User:Danieletorino2/sandbox

Journey in Europe and bankruptcy
At the end of the 1988–89 season Torino relegated to Serie B for the second time in history. The club was promoted back to Serie A in the 1989–90 season, and after some important signings, qualified for the UEFA Cup under Emiliano Mondonico. The following season, Torino knocked out Real Madrid in the semifinals 1991–92 UEFA Cup, but lost the final on the away goals rule to Dutch side Ajax. In Serie A, Torino finished in third place.

In the 1992–93 season, Torino won their fifth Coppa Italia after defeating Roma. However, after the conquest of the Coppa Italia the club went through a period of severe economic difficulties. The club changed presidents and managers several times, but the results continued to worsen; and at the end of the 1995–96 season, Torino relegated for a third time.

After a play-off lost on penalties in the 1997–98 season to Perugia, Torino returned to Serie A in 1998–99, but were once again relegated at the end of the 1999–2000 season. The club was immediately promoted in the 2000–01 season, and the following year, finished in 11th place and qualified for the Intertoto Cup. After being eliminated by Villarreal on penalties, Torino suffered its worst performance in Serie A, and relegated after finishing in last place. Under Renato Zaccarelli, Torino achieved promotion in the 2004–05 season. However, due to heavy debts accumulated under the president Francesco Cimminelli, Torino were denied entry into Serie A, and the club's bankruptcy was announced on 9 August 2005. On 16 August, the FIGC accepted the proposal of a new professional entity known as "Società Civile Campo Torino", formed by a group of businessmen and led by lawyer Pierluigi Marengo. The club was granted admission to the Petrucci Law, which guaranteed registration to Serie B, as well as all of the sporting titles of "Torino Calcio." On 19 August, Urbano Cairo was officially announced as the new president of the club at the bar Norman (once known as Voigt brewery). With the sale, the club name changed to "Torino Football Club".

Torino achieved immediate promotion in the 2005–06 season after winning the play-offs. The following season, Torino achieved safety from relegation in the penultimate round of the season. After three seasons, the club once again relegated to Serie B. During the 2009–10 season, Cairo named Gianluca Petrachi as the new sporting director at Torino, but the club failed to gain promotion that season and the following.

The foundation
In the city of Turin, the game of football arrived at the end of the 19th century, first introduced by the industrial Swiss and English. By 1887, Football & Cricket Club – the oldest Italian football club – had already been founded in the capital of Piedmont, followed in 1889 by Nobili Torino. In 1891 the two clubs merged to form Internazionale Torino, after which Football Club Torinese was founded in 1894.

The new game quickly supplanted the popularity of pallapugno, which led to the foundation of the football sections of the sports club Ginnastica Torino and Juventus. On 8 May 1898 Internazionale Torino, Football Club Torinese and Ginnastica Torino, along with Genoa as part of the International Exhibition for the fiftieth anniversary of the Statuto Albertino gave birth to the first Italian Football Championship on the field of the Velodrome Umberto I of Turin, won by the Genoese.

In 1900, Football Club Torinese absorbed Internazionale Torino, but the real turning point for the club arrived on 3 December 1906: at the Voigt brewery (now bar Norman) of Via Pietro Micca, when an alliance was formed with a group of Juventus dissidents, led by the Swiss financier Alfred Dick, who disagreed with the professionalism of Juventus. The meeting at the brewery was scheduled at nine o'clock in the evening with 23 people present, namely: Alfred Dick, Giovanni Secondi, Fritz Bollinger, Eugenio De Fernex, Giuseppe Varetto, Enrico Debernardi, Arthur Rodgers, Federico Ferrari Orsi, Fritz Roth, Carlo Pletscher, Carlo Dick, Hans Kaempfer, Oreste Mazzia, Paul Boerner, Ugo Muetzell, Robert Depenheuer, Alfredo Jaquet, C. Bart, O. Quint, I. Michel, I. Faelmdrich, A. Boulaz and Walter Streule. Franz Schoenbrod, the president, was absent, with the cashier, Luigi Custer, randomly seated in his elected seat. While not intervening, Giacomo Zuffi, Gian Luigi Delleani, Vittorio Morelli di Popolo, Ademaro Biano, Ettore Ghiglione, Vittorio Berrà and Vittorio Pozzo had given their support to the club. Through the merger of Football Club Torinese and the aforementioned group of dissidents "Foot-Ball Club Torino" was born.

