The performance of Genoa in the Italian football league structure since the first season of a unified Serie A (1929–30). Their Scudetti lie before this era.
Genoa Cricket and Football Club (Italian pronunciation:[ˈdʒeːnoa]) is an Italian professionalfootball club based inGenoa,Liguria. The team competes in theSerie A, the top division of the Italian football league system.
Established in1893, Genoa is Italy's oldest existing football team.[4] The club has won theItalian Championship nine times, with their first being Italy's inaugural national championship in1898, and their most recent coming after the1923–24 season. They have also won oneCoppa Italia title. Overall, Genoa are the fourth most successful Italian club in terms of championships won.[5]Il Grifone have played their home games at theStadio Luigi Ferraris[6] since 1911, sharing with local rivalsSampdoria. The fixture between the two teams, known as theDerby della Lanterna, was first played in 1946.
In 2011, Genoa was included in the "International Bureau of Cultural Capitals" (a sort of historical sporting heritage of humanity, in line with that ofUNESCO) at the request of President Xavier Tudela. The club was admitted to the "Club of Pioneers", an association comprising the world's oldest football clubs, in 2013; other members includeSheffield F.C. andRecreativo de Huelva.
Act of foundation of Genoa CFC, dated September 1893
The club was founded on 7 September 1893[2] as Genoa Cricket & Athletic Club. In its earliest years, it principally competed inathletics andcricket.Association football was only a secondary concern.[7] Since the club was set up to represent England abroad, the original shirts worn by the organisation were white, the same colour as theEngland national team shirt.[2] At first Italians were not permitted to join as it was a British sporting club abroad.[2] Genoa's activities took place in the north-west of the city in the Campasso area, at thePiazza d'Armi. The men who initially handled the management of the club were;[2]
On 10 April 1897,[8] the footballing section of the club, already in existence since 1893, became predominant thanks toJames Richardson Spensley.[7] It was among the oldest inItalian football at the time, only four other clubs (all inTurin.[4]) had been founded. Italians were allowed to join and found a new ground in the form ofPonte Carrega.The first friendly match took place at home, against a mixed team ofInternazionale Torino andF.B.C. Torinese; Genoa lost 1–0.[2] Not long after, Genoa recorded its first victory away againstUPS Alessandria winning 2–0. Friendly games also took place against various British sailors such as those fromHMS Revenge.[2]
Genoa returned for thefollowing season, this time with a few changes; the name of the club was altered toGenoa Cricket & Football Club, dropping theAthletic from its name. A change in shirt colour was also in order, as they changed to white and blue vertical stripes; known in Italy asbiancoblù. Genoa won their second title in a one-day tournament which took place on 16 April 1899, by beating Internazionale Torino 3–1 for the second time. On their way to winning their third consecutive title in1900 they also beat local rivals Sampierdarenese 7–0; a winning margin which would not be bettered by any team in the league until 1910. The final was secured with a 3–1 win overF.B.C. Torinese.[9]
The club strip was changed again in1901, Genoa adopted its famous red-navy halves and therefore became known as therossoblù; these are the colours used even to this day as with many other Italian clubs, such as Cagliari, Bologna, Crotone, Cosenza and an endless list of minor clubs. After a season of finishing runners-up toMilan Cricket and Football Club, things were back on track in1902 with their fourth title. Juventus emerged as serious contenders to Genoa's throne from1903 onwards, when for two seasons in a row Genoa beat theOld Lady in the national final.[9]
Notably Genoa became the first Italian football team to play an international match, when they visited France on 27 April 1903 to playFVC Nice, winning the fixture 3–0. As well as winning the Italian championship in1904, the year was also notable for Genoa reserves winning the first everII Categoria league season; a proto-Serie B under the top level. From1905 onwards when they were runners-up, Genoa lost their foothold on the Italian championship; other clubs such as Juventus, Milan andPro Vercelli stepped up.[9]
The fall in part during this period can be traced back to1908 whenFIGC agreed to Federal Gymnastics protests forbidding the use of foreign players. Since Genoa's birth they had always had a strong English contingent. They disagreed, as did several other prominent clubs such as Milan,Torino and Firenze; as thus they withdrew from official FIGC competitions that year. The following season the federation reversed the decision and Genoa was rebuilt with players such asLuigi Ferraris[10] and some fromSwitzerland, such asDaniel Hug who came fromFC Basel.[11] The rebuilding of the squad also saw the creation of a new ground in theMarassi area of Genoa, when built it had a capacity of 25,000 and was comparable to British stadiums of the time; it was officially opened on 22 January 1911.
