The progress of Torino in the Italian football league structure since the first season of a unified Serie A (1929/30)
Torino Football Club (Italian pronunciation:[toˈriːno]), colloquially referred to asToro, is an Italian professionalfootballclub based inTurin,Piedmont. They currently play inSerie A. Founded asFoot-Ball Club Torino in 1906, Torino are among the most successful clubs in Italy with sevenleague titles, including five consecutive league titles during the 1940s. TheGrande Torino, as the team was known, was widely recognised as one of the strongest footballing sides of the period, until the entire team was killed in the 1949Superga air disaster.[1] They have also won theCoppa Italia five times, the last of which was in the1992–93 season. Internationally, Torino won theMitropa Cup in 1991 and were finalists in theUEFA Cup in1991–92.
Torino plays all of its home games at theStadio Olimpico Grande Torino (also known as the Stadio Comunale "Vittorio Pozzo" until 2006). The club's traditional colour is maroon, and its symbol is a rampant bull, the traditional symbol of the city of Turin, from which the club's nicknameIl Toro (The Bull) is derived. Torino have a local rivalry withJuventus and the two sides contest theDerby della Mole.
Football first arrived in the city ofTurin at the end of the 19th century, introduced by the industrialSwiss andEnglish. By 1887,Football & Cricket Club—the oldest Italian football club—had already been founded in the capital ofPiedmont, followed in 1889 byNobili Torino. In 1891 the two clubs merged to formInternazionale Torino, after whichFootball Club Torinese was founded in 1894.[4][5][6]
Alfred Dick, founder and then president of the newly born Foot-Ball Club Torino
The new game quickly supplanted the popularity ofpallapugno, which led to the foundation of the football sections of the sports clubsGinnastica Torino andJuventus. On 8 May 1898 Internazionale Torino, Football Club Torinese and Ginnastica Torino, along withGenoa as part of the International Exhibition for the fiftieth anniversary of theStatuto Albertino gave birth to the firstItalian Football Championship.
In 1900, Football Club Torinese absorbed Internazionale Torino, and on 3 December 1906 at the Voigt brewery (now bar Norman) on Via Pietro Micca an alliance was formed with a group of Juventus dissidents, led by the Swiss financierAlfred Dick.[7] Through the merger of Football Club Torinese and the aforementioned group, "Foot-Ball Club Torino" was formed. The first official match was played on 16 December 1906 inVercelli againstPro Vercelli, won 3–1 by Torino.
Torino players pose for a photograph in 1906.
The firstderby was played in the new year, dated 13 January 1907, in which Torino defeatedJuventus 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 theItalian Football Championship, placed second behindMilan.
Torino did not participate in the1908 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 internationaltournament organised byLa Stampa, which took place inTurin that year. Torino lost in the final toSwiss sideServette.[8]
In1915, Torino were denied their first real championship attempt by the outbreak ofWorld War I. With one match left to play, Torino (in second), were two points behind leadersGenoa. 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.
The club experienced its first success under the presidency of Count Enrico Marone Cinzano, who was responsible for building theStadio Filadelfia.[9] In attack, Torino boasted theTrio delle meraviglie (Trio of Wonders), composed ofJulio Libonatti,Adolfo Baloncieri andGino Rossetti, and won their firstscudetto on 10 July 1927 after a 5–0 win againstBologna. However, the title was revoked on 3 November 1927 due to the "Allemandi Case".[9]
After the revoking of the priorscudetto, Torino were reconfirmed champions of Italy in the1927–28 season. The "Trio of Wonders" scored 89 goals between them, with the title won on 22 July 1928, a 2–2 draw againstMilan.[9]
After the resignation of Cinzano, the club began a slow decline in the early 1930s and often finished mid-table. It was not until the1935–36 season that it began its revival, with a third-place finish in the league and first victory of theCoppa Italia. Renamed "Associazione Calcio Torino" due to the Italianfascist regime, Torino finished in second place in the1938–39 season, under the technical directorErnest Erbstein.