The new club chose to use different colours, opting in the end for granata; a dark red, similar to burgundy.

From first steps to the Great War


The first official match was played on 16 December 1906 in Vercelli against Pro Vercelli, won 3–1 by the Granata, though still only in name, as Torino wore the yellow and black kits inherited from Football Club Torinese. The historic photo of that first meeting portrays a boy destined to play an important role in the history of Italian football, Vittorio Pozzo.

The first derby was played in the new year at the Velodrome Umberto I, dated 13 January 1907, in which Torino defeated Juventus 2–1. Torino successfully replicated this by a margin of 4–1 a month later and gained the right to enter the final round of the Italian Football Championship, placed second behind Milan. Torino's home ground would be, until 1910, the aforementioned Velodrome Umberto I.

Torino did not participate in the 1908 Italian Football Championship as a rule was passed which limited the use of foreign players. The club instead played in two popular "minor" tournaments: the coveted "Palla Dapples" (a silver trophy in the shape of a regulation football), won against Pro Vercelli; and an international tournament organised by La Stampa, which took place in Turin that year. Torino lost in the final to Swiss side Servette.

In 1912, Vittorio Pozzo joined the technical staff: with him in 1914, Torino participated in a tour of South America, winning six in as many games against teams of the calibre of the Argentine national team and Brazil's Corinthians.

In 1915, Torino were denied their first real championship attempt by the outbreak of World War I. With one match left to play, Torino (in second), were two points behind leaders Genoa. In the final game of the championship, Torino would have had the opportunity to play the Genoese head-on after defeating them in the first leg 6–1. At that time, albeit in different years, four different siblings played for Torino, the Mossos, which at the time was a custom quite widespread.

The longest match
After the War, the league resumed in October 1919. Like other teams, Torino lost many of its players during the war. The recovery was muted when Torino squad came 3rd in the Piedmont group, behind Pro Vercelli and Juventus. Even in 1920–21, there was not a single league but a series of regional groups; Torino finished the semi-final round of northern Italy on par with Legnano. The match against Legnano seems to be the longest official match ever played in Italy: at the end of regular time the result was 1–1; two extra times of 30 minutes each then followed, at the end of which the result was still a draw. The referee decided to play a third extra time, but after eight minutes the teams mutually agreed to not continue.

In the early 1920s, the Martin brothers, four of them, like the Mossos, began to play for Torino. Martin II was the most talented and made 359 appearances for Torino. In a match against Brescia on 9 November 1924, for the first and only time, all four of the Martin brothers (Pietro, Cesare, Dario and Edmondo) played together. On 7 April 1922, Vittorio Pozzo resigned from Torino for family and professional reasons, replaced by Francesco Mosso.

In 1924, Count Marone Cinzano was elected to the presidency of Torino and brought the first success to the club. In the summer of 1925, Cinzano brought the Argentine Julio Libonatti to Torino (the first foreign native to represent the Italian national team) as well as Adolfo Baloncieri. That year, Torino finished second in their group behind Bologna, but Libonatti and Baloncieri immediately proved their worth and scored 38 of the team's 67 goals. The following year, Gino Rossetti arrived from Spezia for a fee 25,000 lira. Rossetti, together with Libonatti and Baloncieri, gave birth to the famous "trio of wonders," enriched by the clever tactics of the coach Tony Cargnelli. The following season saw the inauguration of the Stadio Filadelfia: the event was celebrated on 17 October 1926 with a 4–0 victory over Fortitudo Roma.

Headed by Imre Schoffer, Torino won their first Scudetto on 10 July 1927 after a 5–0 success against Bologna. However, the title was revoked on 3 November 1927 for the alleged bribery on the part of a Torino doctor and Juventus player, Luigi Allemandi, during the derby held on 5 June 1927. It was already the end of the season when the Milanese newspaper Lo Sport published the news of the alleged fraud in favour of Torino. The story was taken from the "Tifone" of Rome, and was expanded by a journalist who lived in the same hotel as Allemandi. While the Italian title in 1927 remained unassigned, Allemandi was banned for life, although he was later pardoned and only served one year of suspension.