With the introduction of theItaly national football team, Genoa played an important part, with the likes ofRenzo De Vecchi; who wasazzurri captain for some time,Edoardo Mariani andEnrico Sardi earning call-ups.[12] EnglishmanWilliam Garbutt was brought in as head coach to help revive the club; Garbutt was the first professional manager in Italy and was renowned for being highly charismatic, and also for constantly smoking histobacco pipe.[2] He was dubbed "Mister" by the players; since then Italians have referred to coaches in general by the term.[2]
Finally by1914–15, Genoa had restored themselves as the top club fromNorthern Italy, winning the final round of the Northern section.[9] However, this particular year, the national final could not be played because of the outbreak of World War I, the finals of the Southern Italian section could not be decided and thus Genoa did not have a team to play. Genoa would be awarded the title in 1919 after the end of the war, it would be their first for eleven seasons.[13] The war took a harsh toll on Genoa as players Luigi Ferraris, Adolfo Gnecco, Carlo Marassi, Alberto Sussone andClaudio Casanova all died while on military duty in Italy; while footballing founderJames Richardson Spensley was killed in Germany.[13]
The last Genoa side to win theItalian Football Championship, in 1924
In the early part of the 1920s, Genoa remained strong contenders in the Northern section.[13] Garbutt led Genoa to championship success in1922–23; beatingLazio 6–1 in the final, over the course of two legs.[9] Thefollowing season, Genoa made their way pastBologna in the Northern finals, but not without controversy; after riots in the second leg during the game inBologna, the game was called off and FIGC awarded Genoa a 2–0 victory.[13] In the national final that season, Genoa beatSavoia 4–1 over the course of two legs; this would be their ninth and to date final Italian championship.[14]
The squad during these two championship victories included;Giovanni De Prà,Ottavio Barbieri,Luigi Burlando andRenzo De Vecchi.[14] With Genoa's championship victory in 1923–24 came the introduction of thescudetto patch; which means following the season within which a club wins an Italian league championship, they are allowed to wear ashield shaped patch on their shirt which features the colours of theItalian flag.[2] For the rest of the 1920s, the club's highest finish was in second place: the1927–28 season when Genoa finished runners-up to Torino, with strikerFelice Levratto scoring 20 goals in 27 games.[15]
Due to the strongly British connotations attached to the name, Genoa were forced to change it by thefascist government toGenova 1893 Circolo del Calcio in 1928.[16] The club competed in a proto-European Cup in the form of theMitropa Cup, where they went out in the quarter-finals after losing heavily toRapid Vienna. They followed this with a runners-up position back at home in the league, they finished behindAmbrosiana in the1929–30 season; this would be their last top level championship runners-up spot to date.[9]
GenoaCoppa Italia winning side of 1937, celebrating in Florence.