In 1939–40, Torino finished in fifth place, and saw the arrival of club presidentFerruccio Novo. Novo provided financial support to the club and utilised his skill as a careful administrator. With valuable contributions fromAntonio Janni, Giacinto Ellena and Mario Sperone, Novo was able to build a team known as theGrande Torino.[9]
The club's greatest period is encapsulated in theGrande Torino, a team which won five titles in a row (not considering the interruption to the league in the1944 Campionato Alta Italia, in which theItalian Football Federation (FIGC) in 2002 recognised only honorary value toSpezia) between 1942 and 1949, and theCoppa Italia in 1943 (due to this success, Torino was the first team to win the covetedscudetto and Coppa Italia "double" in Italy during the same season). Torino's players formed the backbone of the Italy national team in this period, at one point fielding ten players simultaneously in theAzzurri.
The captain and undisputed leader of the team wasValentino Mazzola, father ofFerruccio andSandro, who would subsequently follow their father in becoming footballers. The typical starting lineup was: Bacigalupo; Ballarin; Maroso; Grezar; Rigamonti; Castigliano; Menti; Loik; Gabetto; Mazzola; Ossola. Their success came to an abrupt end on 4 May 1949 when theFiat G.212 airliner carrying the whole team crashed against the retaining wall of theBasilica of Superga in Turin. The crash was attributed to dense fog andspatial disorientation due a faulty altimeter in the cockpit. The team had been returning from a friendly withBenfica played inLisbon. In addition to the entire team and reserve players, the crash claimed the lives of coachesEgri Erbstein andLeslie Lievesley, two club officials, the club masseur, three journalists, and the four members of the crew.[10]
Difficult years followed in the aftermath of the tragedy. A slow decline led to the club's first relegation to Serie B, which took place under the name "Talmone Torino" in1958–59. The stay in Serie B would only last one season, with Torino's return to the top flight in1960–61. In 1963, Orfeo Pianelli assumed presidency. He appointedNereo Rocco as manager and signed club iconGigi Meroni, nicknamed "The Maroon Butterfly" (La Farfalla Granata).[11] In1964–65, the team finished in third place.
On 15 October 1967, Meroni was killed while crossing the street after a league game.[12] Despite the tragedy, Torino finished the season in seventh place and won theCoppa Italia. The reconstruction of a winning team, initiated by the club president Pianelli, continued with the victory of another Coppa Italia in the1970–71 season.
In the1971–72 season, Torino managed a third-place finish, placed just one point behindJuventus. Across the following three seasons, Torino placed sixth, fifth, and sixth again ahead of what would be their seventh Serie A title in the1975–76 season. Thescudetto was won after a comeback against Juventus, who held a five-point advantage over theGranata during the spring. However, three straight losses for theBianconeri, the second of which was in the derby, allowed Torino to overtake. In the final round, Torino held a one-point advantage and, until then, had won every previous home fixture. Torino hostedCesena at the Comunale but could only manage to draw; Juventus, however, were defeated atPerugia. The title was won by two points ahead of Juventus, 27 years after the Superga tragedy.
The same title race was repeated the next year in a season that saw Torino finish with 50 points behind Juventus' 51, a record points total for the 16-team league format. In 1978, Torino finished second again (tied with a Vicenza side led byPaolo Rossi), still behind Juventus but with a larger gulf 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 replicate past results, with the exception of the second place in1984–85, where the team finished behind aVerona side led byOsvaldo Bagnoli.