The following season, Torino were reconfirmed champions of Italy. After the revoking of their prior Scudetto, the team responded well under the captaincy of Adolfo Baloncieri, a natural leader; some of the scorelines became historic, such as 11–0 wins over Brescia and Napoli and a 14–0 over Reggiana, all at Filadelfia. The "Trio of Wonders" scored 89 goals between them. The long-awaited tricolor, which Torino won on the 22 July 1928 with a 2–2 draw against Milan, was celebrated with a tour of South America. Soon after, the Count Marone Cinzano resigned; he had been too badly shaken by the charge that had led to the cancellation of the title in 1927.

In the early 1930s, Torino saw a succession of numerous presidents after Cinzano’s departure: Ferrari, Vastapane, Gervasio, Mossetto, Silvestri and Cuniberti. It was a period of instability reflected by the team's mediocre positions in the league, finishing seventh in 1930–31, eighth in 1931–32, seventh in 1932–33, 12th in 1933–34 and 14th, a step away from Serie B in 1934–35. Meanwhile, teams in Italy began to develop youth divisions. In honour of Adolfo Baloncieri, Torino dedicated their youth sector to him, the "Balon boys." From here emerged the likes of Raf Vallone, Federico Allasio, Giacinto Ellena and Cesare Gallea.

It was not until the 1935–36 season that the club began its revival: Torino fought for the title until the middle of the second round, even though Bologna eventually won the championship, one point ahead of Roma. However, Torino were consolidated by their first victory of the Coppa Italia, a tournament which began that year. Here, Torino overwhelmed Reggiana 2–0, Catania 8–2 (six goals by Pietro Buscaglia) Livorno 4–2 and Fiorentina 2–0. The final against Alessandria saw Torino prevail 5–1.

In the 1936–37 season, Torino was renamed "Associazione Calcio Torino" due to the Italian fascist regime which did not tolerate the presence of foreign words at the time. Torino closed the 1937–38 season in a lowly ninth place. Some satisfaction came from the Coppa Italia, where Torino were only beaten in the final. In 1938–39, Torino finished in second place, behind a strong Bologna who were victorious by four points. The Hungarian Egri Erbstein became Torino's technical director and the coach was Mario Sperone. The Balon Boys continued to supply players to the main team, such as the three midfielders who went down in history as the midfield of the "six Ls": Allasio, Gallea and Ellena.

In 1939–40, Torino finished fifth place, though it would also see the important arrival of the president Ferruccio Novo. A turning point, Novo would provide financial support to the club and his skill as a careful administrator. With valuable contributions from Antonio Janni, Giacinto Ellena and Mario Sperone, Novo was able to build a team known as the "Grande Torino."

Grande Torino
The most shining moment, however, is represented by the Grande Torino, an unbeatable team, who won five titles in a row (not considering the interruption to the league in the 1944 Campionato Alta Italia, in which the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) in 2002 recognised only honorary value to Spezia) between 1942 and 1949, and the Coppa Italia in 1943 (thanks to this success Torino was the first team to win the coveted Scudetto and Coppa Italia "double" in Italy during the same season). Torino was the backbone of the Italian national team in this period, at one point fielding ten players simultaneously in the Azzurri.

The captain and undisputed leader of the team was Valentino Mazzola, father of Ferruccio and Sandro, who then would walk in their father's footsteps by becoming footballers. The typical starting squad was: Bacigalupo; Ballarin, Maroso; Grezar, Rigamonti, Castigliano; Menti, Loik, Gabetto, Mazzola, Ossola. The cycle of victories abruptly ended on 4 May 1949 when the plane carrying the whole team, returning from a friendly with Benfica played in Lisbon, due to a dense fog and a faulty altimeter, crashed against the retaining wall of the Basilica of Superga. In addition to the entire team and reserve players, the Superga air disaster claimed the lives of two executives (Agnisetta and Civalleri), the coaches Egri Erbstein and Leslie Lievesley, the masseur Cortina, three journalists in tow, Luigi Cavallero, Renato Tosatti and Renato Casalbore, and the four members of the crew.