The club's league form became highly erratic during the early 1930s, with varying league positions; it was during the1933–34 season that Genova suffered their first ever relegation toSerie B, the second league of Italian football. Thankfully for the club, they were able to bounce back under the management of Vittorio Faroppa, winning promotion by finishing top of their group ahead ofNovara. In 1936, the ambitious Juan Culiolo took over as chairman of the club; in1936–37 they achieved a 6th-place finish and also won theCoppa Italia by beatingRoma 1–0 with a goal fromMario Torti.[17]
During thefollowing season Genova finished in third place, this was a particularly tight season with winnersAmbrosiana-Inter finishing only three points ahead of the club. That summerItaly competed in the1938 FIFA World Cup and won, three Genova players formed part of the triumphant squad in the form ofSergio Bertoni,Mario Genta andMario Perazzolo.[18] The club finished the decade on a high, maintaining a top five foothold in the top level of the Italian football league system.[9]
World War II affected dramatically the entire Italian football movement, but Genova did not recover as well as other clubs. In 1945, the club chose to revert their name toGenoa Cricket and Foot-Ball Club, the one which they had used in the very early days of the Italian championship.[19] In the years just after the war, the club were still popular with the fans, with people previously associated with the club such asOttavio Barbieri andWilliam Garbutt returning for managerial spells.[20] Genoa also had a new rival in the form of Sampdoria, who were founded by a merger ofAssociazione Calcio Andrea Doria andSampierdarenese in 1946 and would groundshare atStadio Luigi Ferraris.[21]
After the Second World War the ability of Genoa to finish in the upper ranks ofSerie A declined in a significant manner; throughout the rest of the 1940s the club were middle-table finishers. The1948–49 season saw three highly significant results, Genoa beatInter 4–1, the famousGrande Torino side 3–0 andPadova 7–1.[22] The 1950s started in poor fashion for the club, they had bought ArgentineMario Boyé fromBoca Juniors but he stayed only one season and the clubwere relegated after finishing bottom of the table, but after two seasons they achieved their return after winning Serie B, ahead ofLegnano.[23]Ragnar Nikolay Larsen was a notable player for the club during this period and they sustained mid-table finishes for the rest of the decade.[23]
Despite suffering a relegation in1959–60 and then a promotion back up to Serie A in 1961–62,[23] Genoa had a respectable amount of cup success in the first half of the 1960s. The club won theCoppa delle Alpi in 1962; it was the first time the competition had been competed between club teams instead of international ones, the final was played at home while Genoa beat French clubGrenoble Foot 38 by 1–0 with a goal from Nizza.[24] Genoa won the same competition again two years later, the final was held at theWankdorf Stadium inBern, Switzerland; Genoa defeatedCatania 2–0, with both goals fromGiampaolo Piaceri to take the trophy.[25]
The celebrations for the club did not last long however, as the year following their last cup success they were relegated down to Serie B again. This time their stay in the second tier of theItalian football league system would be far longer than previous relegations, the club was unstable as it changed manager each season.[20] Genoa even experienced their first relegation toSerie C in 1970, financially the club fell into difficulties and had several ownership changes.[26][unreliable source?]
Throughout the 1970s, Genoa would mostly play in the second tier. Under the management ofArturo Silvestri the club made its way back to Serie A for the1973–74 season, but they were relegated straight back down. For the return ofIl Grifone to Serie A a couple of seasons later, the squad featured the likes ofRoberto Rosato,Bruno Conti and a youngRoberto Pruzzo. This time they stuck it out in the top division for two seasons before succumbing to relegation in1977–78; the relegation was particularly cruel as the side above themFiorentina survived on goal-difference of just a single goal, the two teams had played each other on the final day of the season ending in a 0–0 draw.[27]
First Genoa side of the 1980s
The relegation was bad for the club in more ways than one, they lost some of their top players who could have offered them a swift return; such as Roberto Pruzzo's move toRoma where he would go on to have great success.[28] After a couple of middle-table finishes in Serie B, Genoa earned promotion during the1980–81 season under managerLuigi Simoni, the club finished as runners-up behind onlyAC Milan who had been relegated the previous season for their part in the Totonero betting scandal.[29]
Still with Simoni at the helm as manager, Genoa were able to survive in Serie A for their returning season, finishing just one point ahead of the relegated AC Milan. In a dramatic last day of the season, Genoa were trailing 2–1 toNapoli with five minutes left, until on the 85th minuteMario Faccenda scored the goal that secured the point needed by Genoa, starting an owing friendship between the two club's fans.[30]A couple of seasons later in1983–84, Genoa would not be so lucky, despite beating championsJuventus on the final day of the season, the club were relegated even though they finished the season with the same number of points as survivingLazio; this was because Lazio had recorded better results in matches against Genoa.[31]