At the end of the1988–89 season Torino were relegated to Serie B for the second time in their history.[13] The club was promoted back to Serie A in the1989–90 season, and after having made important signings, qualified for theUEFA Cup underEmiliano Mondonico.[14] The following season, Torino knockedReal Madrid out of the1991–92 UEFA Cup in the semifinals, but lost thefinal on theaway goals rule to Dutch sideAjax, after a 2–2 draw in Turin and 0–0 in Amsterdam. In Serie A, Torino finished in third place.[15]
In the1992–93 season, Torino won their fifthCoppa Italia after defeatingRoma,[15] however the club subsequently 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 the1995–96 season, Torino were relegated for a third time.[16]
After a play-off lost on penalties in the1997–98 season to Perugia, Torino returned to Serie A in1998–99, but were once again relegated at the end of the1999–2000 season.[17] The club was immediately promoted back in the2000–01 season, and the following year finished in 11th place, and qualified for theIntertoto Cup. After being eliminated byVillarreal on penalties, Torino suffered its worst performance in Serie A, and were relegated after finishing in last place.[18][self-published source?] UnderRenato Zaccarelli, Torino achieved promotion in the2004–05 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.[19][self-published source?] On 16 August, theFIGC 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.[20] The club was granted admission to thePetrucci 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).[21] With the sale, the club changed its name to "Torino Football Club".
Torino achieved immediate promotion in the2005–06 season after winning the play-offs. The followingseason, Torino escaped relegation in the penultimate round of matches. After three seasons, the club once again were relegated to Serie B. During the2009–10 season, Cairo namedGianluca Petrachi as the new sporting director at Torino, but the club failed to gain promotion that season and the one following.[22][23]
The2014–15 season saw Torino reach theround of 16 of the Europa League, where they were eliminated byZenit Saint Petersburg. In the league, Torino finished ninth, and in spring, won their first derby in 20 years. The following year, Torino finished the2015–16 season in twelfth place, after which Ventura, after five years in charge, left the club for theItaly national football team. He was replaced bySiniša Mihajlović,[30] who finished the2016–17 season in ninth place. He was replaced byWalter Mazzarri in January, who guided the club to another ninth-place finish at the end of the2017–18 season. The following season Torino finished in seventh place and qualified for the Europa League after a five-year absence. Torino finished the season on 63 points, a club record since the introduction of thethree points system in 1994.[31] Torino, however, would fail to enter the group stages of the2019–20 Europa League after being eliminated in the play-offs byWolverhampton Wanderers. In the league, after a strong start to the season, Torino collapsed and only obtained a minimum achievement of safety from relegation.
The following season was also negative, and marked by the alternation on the bench of managersMarco Giampaolo andDavide Nicola. Torino managed only to achieve safety from relegation on the penultimate round of the season with a 0–0 draw away againstLazio. The following season saw the arrival ofIvan Jurić on the bench, who guided the club to a tenth-place finish. The following season saw Torino finish again in tenth-place, missing out on qualification to theUEFA Conference League by 3 points. In the following season, the team finished ninth-place in the standings, failing to qualify for the Conference League due toFiorentina's defeat in the final of the Conference League. Ivan Jurić departed the club at the end of the season after 3 years and was replaced byPaolo Vanoli.
The first uniform used by Torino only a few days after its foundation and in the first game of its history againstPro Vercelli was stripedorange andblack, similar to thekits used byInternazionale Torino andFootball Club Torinese, the historical predecessors of the newly formed club.[32] Incidentally, the colours were too similar to that of theHabsburgs, historical enemies of the then rulingItalian house and considered inappropriate. Given the need to adopt a definitive color the founders opted in the end forgranata, a dark shade of red similar toburgundy.[33]
