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U.S. Catanzaro 1929
Us catanzaro calcio.png
Full name Unione Sportiva
Catanzaro
Nickname(s) Aquile del Sud (Southern Eagles)
Regina del Sud (Southern Queen)
Timore del Nord (Fear of the North)
Magico (Magic)
Giallorossi (The Red-Yellows)
Founded 1929
Ground Stadio Nicola Ceravolo,
Catanzaro, Italy
Ground Capacity 14,650
Owner Unione Sportiva Catanzaro 1929 S.r.l.
Chairman Floriano Noto
Manager Vincenzo Vivarini
League Serie C Group C
2018–19 Serie C Group C, 3rd of 19
Third colours

U.S. Catanzaro is an Italian football club based in Catanzaro, Calabria that competes in Serie B, the second tier of the Italian football championship, following a 17-year absence from the second tier.

The club was initially formed with the merger of two local clubs in 1927 before being officially founded in 1929. Since then, the club has primarily competed in the lower divisions of the national competitions and has been re-founded twice, once in 2006 and again in 2011, both for financial reasons.

Since its foundation, the official colours of the club have been red and yellow. The team has used these colours predominantly in their kits, frequently playing in either all-red kits with yellow trims or in red and yellow stripes. The club's official emblem is the golden eagle, in honour of the city's coat of arms. The team plays its home matches at the Stadio Nicola Ceravolo, which was built in 1919 and is the oldest sports facility in Calabria.

In its history, Catanzaro has played seven seasons in Serie A, five of which were consecutive. The best performance in Serie A was a seventh place finish in 1981–82 and an eighth-place finish in 1980–81.

The club has won seven championships since its foundation. Six of these were in the third tier (one in Prima Divisione, two in Serie C, and three in Serie C1). The final championship was won in IV Serie in 1953. This year, the club was also national title holders after winning the Scudetto IV Serie. At youth level, the club won the Dante Berretti Trophy of Serie C in 1991–1992.

In the Coppa Italia, Catanzaro's best results were runners-up in 1965–66, and semi-finalists in 1978–79 and 1981–82.

On 30 May 2018, the club, which had already used the historic logo since 2011, announced the return of the old name "Unione Sportiva Catanzaro", with the final addition of "1929".

History

Origins to pre-World War II

The club was initially founded by the merger of two local teams (la Braccini and la Scalfaro) as Unione Sportiva Catanzarese in 1927, and competed in the Terza Divisione interregional group of Calabria & Basilicata, which was the fourth tier of Italian football at the time. Following a visit to the city from fascist leader Benito Mussolini, the club was officially founded with the name change of Unione Sportiva Fascista Catanzarese in 1929. The club continued to compete in the Terza Divisione for the 1929–30 season where it gained promotion for a second place finish directly into the third tier, the Prima Divisione, for the 1930–31 season. After spending three seasons in this division, Catanzarese gained promotion into Serie B for the first time in the 1933–34 season. They would spend the next three out of four years in Serie B, culminating with a fifteenth place finish in 1936–37. This meant the club would be regulated to Serie C for the following season, however financial troubles struck the club, so they returned to regional leagues instead. There, they would win a couple of regional titles before the second world war would prevent any further competition.

Post World War II and first national title

When competition resumed post World War II, the club dropped the fascist moniker, simply becoming Unione Sportiva Catanzaro for the Serie C season. They would remain in Serie C for thirteen of the following fifteen seasons, participating in only the Serie B once in 1946–47 and IV Serie once following relegation from the 1951–52 Serie C season. Catanzaro would bounce quickly back to Serie C after the 1952–53 season, which saw them not only win their interregional group, but also become national scudetto winners following the play-offs between interregional winners. The club would go on to become Serie C group winners in 1958–59 to achieve promotion back to Serie B for the first time in thirteen years.

Serie B consistency to Serie A promotion

With promotion into Serie B for the 1959–60 season, the club would enter a period of stable success, competing for twelve consecutive years there, with generally mid-table placings. This period saw the club reach the Coppa Italia final in 1966, before finally winning promotion to Serie A for the first time in 1971, after they defeated Bari in the deciding fixture of a three-way play-off which also featured Atalanta.