The club was purchased byCalabrese entrepreneurAldo Spinelli in 1985 and despite no longer having Simoni as manager, Genoa were finishing in the top half of Serie B. After a slip in form during 1987–88 (failing to be promoted by a mere point in 1986–87, then having to struggle not to be retroceded the following season, being spared that fate again by a mere point), Genoa refocused their energy and were able to achieve promotion back into Serie A in 1988–89, finishing as champions ahead ofBari.[9] Genoa, with an experienced trainer asOsvaldo Bagnoli who knew how to get the best out of underdog teams (he managed to win a championship at the helm ofHellas Verona in the eighties) and with a team sporting the talents ofCarlos Aguilera andTomáš Skuhravý among others achieved highs during the1990–91 season where they finished fourth, remaining undefeated at home for the entire campaign, winning games against all the big sides including Juventus,Inter, Milan,Roma, Lazio, Fiorentina, Napoli, as well as their local rivalsSampdoria who won the title that season.[32]
Subsequently, the club gained entry to theUEFA Cup in the1991–92 season. Genoa had a good run, making it to the semi-finals before being knocked out byAjax, that season's winners of the competition; notably Genoa did the double overLiverpool in the quarter-finals, becoming the first Italian side to beat theReds atAnfield. Unfortunately for Genoa, this success was soon followed by a 'Dark Age' following the departure of Osvaldo Bagnoli (who chose to move away from Genoa to spend more time with his daughter, whose health was rapidly declining) and the failure of the management to replace key players as they grew old or were ceded to other teams.[33] Noted Genoa players during this period includedGianluca Signorini, Carlos Aguilera,Stefano Eranio,Roberto Onorati andJohn van 't Schip.[34] Chairman Spinelli had a very different management approach from that of most businessmen turned football club owners. While his colleagues saw football as a marketing andpublic relation investment and were quite ready to siphon funds out of their main business to keep their teams afloat and replenish their player roster Spinelli saw Genoa as another business whose main aim was that of generating revenue for its owner (namely, himself) and so was more than happy to sell esteemed players for hefty revenues of which just a minimal fraction was then re-invested in the team, often for the acquisition of lesser-valued replacements or virtual unknowns. Thus he proved all-too-eager to sell Uruguayan strikerCarlos Aguilera and to replace him with the markedly inferiorKazuyoshi Miura from Japanese sideYomiuri Verdy (a deal that especially pleased him since the Japanese sponsors were actually paying him to let Miura play in Serie A). The same season as their UEFA Cup run, they finished just one place above the relegation zone; in the seasons following Genoa remained in the lower half of the table.[9]
During the1994–95 season, Genoa were narrowly relegated; they finished level on points withPadova after the normal season period. This meant a relegation play-out was to be played between the two inFlorence. The game was tied 1–1 at full-time and went to apenalty shoot-out. Genoa eventually lost the shoot-out 5–4.[9] While back down in Serie B, the club had another taste of international cup success when they became thefinal winners of theAnglo-Italian Cup by beatingPort Vale 5–2 withGennaro Ruotolo scoring ahat-trick.[35] Chairman Spinelli sold Genoa in 1997, moving onto other clubs (Alessandria[36] and, thenLivorno). The late 1990s and early 2000s would be the most trying time in the history of the club, with constant managerial changes, a poor financial situation and little hope of gaining promotion, outside of a decent 6th-place finish in1999–00.[9] From 1997 until 2003, Genoa had a total of three different owners and four different chairmen, before the club was passed on to the toys and gamestycoon fromIrpinia,Enrico Preziosi, already chairman of Como, a football club he previously owned.[26]
Preziosi took over in 2003, when Genoa should have been relegated to C1 series after a dismal season, but was instead "saved" along with Catania and Salernitana by the football federation's controversial decision to extendSerie B to 24 teams.[37] Things started to look up for Genoa; they won Serie B in 2004–05. However, allegations were raised that the club hadfixed a match on the last day of the season between themselves andVenezia. The 3–2 victory in the match saw Genoa win the league, with a draw having been good enough to maintain its position in the end. The Disciplinary Committee ofFIGC saw fit to instead place Genoa bottom of the league and relegate them down toSerie C1 with a three-point deduction on 27 July 2005.[38]
For their season in Serie C1 for2005–06, Genoa were hit with a six-point penalty from the previous season. After leading for much of the season, they eventually finished as runners-up and were entered into the play-offs, beatingMonza 2–1 on aggregate to achieve promotion back into Serie B.[23] During the summer breakGian Piero Gasperini was brought in as the new manager, he helped the club to gain promotion during the2006–07 season, it was ensured on the last day of the season where they drew a 0–0 withNapoli, both clubs were happily promoted back intoSerie A.[39]
The2007–08 season, the first Serie A championship played by Genoa in 12 years, saw it finishing in a respectable tenth place, right after the "big ones"[clarification needed] of Italian football.