From relegation to the title


Difficult years followed in the aftermath of the tragedy. The slow decline led to the club's first relegation to Serie B, which took place under the name "Talmone Torino" in 1959. The stay would only last one season, with Torino's return to the top flight in 1960–61, contributing, among others, to Italy's victory in the French-Italian Coppa dell'Amicizia. In 1963, Orfeo Pianelli assumed presidency. To rebuild the team the fans would have to wait for the arrival of a player who would become an icon: Gigi Meroni, nicknamed "The Granata Butterfly." Already by 1964–65, the team, led by Nereo Rocco, finished in third place.

The parable of Torino and Meroni ended tragically on 15 October 1967. The Torino player, at the end of a league match played against Sampdoria, while crossing the street in Corso Re Umberto I, was hit and killed by a car driven by Attilio Romero (who would later become the president of Torino from 2000 to 2005). Torino, this time, remained one of the stars of Serie A and concluded the season in seventh place. That same season, Torino also triumphed in the Coppa Italia. The reconstruction of a winning team, initiated by the President Pianelli, continued in 1971 with another Coppa Italia trophy.

In the 1971–72 season, Torino reached a second-place finish, placed just one point behind their "cousins" Juventus. Across the following three seasons, Torino would place among the first teams as a prelude to the conquest of what would be their seventh national title.

The championship was won in the 1975–76 season after a thrilling league comeback against Juventus, which at one point during the Spring held a five-point advantage over the Granata. However, three straight losses for the Bianconeri, the second of which was in the derby, allowed Torino to overtake. In the final round, Torino arrived with the advantage of one point and, until then, was always victorious at home. Torino hosted Cesena at the Comunale: but did not go past a draw; Juventus, however would fall at Perugia. The title was won by two points ahead of Juventus, 27 years after the Superga tragedy.

The challenge was repeated the next year in an exciting championship that saw Torino finish with 50 points behind Juventus' 51, a record point-total for the 16-team league setup. In 1978, Torino finished second again (tied with a surprising Vicenza side led by Paolo Rossi), still behind Juventus but farther behind in points. In later years, whilst still remaining one of Serie A's top teams, the team began a slow decline and was not able to repeat these results, with the exception of the second place in 1984–85, behind a Verona side led by Osvaldo Bagnoli. In 1987–88, Torino lost a play-off to qualify for the 1988–89 UEFA Cup against Juventus.

Venture in Europe
At the end of the 1988–89 season, Torino relegated to Serie B for the second time in its history. The year in the cadets seemed to regenerate the team, which, after a rapid ascent in the 1989–90 season, lived an exciting season upon its return to Serie A in 1990–91. Under the guidance of coach Emiliano Mondonico, the team qualified for the 1991–92 UEFA Cup, placing before a Juventus team that, surprisingly, failed to compete in Europe for the first time in 28 years (1963–1991). The run in Europe during the 1991–92 season was almost unstoppable: Torino arrived in the final by eliminating, among others, Real Madrid. However, the final against the Ajax appeared almost haunted: after a 2–2 draw in the first leg in Turin, the second leg in Amsterdam finished 0–0 with the Dutch club prevailing on the away goals rule, despite Torino hitting the woodwork three times and a dubious contact in the penalty area that would infuriate the coach Mondonico – who vented by lifting a chair to the sky, an image etched in the history of the Granata. The season would conclude with a third-place finish in the league.

The appointment with the victory was only postponed for a year. Torino would add a fifth Coppa Italia in the 1992–93 season against Roma. This will also be another close final: after a 3–0 victory at home, the Granata appeared to close the contest, though in the second leg in Rome, there was a pulsating game that would see Roma prevail 5–2 thanks to three penalty kicks awarded by the referee. Again by virtue of the away goals rule, this time Torino benefitted, claiming the title.

The newly promoted Torino of Mondonico in 1990–91, was the winner of the Mitropa Cup at the end of the season, the first international title of the club. After the conquest of the Coppa Italia, the club went through a period of severe economic difficulties. Changing presidents and coaches, the results continued to worsen: in 1995 a 5–0 derby lost cost Nedo Sonetti his job, and at the end of the season, the team was relegated to Serie B for the third time. The return to Serie A after a playoff lost on penalties to Perugia in 1997–98 (3–5 on penalties in Reggio Emilia, with the Umbrians promoted to Serie A) took place in 1998–99, with a second place achieved by the goals of Marco Ferrante.

