Fiorentina
Full name	ACF Fiorentina SpA[1]
Nickname(s)	Viola (Purple) Gigliati (Lilies)
Founded	August 26, 1926 (AC Fiorentina) 2002 (ACF Fiorentina)
Ground	Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence, Italy (Capacity 47,282)
Chairman	Andrea Della Valle
Manager	Cesare Prandelli
League	Serie A
2007-08	Serie A, 4th
Home colours 　 Away colours
Current season

ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is an Italian professional football club from Florence, Tuscany. Football club names are a part of the sport 's culture reflecting century-old traditions This is a of lists of the use of Nicknames in football (soccer. Stadio Artemio Franchi is a football Stadium in Florence, Italy. Florence ( Italian: Firenze Florentia and Fiorenza) is the Capital City of the Italian region of Tuscany Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The following is a list of Association football stadia. They are ordered by their capacity, that is the maximum number of spectators that the Claudio Cesare Prandelli (born 19 August 1957 in Orzinuovi, Province of Brescia) is an Italian football coach currently Serie A (officially known as the Lega Calcio Serie A TIM for Sponsorship reasons is a professional league competition for football clubs located Events Plusvalenze investigation Inquiries are being conducted by the CO Team kit The team kit for the season was produced by Lotto Sport Italia and the shirt sponsor is Toyota. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered Florence ( Italian: Firenze Florentia and Fiorenza) is the Capital City of the Italian region of Tuscany Tuscany (Toscana is a region in Italy. It has an area of 22990 km² and a population of about 3 Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have participated at the top-tier of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A seasons. After climbing back up the Italian football system in the early 2000s, Fiorentina are competing in Serie A for 2007–08. Serie A (officially known as the Lega Calcio Serie A TIM for Sponsorship reasons is a professional league competition for football clubs located Events Plusvalenze investigation Inquiries are being conducted by the CO

Fiorentina have won Serie A twice, first in 1955–56 then again in 1968–69, as well as winning six Coppa Italia trophies. Serie A (officially known as the Lega Calcio Serie A TIM for Sponsorship reasons is a professional league competition for football clubs located Final classification Results References and Sources Almanacco Illustrato del Calcio - La Storia 1898-2004 Final classification Results References and Sources Almanacco Illustrato del Calcio - La Storia 1898-2004 For the Italian rugby competition see Coppa Italia (rugby The Coppa Italia ( Italy Cup, officially known as TIM Cup On the European stage Fiorentina have won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1960–61, they finished runners-up in the UEFA Cup 1989–90 and they also came close to winning the biggest European prize, finishing as runners-up in the European Cup during 1956–57. The Union of European Football Associations (Union des associations européennes de football is the administrative and controlling body for European football. The UEFA Cup is a football competition for European club teams organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA. See also List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League winners The UEFA Champions League, which evolved from the European Champion Clubs' Cup is a seasonal club

Since 1931 the club have played at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, which currently has a capacity of 47,282. Stadio Artemio Franchi is a football Stadium in Florence, Italy. The stadium has used several names over the years and has undergone several renovations. Fiorentina are known widely by the nickname Viola; a reference to their distinctive purple colours.

History

For more details on this topic, see History of ACF Fiorentina. This article covers the history of Italian football club ACF Fiorentina.

From beginning to World War II

Associazione Calcio Fiorentina was founded in the autumn of 1926 by noble and local National Fascist Party member Luigi Ridolfi,^[2] who initiated the merger of two older Florentine clubs; CS Firenze and PG Libertas. The following are the Football (soccer events of the year 1926 throughout the world The National Fascist Party ( Partito Nazionale Fascista; PNF was an Italian party created by Benito Mussolini as the political expression of Club Sportivo Firenze also known as CS Firenze or simply Firenze, was an Italian football club from the Florence, Tuscany originally The purpose of the merger was to give Florence a strong club to rival that of the more dominant Italian Football Championship sides of the time from North-West Italy. The Italian Football Championship was the most senior football championship in Italy from the 1898 season to the 1928/1929 season Related categories Central Italy Southern Italy Insular Italy Northeast Italy Also influential was the cultural revival and rediscovery of Calcio Fiorentino, an ancestor of modern football which was played by members of the Medici family. Calcio Fiorentino was an early form of Football that originated in 16th century Italy. ^[2]