A careful summer market session saw chairman, Preziosi strengthening the core of the team while parting from some players on favourable economical terms (for example selling strikerMarco Borriello toAC Milan for a hefty sum).[40] Genoa's aims for the2008–09 season were set on a UEFA Cup spot. This was achieved after a strong season which saw the team finish fifth in Serie A, besting traditional powerhouses likeJuventus,Roma, and Milan, and winning both Genoa derbies againstSampdoria, withDiego Milito finishing among the top scorers of the championship. Genoa subsequently lost Milito and midfielderThiago Motta toInternazionale, but were able to bring in strikerHernán Crespo. Things however did not go as planned, with the injury-plagued team eliminated in the early stages of the Europa League and Coppa Italia and falling to a ninth-place finish in Serie A in2010.
In the2010–11 season, Genoa, whose ranks had been revolutionised once again save for some long-serving players, struggled along in the mid-positions of the league; a slew of questionable results early in the season led chairman Preziosi to fire trainerGian Piero Gasperini, who had led the team since the2007–08 season, and to selectDavide Ballardini as his successor. The newcomers, despite not securing memorable successes, kept the team steadily afloat in the "left part" of the ranking, managing to win two consecutive derby matches against rivals Sampdoria in December and May.
The2011–12 and2012–13 seasons saw Genoa place in 17th both times, one spot away from relegation to Serie B.
In the2014–15 season, Genoa, in sixth place and set to qualify for theUEFA Europa League qualifying round, were denied a UEFA license[41] because they filed paperwork late and because theStadio Luigi Ferraris was not currently up to standard for UEFA competition. The spot was passed on to 7th placedSampdoria.[42]
This damaged Genoa's momentum, and Genoa coasted to an eleventh-place finish in the2015–16 season. In2016–17, Genoa avoided relegation in 16th-place, and once again finished mid-table in the2017–18 season. In the2018–19 season, Genoa mathematically avoided relegation from Serie A. They were tied on 38 points withEmpoli, but Empoli went down due to Genoa's superior head-to-head record.
In the2021–22 season, Genoa finished 19th in the league table to be relegated after fifteen years in top division. In the2022–23 season, the club finished second in Serie B, to promote back to Serie A after one season. In the 2023–24 season, Genoa Football Club maintains its position in Serie A and is not facing relegation. The club continues to compete in Italy's top football league, demonstrating resilience and determination to stay at the highest level of Italian football.[citation needed]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Below is the chairmen (Italian:presidenti,lit. 'presidents' orItalian:presidenti del consiglio di amministrazione,lit. 'chairmen of the board of directors') history of Genoa, from when the club was first founded playing cricket and athletics, until the present day.[26]
Genoa have had many managers and trainers, some seasons they have had co-managers running the team, here is a chronological list of them from 1896 when they became a football club, onwards.[20]
As Genoa was a British-run club, the first ever colours were those of theEngland national football team.[2] Not long into the club's footballing history, the kit was changed to white and blue stripes in 1899; the blue was chosen to represent the sea as Genoa is aport city. In 1901 the club finally settled for their most famous red and blue halves shirt, this gained them the nickname ofrossoblù.[62]
One of the nicknames of Genoa isIl Grifonewhich means "thegriffin"; this is derived from thecoat of arms belonging to the city of Genoa. The coat of arms features two golden griffins, either side of theSaint George's Cross.[63] As well as being present on both the flag and coat of arms of the city of Genoa, the cross is evocative of the club's English founders. St. George was also the patron saint of the formerRepublic of Genoa. The actual club badge ofGenoa Cricket and Football Club is heavily derived from the city coat of arms, but also incorporated the club's red and blue colours.