Catanzaro's inaugural Serie A season saw them struggle and succumb to relegation on the final day with only 3 wins and 15 draws for 21 points. However, their first-ever Serie A win came in Round 16 with a 1–0 win over Juventus. After narrowly missing out on a return to Serie A in 1975, they bounced back in 1976 but once again lasted just one year.

A third promotion in 1978 ushered in the club's golden era with a five-year stay in Serie A. With a team including Claudio Ranieri, Gianni Improta and the iconic Massimo Palanca, Catanzaro managed a highly credible 9th place in 1979. Though they finished 14th and would have been relegated for the following season, they won a reprieve thanks to forced relegations of AC Milan and Lazio. They managed 8th place in 1981 and 7th the following year before a dismal relegation in 1983. Much of the next four years was spent bouncing between Serie B and C1.

Return to Serie C and bankruptcy

Catanzaro initially emerged as promotion contenders once more in 1988, finishing 5th with the ageless Palanca having returned to the club after a fruitless spell at Napoli. However, they ultimately succumbed to successive relegations in 1990 and 1991, staying in Serie C2 for twelve seasons until 2003.

In 2005, after two consecutive promotions, Catanzaro returned to Serie B after a 15-year absence. However, after a poor season they ended their Serie B campaign in last place, meaning relegation to Serie C1. Catanzaro would immediately get another chance, the team being reinstated to Serie B due to vacancies related to the exclusion of other teams from Serie B. In its 2005–06 Serie B campaign, Catanzaro came last again and was relegated to Serie C1. The relegation was followed by financial troubles which led to the federation cancelling the club's registration.

F.C. Catanzaro (2006–2011)

In the summer 2006 the club was re-founded for the first time with the new name of F.C. Catanzaro and was registered to Serie C2 for the 2006–07 season, with the hope to return to the upper divisions.

In season 2010–11, they were initially relegated from Lega Pro Seconda Divisione group C to Serie D, but due to the relegation of Pomezia to last place, the club was saved from relegation.

On 18 July 2011 the club was excluded by the Federal Council from Lega Pro Seconda Divisione, but on 27 July 2011 the club won its appeal to Tnas and be permitted to play in the 2011–12 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione.

Catanzaro Calcio 2011 / U.S. Catanzaro 1929 (2011–present)

On 30 June 2011 the company Catanzaro Calcio 2011 acquired permanently the company branch of the bankrupt F.C. Catanzaro, following the cancellation of the previous club's registration because of financial troubles. On 6 August 2011, the company purchased the historical brand and logo of U.S. Catanzaro.

In the 2011–12 season, Catanzaro obtained a respectable second place in the Lega Pro Seconda Divisione and was promoted to Lega Pro Prima Divisione after playoffs. The following two seasons saw Catanzaro ending in tenth and fourth place respectively, and also a participation in the promotion play-offs (then lost to Benevento) in the latter case.

Finally in 2018, the club officially transitioned to the name Unione Sportiva Catanzaro 1929, after years of using the historical logo. The logo was also updated with the year '1929' added to highlight this change. The club would make promotion play-offs for three consecutive years, after finishing 3rd, 7th and 2nd but ultimately remain in Serie C.

In the 2021–22 season, Catanzaro again performed strongly in the league and also in the Coppa Italia Serie C. The start of the season began slowly with a number of draws interspersed with some wins. Ultimately, by 29 November 2021 Calabro was fired following a 1–1 draw with Monterosi and was replaced by Vivarini. The team had an immediate response with two wins and drew 1–1 away to Padova in the Coppa Italia Serie C semi-final. On the return leg at home, Catanzaro lost 0–1 and Padova went on to become eventual winners of the cup. Catanzaro continued to pick up points and finished the season strongly in second for a consecutive season, gaining direct entry into the quarter-final promotion playoffs. There they defeated Monopoli 3–1 on aggregate to once again find themselves matched up again Padova in the semi-finals. Unfortunately, they were unable to progress through to final as they lost 2–1 on aggregate.