The monumental entrance of the stadium, the same as in 1931 except for the inscription

The club reached Serie A for the first time in 1929. Year 1929 ( MCMXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. After a rough beginning and three seasons in lower championships, Fiorentina reached Serie A in 1931. Year 1931 ( MCMXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The same year Florence saw the opening of the new stadium, originally named Giovanni Berta, after a prominent fascist and now known as Franchi: at the time the stadium was a masterpiece of engineering and its inauguration was monumental. Stadio Artemio Franchi is a football Stadium in Florence, Italy. To compete with the best teams in Italy, Fiorentina strengthened their team with some new players, notably the Uruguayan Pedro Petrone, nicknamed el Artillero. Uruguay.(official full name in República Oriental del Uruguay;, Oriental Republic of Uruguay) is a country located in the southeastern part of South America Pedro Petrone ( May 11, 1904 &mdash December 13, 1964) nicknamed Artillero was a Uruguayan footballer Despite having a good season and finishing in fourth place, Fiorentina was relegated the next year, though they would return quickly in Serie A. In 1941 they won their first Coppa Italia, but in 1940s the team could manage nothing better, both because of World War II and for other troubles. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. For the Italian rugby competition see Coppa Italia (rugby The Coppa Italia ( Italy Cup, officially known as TIM Cup World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including

First scudetto and '50-'60s

The first italian champion Fiorentina

It was in 1950 that Fiorentina started to reach always at least the 5th position in the domestic league. Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. They formed a good team composed by great players like the well known goalkeeper Giuliano Sarti, Sergio Cervato, Francesco Rosella, Guido Gratton, Giuseppe Chiappella, and, most of all, the attacking duo formed by the Brazilian Julinho and the argentinian Miguel Montuori. Giuliano Sarti (born 2 October 1933) is a former Italian footballer who played for Internazionale and was part of their European Sergio Cervato ( March 22, 1929 &ndash October 9, 2005) was an Italian Football (soccer player Guido Gratton (born September 23, 1932 in Monfalcone, Gorizia; November 26, 1996) was an Italian Football Giuseppe Chiappella (born 28 September 1924 in Milan) is a former Italian football midfielder and manager Júlio Botelho, also known as Julinho (born in São Paulo, July 29, 1929, died January 10, 2003) was a Miguel Ángel Montuori (born in Rosario, Argentina, September 24, 1932 &ndash died in Florence, June 4, 1998 This team won the first Fiorentina's scudetto (Italian championship) in 1955-56 after a triumphal ending. The Italian football champions ( Italian: Scudetto - little shield are the annual winners of Serie A, Italy 's premier annual football Final classification Results References and Sources Almanacco Illustrato del Calcio - La Storia 1898-2004 The next year they were runners-up, chasing AC Milan, but most of all they became the first Italian team to play an European Cup final: they were defeated by Alfredo Di Stefano's Real Madrid 2-0, but playing in Santiago Bernabeu Stadium and suffering a disputed penalty. Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to by the abbreviation Milan, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy Alfredo di Stéfano Laulhé (born 4 July 1926 in Barracas, Buenos Aires) is an Argentine - Spanish former footballer and The Santiago Bernabéu is a football Stadium in Madrid, Spain. Fiorentina was again runners-up in the three following seasons. In the 1960-61 season the club won the Coppa Italia again and was also successful in Europe, winning the first Cup Winners' Cup against Rangers. Final classification Results Relegation tie-breaker |} Bari relegated to Serie B. Rangers Football Club are an Association football team based in Glasgow Scotland, who currently play in the Scottish Premier League.

