FC Crotone facts for kids
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| Full name | Football Club Crotone S.r.l. | |||
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| Nickname(s) | I Pitagorici (The Pythagoreans) Gli Squali or Lo Squalo Calabrese (The Sharks or The Shark of Calabria) Rossoblù (Red and Blue) |
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| Founded | 1910 | |||
| Ground | Stadio Ezio Scida | |||
| Capacity | 16,647 | |||
| Chairman | Gianni Vrenna | |||
| Head coach | Emilio Longo | |||
| League | Serie B | |||
| 2018–19 | Serie B, 12th of 19 | |||
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Football Club Crotone S.r.l., often called Crotone, is an Italian football club. It is based in the city of Crotone, in the Calabria region of Italy. The team currently plays in Serie C, which is the third level of Italian football.
The club was started on September 20, 1910. Their home games are played at Stadio Ezio Scida, a stadium that can hold 16,647 fans.
Contents
Club History: From Ancient Roots to Today
The city of Crotone was once an ancient Greek settlement called Kroton. It was one of the first Greek colonies in what is now Italy. The club is very proud of its Greek history. You can often see Greek symbols, like Spartan soldiers, on their banners and in their slogans.
Early Years and Challenges
The first football team in Crotone was Società sportiva Crotona, formed in 1910. However, it didn't join the main Italian Football Federation right away. Later teams, like Milone Crotone, played in smaller leagues before 1921.
After World War II, a new club called Unione Sportiva Crotone took over. This team played in Serie C for seven seasons. In 1963, the club moved down to Serie D, but quickly returned to the third division the next year. They stayed there for 14 seasons in a row. In 1977, they almost got promoted but finished third.
In 1978, Italian football leagues were reorganized. Crotone was moved down to Serie C2. The next year, the club went bankrupt. A new club, Associazione Sportiva Crotone, started playing in a lower league called Prima Categoria (the eighth division).
Climbing Back Up the Ranks
Crotone was promoted to Serie C2 in the 1984–85 season, but only for one year. The team then changed its name to Kroton Calcio. They were promoted to C2 again after the 1986–87 season and played there until 1991.
Another bankruptcy led to the creation of Football Club Crotone Calcio. Raffaele Vrenna became the chairman. The club started in the Promozione league (the seventh level). Crotone quickly earned promotions, moving up to Serie C2 and then C1. They won important play-off matches against Locri and Benevento to achieve this.
Reaching Serie B and Serie A
Under coach Antonello Cuccureddu, Crotone reached Serie B for the first time in 2000. They returned to this second-highest league two seasons later. In 2004, they were back in Serie B after beating Viterbese in the play-offs. They stayed in Serie B until the 2006–07 season.
After losing to Taranto in the 2008 play-offs, Crotone returned to Serie B the next season by defeating Benevento.
The Serie A Dream and Challenges
In 2016, the team made history by being promoted to Serie A, Italy's top football league, for the very first time. In the 2016–17 season, Crotone finished 17th, which meant they stayed in Serie A for the next season. This was a huge achievement, especially because they had a very tough start, earning only two points from their first ten games.
Crotone was in the relegation zone for most of that season. However, they had an amazing comeback, going unbeaten for seven matches from game 30 to 36. They won five of those games. The season ended with a 3-1 victory over Lazio in the final match. This win allowed Crotone to jump above Empoli to 17th place, securing another season in Serie A. This was called a "football miracle," led by top scorer Diego Falcinelli (who scored 13 goals) and coach Davide Nicola.
In the following season, Crotone could not avoid relegation. They lost to Napoli in the last Serie A match and returned to Serie B after two seasons in the top flight.
After the 2019-20 season, the club was promoted to Serie A again, finishing second in the table behind Benevento. However, their time in the top league was difficult. They spent most of the season in last place and lost many games. Crotone was officially relegated to Serie B after 34 games, following a loss to Inter, who became champions that year.
Despite the team's struggles, striker Simy had an excellent season, scoring 20 league goals. This was a record for a player on a relegated team. However, Crotone conceded 92 goals, which was a new Serie A record for goals allowed in a single season.
To lower their player costs after being relegated to Serie B, Crotone loaned out attacking midfielder Junior Messias to AC Milan and striker Simy to Salernitana. Simy was later sold to Salernitana in January 2022. These changes weakened the team's attack. Crotone finished 19th in the league and was relegated for a second time in a row, moving down to 2022-23 Serie C.
Team Colors and Badge
Crotone's team colors are dark blue, white, and red. The dark blue and white colors are linked to their Greek origins. Their traditional kits usually have dark blue and red stripes.
Some of the team's popular sayings are "Salutate la Magna Grecia" ("Salute Greater Greece") and "Noi siamo la Magna Grecia" ("We are Greater Greece"). Fans of FC Crotone are proud to call their city "La Capitale Della Magna Grecia" ("The capital of Greater Greece"). The team's nickname, "the Pythagoreans," comes from the famous Greek philosopher Pythagoras.
Rivalries: Exciting Matches
FC Crotone has a strong rivalry with LFA Reggio Calabria. Their matches are known as the "Magna Graecia derby." The club also has rivalries with Cosenza Calcio and US Catanzaro 1929.
Players
Current Squad
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Coaching Staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  Emilio Longo |
| Assistant coach | Vincenzo Migliaccio |
| Assistant coach | Giuseppe Brescia |
| Goalkeeper coach | Nicola Barasso |
| Fitness coach | Fabio Allevi |
| Fitness coach | Elmiro Trombino |
| Physiotherapist | Armando Cistaro |
| Physiotherapist | Matteo Errico |
| Physiotherapist | Riccardo Pupo |
| Chief doctor | Massimo Iera |
| Club doctor | Massimo Bisceglia |
Managers Through the Years
- Giorgio Tricoli (1954–1955)
- Bruno Giordano (1996–1997)
- Antonello Cuccureddu (1999–2001)
- Giuseppe Papadopulo (2000–2001)
- Antonio Cabrini (2001)
- Stefano Cuoghi (2001–2002)
- Franco Selvaggi (2002)
- Gian Piero Gasperini (2003–2004)
- Andrea Agostinelli (2004–2005)
- Gian Piero Gasperini (2005–2006)
- Elio Gustinetti (2006–2007)
- Guido Carboni (2007)
- Francesco Moriero (2008–2009)
- Franco Lerda (2009–2010)
- Leonardo Menichini (2010)
- Eugenio Corini (2010–2011)
- Leonardo Menichini (2010–2012)
- Massimo Drago (2012–2015)
Ivan Jurić (2015–2016)- Davide Nicola (2016–2017)
- Walter Zenga (2017–2018)
- Giovanni Stroppa (2018–2021)
- Serse Cosmi (2021)
- Francesco Modesto (2021)
- Pasquale Marino (2021)
- Francesco Modesto (2021-)
See also
In Spanish: Football Club Crotone para niños