Decline and bankruptcy
Torino began the 1999–00 season with the aim of retaining its place in Serie A, but on 7 May 2000 lost a decisive match against Lecce 2–1 and retreated back to Serie B. The club was bought by Francesco Cimminelli, who appointed Attilio Romero president. Luigi Simoni was instated coach, but the beginning of the season saw Torino risk relegation to Serie C. Giancarlo Camolese, head of the youth team, was appointed at the helm of team. With eight consecutive home wins and ten away wins, Torino managed to recover and ended 2000–01 in first place with 73 points. In 2001–02, Torino obtained salvation and qualified for the UEFA Intertoto Cup. The return to Europe came against Austria's SC Bregenz, won 2–1 across both legs, before exiting to Spaniards Villarreal on penalties (3–4). That season, Torino suffered its worst performance in Serie A and finished last after alternating between four coaches: Camolese, Renzo Ulivieri, Renato Zaccarelli and Giacomo Ferri. The identity of Torino Calcio was kept alive by its fans: unique in its history was a popular march (50,000 people according to organisers) that on May 4, 2003, in the aftermath of yet another relegation to Serie B, would march the streets of the capital of Piedmont, starting from the remains of the Stadio Filadelfia, pass in front of the memorial plaque of Gigi Meroni in Piazza San Carlo, reaching the tombstone of the Grande Torino of Superga.

The 2003–04 season saw the participation of over 24 teams (the highest ever) and ended in an anonymous 12th place, with Ezio Rossi on the bench. In 2004–05, the Granata, under the guidance of Renato Zaccarelli, finished third after eliminating Ascoli in the playoffs. On 26 June 2005, Torino celebrated its return to Serie A after defeating the nemesis of the 1998 playoffs, Perugia. However, the joy did not last long: heavy debts accumulated during past administrations (the last, under Cimminelli) meant the club was denied entry to the top flight. Forced to await the outcome of appeals, it was revealed that Cimminelli had not paid a large part of the clubs taxes in five years and failed to deposit a guarantee to the FIGC by a deadline. The appeals were negative, and after 40 long days Torino was declared unsuitable for participation in Serie A. Inevitably, after 99 years of history, the bankruptcy of Torino Calcio was announced on 9 August 2005 and the club ceased to exist.

As a result of the dire situation, a new consortium of businessmen (headed by the lawyer Pierluigi Marengo) was responsible for the rebirth of a new professional entity known as "Società Civile Campo Torino" (taken from the old name of the Stadio Filadelfia). The consortium submitted an application for admission to the Petrucci Law, which guaranteed registration to Serie B. A first economic proposal, however, was deemed insufficient by the FIGC. The consortium added the sponsorship of the municipal SMAT (the company that manages the water supply in Turin), thus completing the bureaucratic process. On 16 August 2005, the FIGC officially entrusted the new club with the titles of "Torino Calcio." The new club, restarting from scratch, acquired the burden of re-establishing the company structure, as well as players and the employees of the club. On 19 August 2005, in the bar Norman (once known as "Voigt brewery," origin of the club), during a press conference that was supposed to see the presentation of the new company structure, it was announced that the club would be sold to the publisher and advertiser Urbano Cairo, who just the day before had launched an offer to purchase the club. When everything seemed to be concluded, on 22 August, Luke Giovannone, an entrepreneur from Ceccano that had contributed €180,000 to finance the Lodo Petrucci (which guaranteed him 51% of the shares of the new Torino), refused to sell. In an ongoing push-pull negotiation that involved the Mayor of Turin Sergio Chiamparino, Giovannone was prepared to sell on 24 August but later changed his mind, infuriating fans. Fleeing Turin, Giovannone was traced to a hotel in Moncalieri and besieged by Torino supporters. Refusing to mediate with the Mayor, Giovannone was escorted by the police and left the city.