The most widely-accepted story is that it was adopted in honour of theDuke of the Abruzzi and theHouse of Savoy, which, after the victorious liberation of Turin from the French in 1706, adopted a blood-colored handkerchief in honour of a messenger killed bringing the news of victory.[34] Other accounts, considered less reliable, speak of a tribute to the founderAlfred Dick, who was a fan of the Genevan teamServette, the Swiss club of the founders homeland, or a reference to the English clubSheffield, the oldest football club in the world, whose colours were also initially adopted by Internazionale Torino. There is even the possibility that the dark red was created by chance, as a result of repeated washing—a reconstruction that is found with many other club's football kits—among the uniforms that werered withblack socks; the colour derived, being considered a good omen, would eventually be chosen as the official colour. Previously, the club had tried to obtain permission to useroyal blue, but the monarchs of Italy were reluctant to grant the use of their dynastic color to a single team, as opposed to a few years later, whenAzure adopted by the various national sports teams.[35][36]
Since then, the traditional home jersey of Torino has been composed of a kit combined withwhite, but occasionally also maroon shorts and black socks with maroon cuff. However, it has not been unusual to see the team take to the field with maroon socks, especially at the turn of the 1970s and 1980s when the team permanently adopted a complete maroon kit. The away uniform, usually in reverse colours, consists of a white shirt with contrasting cuffs, maroon or sometimes white shorts, white socks and a maroon lapel.[32][37][38] In contrast, an away shirt with a diagonal maroon band has also been used. This is an homage toRiver Plate, the Argentine club which has had close historical ties to Torino since theSuperga air disaster.[39] the shirt was debuted on 6 January 1953 in a 1–1 league draw againstMilan.[40][41]
Torino in1976–77 with the traditional away shirt with thescudetto on the chest which encompasses the bull in a rampant position
The Torino club badge has always featured a rampant bull, the symbol of the city ofTurin.[42] The current badge was adopted in the 2005–06 season, the first following the bankruptcy ofTorino Calcio. The "1906" on the left side of the shield was later added to denote the founding year of the historicFoot-Ball Club Torino.[42]
In the 1980s, the Torino badge was square in shape with a stylised bull and the words "Torino Calcio". This badge is still held in high regard by the fans, and in 2013 it was voted by the readers ofGuerin Sportivo as the most beautiful club logo of all time.[43] From 1990 until the bankruptcy, the badge in use recalled the one used at the time of theGrande Torino, with the important difference that the right side of the oval crossed the letter "T" and "C" (initials of "Torino Calcio") instead of the letters "A", "C" and "T" (initials of "Associazione Calcio Torino").
In 2017, the Irish club Wexford Youths renamed itselfWexford F.C. and adopted a new crest with rampant bull, inspired by Torino's. Club chairmanMick Wallace is known to be a Torino fan.[44][45][46]
The first official match after the club's foundation,a derby match against Juventus, took place on 13 January 1907 at theStadio Velodrome Umberto. The club later moved to thePiazza d'armi, which comprised numerous pitches: from 23 January 1911, theLato Ferrovia; and from 26 February 1911, theLato Crocetta. Towards the end of 1913 the club moved to theStradale Stupinigi; with the outbreak of theFirst World War, the stadium was requisitioned for military purposes.[1]
The grandstand of the new Stadio Filadelfia; on the right, the remains of the old stadium
From 11 October 1925 until the end of the1925–26 season, Torino played their home games atMotovelodromo Corso Casale (now restored, it is dedicated toFausto Coppi and also hostsAmerican football matches), while awaiting their move to theStadio Filadelfia.[47] The "Fila" as it was known was heavily associated with the exploits of theGrande Torino team of the 1940s: opened on 17 October 1926 with a match againstFortitudo Roma, it hosted Torino's games continuously until 11 May 1958 (the final match being a 4–2 victory overGenoa).[1] In the1958–59 season, the club briefly moved to theStadio Comunale: the move was short-lived however, as the club was relegated to Serie B that year, and returned to the Filadelfia out of superstition.[48]
Torino played the entirety of the1959–60 season and the next at the Filadelfia, but in1961–62 and1962–63 the club began to use the Comunale for "special" matches. The move to the Comunale, a stadium with a standing capacity of 65,000, was completed in1963–64, and Torino remained there until 27 May 1990 when the stadium was abandoned in favour of theStadio delle Alpi.