After being for years the steady runner-up, in the 1960s Fiorentina lowered slightly, bouncing from the 4th to the 6th place, anyway the club won the Coppa Italia and the Mitropa Cup in 1966. The Mitropa Cup, officially called the La Coupe de l'Europe Centrale was one of the first really international major European football cups for club sides

Second scudetto and '70s

Giancarlo Antognoni, former captain of Fiorentina

The 1960s decade was ending with some trophies and good placements in Serie A for Fiorentina, but nobody believed that the club could compete for the title. Giancarlo Antognoni, ( April 1, 1954 in Marsciano) is a former football player from Italy. The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 Serie A 1968-69 started with AC Milan leading the ranking, but they soon lost against Bologna FC and were surpassed by Gigi Riva's Cagliari Calcio: Fiorentina, after a not brilliant start, had reached the top of the Serie A but in the last match of the first leg they stopped their race against Varese, leaving Cagliari alone. Final classification Results References and Sources Almanacco Illustrato del Calcio - La Storia 1898-2004 Bologna Football Club 1909 is an Italian football club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna. Luigi Riva (born November 7, 1944) best known as Gigi Riva or by his nickname Rombo di Tuono (Thunder is a former Italian Cagliari Calcio is an Italian football club based in Cagliari, Sardinia. The second leg started with a fight between the three contending teams, Milan, Cagliari and Fiorentina. The first one slowered its race focusing on European Cup and it seemed that the front runner would have been Cagliari: but they lost against Juventus and Fiorentina reached the first place. The team won, then, all the remaining matches conquering in Turin against the rival Juventus their second and since then last national title. In the European Cup competition the following year, Fiorentina had some good results, including a win in the USSR against Dynamo Kiev. But they were eventually knocked out in the last 8 after a 3-0 defeat in Glasgow by the brilliant Glasgow Celtic team of that period.

Viola players started the 1970s decade with scudetto sewed on their breast, but the period would have been not so good. This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. After a 5th place in 1971, they lied in the middle of the rankings for almost every year, risking also relegation in 1972 and 1978. In 1974, anyway, the Viola won the Anglo-Italian League Cup and success in the Coppa Italia was repeated in 1975. The Anglo-Italian League Cup was a short-lived football competition between clubs in England and Italy. The team was composed by young talents like Vincenzo Guerini and Moreno Roggi, unlucky and stopped by bad injuries, and most of all Giancarlo Antognoni, whom would become later an idol of Fiorentina's fans: for the young average age of the players, the team was called Fiorentina Ye-Ye. Giancarlo Antognoni, ( April 1, 1954 in Marsciano) is a former football player from Italy.

Pontello era

The new badge symbol of the period

In 1980 Fiorentina was bought by Flavio Pontello, from a rich house-builder family. Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) He soon changed team's hymn and logo, creating some complaints by the fans. Anyway he started to bring in Florence high quality players such as Francesco Graziani and Eraldo Pecci from Torino, Daniel Bertoni from Seville, Daniele Massaro from Monza and a young Pietro Vierchowod from Sampdoria. Florence ( Italian: Firenze Florentia and Fiorenza) is the Capital City of the Italian region of Tuscany Francesco "Ciccio" Graziani (born December 16, 1952) is an Italy football manager and former player Eraldo Pecci (born 12 April 1955) is an Italian former footballer. Torino Football Club 1906, commonly referred to as simply Torino, is an Italian professional football club based in Turin, Piedmont Ricardo Daniel Bertoni (born March 14, 1955 in Bahia Blanca) is a former Argentine footballer that played in a Right Winger Sevilla Fútbol Club is a Spanish professional football club that plays in the top-flight Spanish La Liga championship Daniele Massaro (born May 23, 1961 in Monza) is a former Italian Football (soccer forward. Associazione Calcio Monza Brianza 1912 is an Italian football club based in Monza, Lombardy. Pietro Vierchowod (born April 6, 1959 in Calcinate) is an Italian former footballer turned coach Unione Calcio Sampdoria (commonly nicknamed Blucerchiati, blue-ringed is a football club based in Genoa, Italy. The whole wheeled around Giancarlo Antognoni and in Serie A 1981-82 Fiorentina engaged an exciting duel against their rival of Juventus. Final classification Results References and Sources Almanacco Illustrato del Calcio - La Storia 1898-2004 After a bad Antognoni's injury, the league title was decided in the last match where Fiorentina couldn't win against Cagliari with a denied regoular goal. Juventus won the title with a disputed penalty and the rivalry between the two teams became blazing.