On 26 August, at a shareholders meeting resolution of SCC Torino, capital was raised to €10 million. On 31 August, Giovannone yielded after a long negotiation process, with Cairo becoming the second president of the new Torino on 2 September. Cairo immediately called to the head of the team coach Gianni De Biasi and formed the first embryo of the football club. Torino was transformed from S.r.l to S.p.A., with Cairo pouring in €10 million for capital. The reunification to the "old" Torino was completed on 12 July 2006 when at a bankruptcy auction, Cairo purchased all the cups and memorabilia of the Grande Torino for €1,411,000, allowings fans and representatives of Torino to plan the celebrations for the Torino centenary. The team made its debut just seven days after the signing of Cairo, reinforced by some late signings (some of whom were bought the night before). Torino debuted victoriously on 10 September 2005 against AlbinoLeffe 1–0 with a goal from Enrico Fantini. The match would also highlight a young player taken from Parma, Alessandro Rosina. In short time, Torino, reinforced with further signings in the winter transfer period, finished third and qualified directly for the playoffs. Here, victories against Cesena (1–1 and 1–0) and Mantova (2–4 and 3–1 after extra time) marked the return of Torino to Serie A in 2006–07.

The return to the top flight was characterised by the arrivals of Christian Abbiati, Stefano Fiore and Simone Barone. Gianni De Biasi was sacked before the season began and replaced by Alberto Zaccheroni, who led Torino to a mid-table position halfway through the season. However, a six-game losing streak cost Zaccheroni his job and De Biasi was reinstated, who achieved salvation on the penultimate day of the season. The young Alessandro Rosina was Torino's top scorer that season. In 2007–08, Walter Novellino arrived on the bench but was fired on 15 April 2008 following a series of negative results. With five remaining games, De Biasi was recalled, with Torino ultimately finishing 15th. Torino's leading scorer was once again Rosina. The following season, despite many purchases, including Rolando Bianchi, Blerim Džemaili and Ignazio Abate, Torino performed poorly, with three different coaches (De Biasi, Novellino and, finally, Giancarlo Camolese) and failed to avoid relegation to Serie B.

Stefano Colantuono was appointed coach following relegation. After a brilliant start to the season, the second part saw a performance crisis that led to the arrival of Mario Beretta. However, the situation did not improve, and after the defeat to Cittadella, Beretta was sacked. In his place, Colantuono was recalled. Meanwhile, Cairo named Gianluca Petrachi, famous for his work at Pisa, the new sporting director at Torino. In a period of two weeks, Petrachi almost re-established the entire team, completing ten outgoing and 12 incoming transfers. The new team amassed 42 points in the second half of the season. On 26 February 2010, Urbano Cairo announced that he had officially put the club up for sale. On 2 May 2010, through a letter to the fans, the Chairman communicated that he would not participate in the annual Holy Mass at Superga in memory of the Grande Torino, something he had always done since beginning of his term. Torino finished in fifth place, qualifying for the playoffs. Here, Torino eliminated Sassuolo in the semi-finals (1–1 at home; 2–1 away) but lost in the final against Brescia (0–0 at home; 2–1 away). The following season, Colantuono moved to Atalanta, with Franco Lerda named his replacement. He was relieved on 9 March 2011 to make way for Giuseppe Papadopulo, but on 20 March, after just 11 days, he was fired. Lerda returned and did not lose until the final day of the season, a 0–2 defeat at home to Padova, thus remaining outside the playoff zone and the second tier for a third consecutive year.

Return to Europe
On 6 June 2011, the club officially announced Gian Piero Ventura as the new manager ahead of the 2011–12 Serie B season, with Ventura signing a one-year contract. After a long campaign, Torino secured promotion to Serie A on 20 May 2012, after defeating Modena 2–0 in the penultimate round of the season. After achieving safety from relegation in the 2012–13 season, the 2013–14 season marked a sharp reversal for Torino, who finished seventh place, and qualified for the 2014–15 Europa League. The stars of the positive year were Alessio Cerci and Ciro Immobile; the latter, finished as the top scorer in Serie A.

The 2014–15 season saw Torino reach the round of 16 of the Europa League, where they were eliminated by Zenit Saint Petersburg. In the league, Torino finished ninth, and in spring, won their first derby in 20 years. The following year, Torino finished the 2015–16 season in 12th place, after which, Ventura, after five years in charge, left the club for the Italy national team. He was replaced by Siniša Mihajlović, who finished the 2016–17 season in ninth place.

Società
Organigramma aggiornato al 27 ottobre 2014. 