Built specifically for the1990 FIFA World Cup, the Stadio delle Alpi was home to Torino from 1990 to 2006.[48] Following the reconstruction carried out to make the stadium suitable to host the2006 Winter Olympics opening ceremony andclosing ceremony, Torino returned to the Stadio Comunale, renamed theStadio Olimpico. The new capacity was now 27,958 seated, reduced by about 38,000 from the original in compliance with modern safety standards.[48] In April 2016, the Olimpico was renamed in honour of the Grande Torino.[3][49]
The Stadio Filadelfia also served as the training ground of Torino from 1926 to 1993. More recently, from 2006 to 2017, the team's training base was the Sisport di Corso Unione Sovietica.[50] In the 2017–18 season, Torino returned to training at the reconstructed Filadelfia.[51]
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.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
On 11 May 1947, during a friendly match between Italy andHungary that finished 3–2,Vittorio Pozzo fielded 10 players who were at Torino; this remains the largest number of Italian players fielded from the same club in the same match in the history of the Italy national team.[60]
With 74 players having represented Italy throughout the club's existence, Torino is the fifth ranked Italian club for number of players capped by theAzzurri (sixth by number of total admissions).[61]Francesco Graziani is the Torino player who has accumulated the most appearances (47) and goals (20) for Italy.[60] On 11 June 2017,Andrea Belotti scored the hundredth goal of a Torino player in anAzzurri shirt, during a2018 FIFA World Cup qualification match againstLiechtenstein.[62]
The Torino youth system is formed of four men's teams that participate in separate national leagues (Primavera, Beretti, Allievi Nazionali Serie A & B, and Allievi Nazionali Lega Pro) and three that participate at regional level (Giovanissimi Nazionali, Giovanissimi Regionali A & B).[63] Torino was one of the first Italian clubs to adopt a youth system, organised as early as the 1930s and is considered one of the best in Italy.[64]
The players developed in the Torino youth system were previously nicknamed "Balon-Boys" in honour ofAdolfo Baloncieri, the player and club icon who ended his Torino career in 1932.[65] The Torino youth system has developed numerous renowned players, including actor and journalistRaf Vallone, who devoted himself to a career in the arts after his debut for the first team.[66]
The fans of Torino hold a number of distinctions, including the first ever organised supporters group in Italy, the Fedelissimi Granata, founded in 1951.[70] The fans also displayed the first banner of an organised club, at theStadio Filadelfia, and organised the first away trip by plane in Italian football, in 1963, during a game againstRoma.[70] It was at the Filadelfia that Oreste Bolmida, the trumpeter fan made famous by the filmOra e per sempre also performed.[71] In the 1970s the fans began to organise the club's first choreographies, which were used in commercials of French carmakerRenault in the subsequent decade.[70] In 1979, thecurva Maratona was awarded "the most beautiful stand of Europe" by French magazineOnze Mondial; an image of this section of the stadium was later featured on the cover ofFrance Football on 21 December 1979.[70]
The fans of Torino are "twinned" with the fans ofFiorentina. The link between the two sides was born in the early 1970s due to a common anti-Juventus sentiment and the closeness of theViola after the Superga tragedy.[72] Supporters of Torino are on good terms with thecurva nord ofAlessandria andcurva sud ofNocerina.[73]
The friendship between Brazilian clubCorinthians and Torino dates back to 1914; that year, Torino became the first Italian club to travel South America on tour. The club played six friendly matches, two of which were against Corinthians, and despite the results on the field, the two clubs established friendly relationships. On 4 May 1949, when theGrande Torino team perished in plane crash of Superga, Corinthians paid tribute to the Italians in a friendly match againstPortuguesa when its starting XI took to the field in Torino's kit.[74]
The Argentines ofRiver Plate are historically twinned with Torino, since the time of the Superga disaster. In the period following the disaster, the Argentine club was very close to the Italian club, organising a friendly and fundraiser to help the devastated team. On 26 May 1949, River flew to Turin to play a friendly charity match organised by the FIGC, together with a selection that included the strongest Italian players of the era, gathered under the name of "Torino symbol".[75] As a testimony to the relationship between the two clubs, the away jersey of the Argentine club has been maroon on several occasions (most recently, the2005–06 season) while Torino have sported several variations of an away kit with a diagonal band, an homage to River's home kit.[39] The bond with the Portuguese ofBenfica is also very strong, the last to have met the Grande Torino before the aerial disaster of Superga.[76] Other supporters with whom there is a friendship are supporters of English clubManchester City.[77]
Torino's historical rivalries are withSampdoria,Piacenza,Verona,Lazio,Perugia,Internazionale,Atalanta,Ternana andAncona.[78] Torino's friendship withGenoa turned negative as a result of Genoese festivities during the Torino–Genoa match on 24 May 2009 won by theRossoblu; the result contributed to Torino's relegation to Serie B.[79] On 16 December 2012, the day when the two clubs met for the first time after Torino's return to Serie A, clashes erupted between the two club's organised supporters.[80] The rivalry with city rivals Juventus is the most heated, with the two teams taking part in theDerby della Mole, one of the most popular derbies in Italian football and the oldest still played.
