B after only one year in the third division.
The team continued its success. In the 2009–10 season, Cesena earned their second promotion in a row! They won their final game against Piacenza and finished second in Serie B. This amazing achievement brought them back to Serie A in 2010, after 19 years away from the top league.
Financial Challenges and End of the Club
Cesena played in Serie A for two seasons after their return in 2010. After the 2011–12 season, they were relegated back to Serie B.
Over the next few years, Cesena faced many financial difficulties. Despite these challenges, the club managed to win promotion back to Serie A on June 18, 2014. They won the play-offs against Latina. However, the financial problems continued.
On July 16, 2018, Cesena officially declared bankruptcy. This meant the club could no longer play in the 2018–19 Serie B season and had to close down.
Phoenix Club
In July 2018, a club called A.S.D. Romagna Centro decided to change its name to "Cesena F.C.". This new club aims to be a "phoenix club," rising from the ashes of the old AC Cesena to continue the city's football tradition.
Colours and Badge
The team's main colours were black and white.
Honours
- Serie B:
- Runners-up (3): 1972–73, 1980–81 (Shared with Genoa), 2009–10
- Play-off Winners (2): 1986–87, 2013–14
- Serie C/Serie C1/Lega Pro:
- Winners (3): 1967–68, 1997–98, 2008–09
- Play-off Winners (1): 2003–04
- Coppa Italia Serie C:
- Winners (1): 2003–04
- Runners-up (1): 1997–98
- Prima Divisione:
- Winners (1): 1940–41
- Serie D:
- Winners (1): 1959–60
- Promozione Regionale:
- Winners (2): 1952–53, 1956–57
Players
Retired numbers
| No. | Player | Nationality | Position | Reason | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Tifosi |  Italy |
Not applicable | Reserved for the Cesena supporters | |
| 21 | Paolo Martelli | Italy |
Defender | Posthumous recognition. Died in a car accident on 12 April 1999 |
Notable former players
Odion Jude Ighalo
Erjon Bogdani- Florian Myrtaj
Abdelkader Ghezzal
Germán Denis
Walter Schachner
Paulo Silas
Luis Jiménez
Igor Budan
Massimo Agostini- Massimo Ambrosini
- Alessandro Bianchi
- Antonio Candreva
- Simone Del Nero
- Alberto Fontana
- Emanuele Giaccherini
- Dario Hübner
- Vincenzo Iaquinta
- Ruggiero Rizzitelli
- Sebastiano Rossi
Yuto Nagatomo
Adrian Mutu- Daniel Pancu
Massimo Bonini
Papa Waigo
Jorge Martínez
Vladislav Đukić- Davor Jozić
Managers
- Karl Stürmer (1942–43)
- Cinzio Scagliotti (1949–50)
- Pietro Magni (1953–54)
- Gipo Poggi (1961–62)
- Luigi Radice (1972–73)
- Giuseppe Marchioro (1975–76)
- Giulio Corsini (1976–77)
- Giuseppe Marchioro (1977–78)
- Giancarlo Cadé (1978–79)
- Osvaldo Bagnoli (1979–81)
- Giovan Battista Fabbri (1981–82)
- Bruno Bolchi (1982–83)
- Giuseppe Marchioro (1983–84)
- Bruno Bolchi (1986–87)
- Alberto Bigon (1987–89)
- Marcello Lippi (1989–91)
- Azeglio Vicini (1992–93)
- Bruno Bolchi (1993–95)
- Marco Tardelli (1995–98)
- Giuseppe Marchioro (1996–97)
- Alberto Cavasin (1998–99)
- Walter De Vecchi (2000–02)
- Agatino Cuttone (2001–02)
- Giuseppe Iachini (2002–03)
- Fabrizio Castori (2003–07)
- Giovanni Vavassori (2007–08)
- Fabrizio Castori (2008)
- Pierpaolo Bisoli (2008–10)
- Massimo Ficcadenti (2010–11)
- Marco Giampaolo (2011)
- Daniele Arrigoni (2011–12)
- Mario Beretta (2012)
- Nicola Campedelli (2012)
- Pierpaolo Bisoli (2012–14)
- Domenico Di Carlo (2014–2015)
- Massimo Drago (2015–2016)
- Andrea Camplone (2016–2017)
European record
UEFA Cup
| Season | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976–77 | First round |  Magdeburg |
3–1 | 0–3 | 3–4 |