Genoa CFC has the bulk of its fans inLiguria, however they are also popular inPiedmont and theAosta Valley.[64] The seafaring traditions of the Genoese and the presence of Genoese communities in distant countries did much to spread the appeal of Genoa some further than just Italy, and immigrants founded fan clubs inBuenos Aires,Amsterdam,Tokyo,Toronto,New York,San Francisco,Barcelona,Iceland and other places.
Genoa fans in June 2007 atPiazza de Ferrari, celebrating their return toSerie A.
The most significant and traditional rivalry for Genoa, is the inner-city one with the club with whom they share a ground;Sampdoria. The two clubs compete together in the heatedDerby della Lanterna ("Derby of the Lantern"); a reference to theLighthouse of Genoa.[65] Genoa's supporters also have a strong distaste forAC Milan. A clash between opposing supporters in January 1995 resulted in the death of Genoese Vincenzo Spagnolo, who was stabbed to death by Milanese Simone Barbaglia. The assailant was a member of an informal group offootball hooligans dubbed "The Barbour Ones", who used to routinely carry bladed weapons to matches, a practice made possible by the relaxed security measures of the time.[66]
Conversely, the fans of Genoa have long standing friendships withNapoli (which goes back to the 1982 last match of the season).[67] On the last day of the2006–07 season, Genoa andNapoli drew a practical 0–0 ensuring both were promoted back into Serie A; Genoaultras could be seen holding up banners saying "Benvenuto fratello napoletano", meaning, "Welcome, Neapolitan brother", and the two sets of fans celebrated together in a warm and ever-co-operating manner.[68]
On the other hand, the amicable relationship with the red-and-yellow supporters ofRoma, fostered by the cession of strikerRoberto Pruzzo in 1979 and lasting for most of the 80's has, in recent years, cooled up a bit while another strong fraternity, which saw Genoese football fans on friendly terms withTorino (since the exchange ofGigi Meroni between the two clubs at the end of the1963–64 season and his untimely death on 15 October 1967[69]) has perhaps broken-down for good after the Torino-Genoa match of season 2008–09.
Starved for points and risking a humiliating relegation (one of many in a troubled recent history) the Turinese fans expected afriendly treatment from Genoa, which, in the heat of a pitched battle withFiorentina for the fourth place (which could have won aChampions League spot for the team) did not comply, soundly beating Torino and to many effects sealing its fate. When during early August 2009 Genoa scheduled a friendly match withNice in southernPiedmont, many Turinese hooligans travelled to the match location with the precise intention of starting trouble and disorder to "get even" with Genoa and its fans.
On 23 September 2021, it was announced that Genoa had been acquired by777 Partners, aUS-based private investment firm founded by Steven W. Pasko and Josh Wander. While terms were not publicly released, sources close to the deal revealed that the team was acquired for its enterprise value of $175 million.[70] Despite being relegated to Serie B in their very first season under 777 Partners ownership, Genoa immediately made it back toSerie A the following year.
Early on, the club transformed from a multi-sport club to one exclusively focused on football. In 2007, a group of club supporters formed a section dedicated to cricket. It currently competes under the name Genoa Cricket Club 1893 in Serie A of the Italian cricket league.[71]
The total from1897–98 includes 105 seasons at a national level from the inception of the Italian football league, including 27 seasons ofPrima Categoria andPrima Divisione (from 1898 to 1922 the name of the Italian Football Championship was Prima Categoria). Seasons included Prima Categoria 1907–1908, where Genoa didn't enter the tournament.
^"COMUNICATO STAMPA".Genoa Cricket and Football Club (in Italian). 6 December 2022.Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved7 December 2022.