In the 2022–23, Catanzaro return to Serie B for next season after defeat Gelbison 0-2 on Matchweek 33 and Champions of Serie C Group A.

Stadium, Colours and badge

Stadium

Catanzaro plays out of Stadio Nicola Ceravolo, which was built in 1919 and is the oldest sports facility in Calabria.

Colours

The team's colours, since foundation, are red and yellow, just as the whole city

The most used uniform in the eighty years of history of the Aquile is the solid red one, with the yellow V collar with red shorts and socks with yellow edges.

Those pairings have accompanied the Calabrians in the golden years of the Serie A and therefore are the most dear to the Catanzaro environment. Equally used was the vertical striped yellow and red shirt with red shorts and socks with yellow edges, especially in the post-failure years of 2006.

Most rarely Catanzaro has used a shirt with yellow and red horizontal stripes. However, this uniform was used by the Calabrians in the historic match in Turin, won against Juventus, in the 1965-66 Coppa Italia, which was to launch the Catanzaro in the final, then lost against the lilies of Florence.

For the away shirt, the most used is completely blue with references to the Giallorossi, but also completely white or yellow seals were worn.

Occasionally le Aquile, have also used a third uniform which, depending on the color of the home squad, could be either blue or white or yellow. Same for the fourth currency

Badges

The corporate coat of arms consists of a shield in which stands the historic symbol of Catanzaro, the Golden eagle, faithfully taken from the city's coat of arms, which holds a blue ribbon on its beak bearing the motto Sanguinis effusione, motivated by the losses reported in various battles by the Catanzaro fighters.

On the belly of the eagle takes place a shield that reproduces the three hills on which the city stands. A vertical line splits the emblem in two, so as to allow the insertion of the team's social colors, which is completed by the name of the company, placed at the top on a blue background.

Derbies and rivalries

Catanzaro has competed against other regional Calabrian teams throughout the professional competitions of Italian football. These derbies include:

  • CosenzaCalabria Derby (Derby della Calabria) – this is the most historic of all derbies in Calabria, with the first meeting in Serie B taking place in 1946. The history of these two sides dates all the way back to 1912 when Cosenza met one of the forerunner club's of Catanzaro. Their first official match was in 1930 in Serie C (or the Prima Divisione as it was then known). Overall, the sides have met 54 times, with 21 Catanzaro wins, 24 draws, and 9 Cosenza wins.
  • RegginaThe Classic (U-classicu) – with Catanzaro as Calabria's capital and Reggio Calabria the region's largest city, this match has had a special meaning to the area. The first meeting was also in the 1930–31 Prima Divisione. This contest has had the most Serie B meetings of all Calabrian derbies with 20 matches, the first of which was in 1965. It is also the only derby involving Catanzaro in which the Coppa Italia was contested (on one occasion). Out of the 62 matches, Catanzaro has won 20 times, there have been 20 draws, and Reggina has won 24 times.
  • CrotoneThe former Province of Catanzaro Derby (Derby dell'ex provincia di Catanzaro) – Prior to 1992, the Province of Crotone was a part of the Province of Catanzaro, which is where the name of this derby comes from. The teams however, only met for the first time in Serie B in 2004–05 season and then again in the 2005–06 season. They have spent seven seasons together in Serie C and one season in Serie C2. They have also met four times in Coppa Italia Serie C but never in the Coppa Italia. Whilst both teams have participated in Serie A, it has never been in the same season. The overall head-to-head for this meeting is Catanzaro 8 wins, 11 draws, and 9 Crotone wins from 28 games.