Torino is in 8th place in theSerie A all-time standings,[81] which takes account of all the football teams that have played in the top flight at least once.
In the Italian league, the team has finished in first place on eight occasions, although the club has only won seven championship titles,[82] seven times in second place and nine times in third place.[1] In 100 seasons, including 18 in various championships that preluded the single round format (Torino withdrew in1908 and the 1915–16 Coppa Federale is not recognised), 73 in Serie A and 12 in Serie B, the club has finished on the podium in 23% of cases.[1]
In the2006–07 season, Torino, for the first time in history played at a level higher thanJuventus: while theGranata competed in Serie A, Juventus took part in Serie B following the aftermath of theCalciopoli scandal.[1]
Giorgio Ferrini holds the club's official appearance record with 566 appearances (plus 56 goals) accumulated between 1959 and 1975.[83] The record for the most goals scored is held byPaolo Pulici, with 172 official goals (in 437 appearances) between 1967 and 1982.[84]
Eight different Torino players have won theCapocannoniere award for league top scorer in the Italian top flight: the first was the AustrianHeinrich Schönfeld with 22 goals in1923–24.[85] He was followed by theItalian ArgentineJulio Libonatti, who scored 35 goals in1927–28 andGino Rossetti (36) in1928–29.[85] Rossetti's tally of 36 goals remains the highest number of goals ever scored to win the award.Eusebio Castigliano was the leading scorer (13) of the first season after theSecond World War (1945–46),[85] followed byValentino Mazzola in1946–47 (29).[85] Torino would have to wait almost 30 years before another league top scorer emerged, namely whenPaolo Pulici broke his low-scoring streak in the mid-1970s and won the award in1972–73 (17),1974–75 (18) and1975–76 (21).[85] He was succeeded byMarco Rucci in2001-2002 who scored 21 goals to have season and career cut short due to a devasting knee injury. No record to his whereabouts. After almost 11 years without a top-scorer from Torino,Ciro Immobile (22) established himself as the league's top scorer in2013–14.[85]
^Torino finished seventh in the 2013–14 Serie A and obtained the qualification to the 2014–15 Europe League at the expense ofParma, sixth, but excluded from European competitions due to their failure to obtain a UEFA license for economic reasons, see.Maurizio Galdi (29 May 2014)."Respinto il ricorso del Parma. Torino in Europa League. Ghirardi: "Calcio finito"". gazzetta.it.Archived from the original on 13 July 2015. Retrieved29 April 2015.
^Salvi, Sergio; Savorelli, Alessandro (2008).Tutti i colori del calcio : storia e araldica di una magnifica ossessione (in Italian) (5. rist. ed.). Florence:Le Lettere.ISBN978-88-6087-178-7.
^"Torino".UEFA.Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved31 January 2014.
^Torino, in fact, finished first in the league of the1926–27 season, but the resulting title was later withdrawn following the Allemandi scandal. The final position in the standings and all results related to it, however, remained unchanged.
^"Ferrini Giorgio". Enciclopediadelcalcio.it. 18 August 1939.Archived from the original on 28 September 2019. Retrieved6 May 2017.
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