Players

Current squad

No. Position Player
1 Italy GK Andrea Fulignati
4 Brazil DF Matias Antonini
7 Italy FW Luca D'Andrea (on loan from Sassuolo)
8 Italy MF Luca Verna
9 Italy FW Pietro Iemmello
10 Italy MF Jacopo Petriccione
14 Italy DF Stefano Scognamillo
16 Italy GK Andrea Sala
17 Italy FW Enrico Brignola
18 Italy MF Andrea Ghion
19 Italy FW Matteo Stoppa (on loan from Sampdoria)
20 Italy MF Simone Pontisso
21 Italy MF Marco Pompetti
No. Position Player
22 Italy GK Edoardo Borrelli
23 Italy DF Nicolò Brighenti (Captain)
24 Greece MF Dimitris Sounas
27 Belgium MF Jari Vandeputte
28 Italy FW Tommaso Biasci
32 Slovenia DF Luka Krajnc
33 Italy MF Andrea Oliveri (on loan from Atalanta)
44 Italy DF Kevin Miranda (on loan from Sassuolo)
70 Italy FW Giuseppe Ambrosino (on loan from Napoli)
72 Italy DF Davide Veroli (on loan from Cagliari)
92 Croatia MF Mario Šitum
98 Italy FW Alfredo Donnarumma (on loan from Ternana)

Other players under contract

No. Position Player
Italy MF Francesco Talarico

Out on loan

No. Position Player
Italy GK Alfonso Rizzuto (at Lentigione until 30 June 2024)
Italy DF Marcello Piras (at Sarrabus Ogliastra until 30 June 2024)
No. Position Player
Italy FW Alessio Curcio (at Casertana until 30 June 2024)

Staff

Current

As of 28 March 2023

Position Name
Manager Vincenzo Vivarini
Assistant coach Andrea Milani
Goalkeeper coach Fabrizio Zambardi
Technical Assistant, Match Analyst Antonio Del Fosco
Team Manager Nino Scimone
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Francesco De Santis
Club Doctors Dr. Giuseppe Stillo, Dr. Maurizio Caglioti
Physiotherapist Bruno Berardocco
Osteopath Felisiano Villani

Hall of fame

Below is a list of players inducted into the Catanzaro Hall of Fame

Player Role Years
Italy Adriano Banelli Player
Manager
1967–79
1992–93, 1993, 1996
Italy Edi Bivi Player 1981–84
Italy Gianni Bui Player 1965–67
Italy Giovanni Improta Player
Manager
1975–79
1993–95
Italy Saverio Leotta Player
Manager
1952–55
1972–73, 1980, 1983, 1994–95
Italy Angelo Mammì Player 1970–72
Italy Massimo Mauro Player 1979–82
Italy Massimo Palanca Player 1974–81, 1986–90

Presidential history

Below is a presidential history list of Catanzaro, from when they were founded in 1927, until the present day.

 
Name Years
Antonio Susanna 1927–1928
Enrico Talamo 1928–1937
Arnaldo Pugliese 1937–1944
Italo Paparazzo 1944–1945
Umberto Riccio 1945–1946
Giuseppe Zamboni Pesci 1946–1948
Gino Guarnieri 1948–1950
Aldo Ferrara 1950–1958
Nicola Ceravolo 1958–1979
Adriano Merlo 1979–1984
Giuseppe Albano 1984–1995
Giuseppe Soluri 1995–1999
 
Name Years
Giovanni Mancuso 1999–2003
Domenico Cavallaro 2003
Claudio Parente 2003–2006
Bernardo Colao 2006
Domenico Cavallaro 2006
Giancarlo Pittelli 2006–2008
Pasquale Bove 2008–2009
Antonio Aiello 2009–2010
Maurizio Ferrara 2010–2011
Giuseppe Santaguida 2011
Giuseppe Cosentino 2011–2017
Floriano Noto 2017-

Managerial history

 
Name Nationality Years
Dino Baroni Italy 1928–1931
Géza Kertész Hungary 1931–1933
Heinrich Schoenfeld (R1–11)
* Yuri Koszegi (R12–26)
Austria
Hungary
1933–1934
Yuri Koszegi Hungary 1934–1936
Remo Migliorini (R1–?)
* Heinrich Schoenfeld (R?–30)
Italy
Austria
1936–1937
Walter Colombati Italy 1937–1938
Riccardo Mottola Italy 1938–1939
1945–1946
Pietro Piselli Italy 1946–1947
Gastone Boni
* Euro Riparbelli
Italy 1947–1948
Luciano Robotti
* Euro Riparbelli & Pasquali Ripepe
Italy 1948–1949
Euro Riparbelli Italy 1949–1952
Orlando Tognotti Italy 1952–1956
Renato Bottacini (R1–16)
* Vitoro Maschi & Pasquali Ripepe (R17–34)
Italy 1956–1957
Piero Pasinati Italy 1957–1960
Piero Pasinati (R1–16, 18)
* Enzo Dolfin (R17, 19–38)
Italy 1960–1961
Bruno Arcari (R1–29)
* Enzo Dolfin (R30–38)
Italy 1961–1962
Enzo Dolfin Italy 1962–1963
Leandro Remondini Italy 1963–1965
Dino Ballacci Italy 1965–1966
Carmelo Di Bella Italy 1966–1967
Luciano Lupi Italy 1967–1968
Luciano Lupi (R1–22)
* Umberto Sacco (R23–38)
Italy 1968–1969
Dino Ballacci Italy 1969–1970
Gianni Seghedoni Italy 1970–1972
Renato Lucchi (R1–25)
* Saverio Leotta (R25–38)
Italy 1972–1973
Gianni Seghedoni (R1–15)
* Carmelo Di Bella (R15–38)
Italy 1973–1974
Gianni Di Marzio Italy 1974–1977
Giorgio Sereni Italy 1977–1978
Carlo Mazzone Italy 1978–1979
Carlo Mazzone (R1–25)
* Saverio Leotta (R25–30)
Italy 1979–1980
Tarcisio Burgnich Italy 1980–1981
Bruno Pace Italy 1981–1982
Bruno Pace (R1–15)
* Saverio Leotta (R16–30)
Italy 1982–1983
Mario Corso (R1–9)
* Antonio Renna (R10–38)
Italy 1983–1984
Giovan Battista Fabbri Italy 1984–1985
Pietro Santin (R1–20)
* Todor Veselinović (R21–38)
Italy
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
1985–1986
Claudio Tobia Italy 1986–1987
Vincenzo Guerini Italy 1987–1988
Tarcisio Burgnich (R1–7)
* Gianni Di Marzio (R8–38)
Italy 1988–1989
Fausto Silipo (R1–14, 21–38)
* Renzo Aldi & Giovan Battista Fabbri (R15–20)
Italy 1989-1990
Claudio Sala (R1–6, 16–24)
* Francesco Brignani (R7–15)
* Gennaro Rambone (R25–34)
Italy 1990–1991
 
Name Nationality Years
Gennaro Rambone (R1–20)
* Franco Selvaggi (R21–38)
Italy 1991–1992
Franco Selvaggi (R1–6)
* Adriano Banelli (R7–18, 26–34)
* Paolo Dal Fiume (R19–25)
Italy 1992–1993
Gianni Improta Italy 1993–1994
Gianni Improta (R1–3)
* Enrico Nicolini (R4–26, 29–34)
* Saverio Leotta (R27–28)
Italy 1994–1995
Mauro Zampollini (R1–5)
* Marcello Pasquino (R6–27)
* Adriano Banelli (R28–34)
Italy 1995–1996
Rino Lavezzini (R1–26, play-off)
* Giuseppe Sabadini (R27–34)
Italy 1996–1997
Francesco Paolo Specchia (R1–26)
* Giuseppe Vuolo (R27–34)
Italy 1997–1998
Juan Carlos Morrone Argentina 1998–1999
Salvatore Esposito (R1–8)
* Fortunato Torrisi (R9–27)
* Giuseppe Galluzzo (R26–34)
Italy 1999–2000
Agatino Cuttone Italy 2000–2001
Leonardo Bitetto (R1–21)
* Massimo Morgia (R22–34)
Italy 2001–2002
Franco Dellisanti Italy 2002–2003
Piero Braglia Italy 2003–2004
Piero Braglia (R1–5)
* Luigi Cagni (R6–25)
* Bruno Bolchi (R26–42)
Italy 2004–2005
Sergio Buso (R1–13)
* Vincenzo Guerini (R14–24)
* Bruno Giordano (R25–37)
* Franco Cittadino (R37–42)
Italy 2005–2006
Manuele Domenicali Italy 2006–2007
Fausto Silipo (R1–5)
* Franco Cittadino (R6–21)
* Agatino Cuttone (R22–34)
Italy 2007–2008
Nicola Provenza Italy 2008–2009
Gaetano Auteri Italy 2009–2010
Zé Maria (R1–9)
* Antonio Aloi (R10–30)
Brazil
Italy
2010–2011
Francesco Cozza Italy 2011–2012
Francesco Cozza (R1–27)
* Fulvio D'Adderio (R28–30)
Italy 2012–2013
Oscar Brevi Italy 2013–2014
Francesco Moriero (R1–12)
* Massimo D’Urso (R13, 38)
* Stefano Sanderra (R14–37)
Italy 2014–2015
Massimo D’Urso (R1–8)
* Alessandro Erra (R9–34)
Italy 2015–2016
Giulio Spader (R1)
* Mario Somma (R2–9)
* Nunzio Zavettieri (R10–25)
* Alessandro Erra (R26–play out)
Italy 2016–2017
Alessandro Erra (R1–8)
* Davide Dionigi (R9–28)
* Giuseppe Pancaro (R29–38)
Italy 2017–2018
Gaetano Auteri Italy 2018–2019
Gaetano Auteri (R1–10, 23–30)
* Gianluca Grassadonia (R11–22)
Italy 2019–2020
Antonio Calabro Italy 2020–21
Antonio Calabro (R1–16)
* Vincenzo Vivarini (R17–38)
Italy 2021–22
Vincenzo Vivarini Italy 2022–23

* Denotes took over as manager during the season

Honours

Leagues

  • Serie B (Level 2)
    • Runners-Up (2): 1975–76, 1977–78
    • Promoted via play-offs (1): 1970–71
  • Serie C / Serie C1 (Level 3)
    • Winners (6): 1935–36 (Group D), 1958–59 (Group B), 1984–85 (Group B), 1986–87 (Group B), 2003–04 (Group B), 2022–23 (Group C)
  • IV Serie (Level 4)
    • Winners (1): 1952–53

Cups

European

  • Cup of the Alps
    • Winners (1): 1960

Competitions

League

Level League Seasons Debut Last Total
A Serie A 7 1971–72 1982–83 7
B Serie B 29 1933–34 2023–24 29
C Prima Divisione 3 1930–31 1932–33 31
Serie C 22 1935–36 2022–23
Serie C1 6 1984–85 2013–14
Serie C2 18 1991–92 2011–12 18
D IV Serie 1 1952–53 1

National Cups

Competition Participation Debut Last season Best finish
Coppa Italia 45 1935–36 2022–23 Runners-Up (1966)
Coppa Italia Serie C 31 1984–85 2022–23 Semifinalist (2021–22)
Supercoppa di Serie C 2 2004 2023 Champions (2023)
Scudetto di IV Serie 1 1952–53 Champions (1953)

International record

Cup of the Alps

Season Opposition Home Away Aggregate Ref
1960 Switzerland SC Brühl 5–1 0–0 5–1

Anglo-Italian Cup

Season Round Opposition Home Away Ref
1972 Group Stage England Stoke City 0–3 0–2
1972 Group Stage England Carlisle United 0–1 1–4

Overall Record

Competition Played Won Drew Lost GF GA GD Win %
Cup of the Alps &&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 +4 &&&&&&&&&&&&&050.&&&&&050.00
Anglo-Italian Cup &&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&010.&&&&&010 −9 &0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00.00
Total &&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06 &&&&&&&&&&&&&011.&&&&&011 −5 &&&&&&&&&&&&&016.67000016.67

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Unione Sportiva Catanzaro 1929 para niños

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