The following years were weird for Fiorentina, that passed from high positions to relegations risks. Fiorentina also bought two interesting players, el Puntero Ramon Diaz and, most of all, the young Roberto Baggio. Ramón Ángel Díaz (born 1959-08-29 in La Rioja) is a former Argentine football player Roberto Baggio (born 18 February 1967 in Caldogno, Veneto) is a retired Italian footballer among the most technically gifted In 1990 Fiorentina challenged until the last seasonal match to avoid relegation in domestic league, but reached the UEFA Cup final, meeting another time Juventus. Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) The UEFA Cup is a football competition for European club teams organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA. The Turin team won the trophy, but once again the complaints by Fiorentina's fans were enormous: the second leg final was played in Avellino (Fiorentina's home ground was suspended), city with a lot of Juventus' fans and Roberto Baggio was sold to the rival team the same day of the final. Avellino is a town and Comune, capital of the Province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy. Pontello, with economical troubles, was selling all the players and was constrained to leave the society after authentic rebellions in Florence's streets. The society was acquired by the famous filmmaker Mario Cecchi Gori. Mario Cecchi Gori, ( Brescia, 21 March 1920 - Rome, 5 November 1993) was an Italian film producer and owner of companies

Cecchi Gori era

Gabriel Batistuta, the most prominent footballer of Fiorentina in 1990s

The first season of Cecchi Gori ownership was of settling, then the new chairman started to sign some good players like Brian Laudrup, Stefan Effenberg, Francesco Baiano and, most of all, Gabriel Batistuta, whom would have become the authentic symbol of the team for '90s period. Gabriel Omar Batistuta (born February 1, 1969) nicknamed Batigol, is a former professional footballer. Brian Laudrup (born February 22, 1969 in Vienna, Austria) is a Danish former professional football player who won Stefan Effenberg (born 2 August 1968 in Niendorf Hamburg, West Germany) is a former German football player Francesco Baiano (born 24 February, 1968 in Naples) is an Italian professional footballer. Gabriel Omar Batistuta (born February 1, 1969) nicknamed Batigol, is a former professional footballer. But in 1993 Mario Cecchi Gori died, and his son Vittorio got the management. Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) Vittorio Cecchi Gori (born April 27, 1942) is an Italian Film producer and Politician. Despite a good start of season, the new chairman fired the trainer Luigi Radice calling Aldo Agroppi: the results were dreadful and Fiorentina fell in the lower part of the standing, being relegated at the last match. Luigi "Gigi" Radice (born January 15, 1935, in Cesano Maderno) is an Italian football coach and former player Trained by Claudio Ranieri, they dominated the next season in Serie B (second division) in 1993-1994. Claudio Ranieri, born on October 20, 1951 in Rome, is an Italian football manager and former player currently manager Promotion and Relegation At the end of the season, three teams are promoted to Serie A and four teams are relegated to Serie C1. Upon return to Serie A, the club organized a good team focused on the new topscorer Batistuta and signing the young talent Manuel Rui Costa from SL Benfica and the new world champion Brazilian defender Marcio Santos: the first became an idol for Fiorentina fans, the second disappointed and was sold after only a season; anyway Viola reached a quiet saviour. Serie A (officially known as the Lega Calcio Serie A TIM for Sponsorship reasons is a professional league competition for football clubs located Rui Manuel César Costa, OIH, usually referred to simply as Rui Costa ( pron Sport Lisboa e Benfica (spɔɾ liʒˈboɐ i bɐ̃ĩˈfikɐ commonly referred to as simply Benfica, S Márcio Roberto dos Santos, best known as Márcio Santos (born São Paulo September 15, 1969) is a Brazilian footballer

Next season Cecchi Gori bought other important players like Stefan Schwarz: the club again proved able in the cup competitions, winning the Coppa Italia against Atalanta BC, and finishing the season in the 3rd place of the domestic league. Stefan Schwarz (born 18 April, 1969 in Malmö, Sweden) is a Swedish former footballer Born to a German father Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio, commonly known as just Atalanta, Atalanta Bergamo or the abbreviation Atalanta BC, is an Italian football In the summer, Fiorentina was the first non national champion to achieve Supercoppa Italiana defeating AC Milan 2-1 at San Siro. The Supercoppa Italiana ( Italian Super Cup) is a pre-season football competition held the week before the season begins in Italy every year Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to by the abbreviation Milan, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy For the town in the Province of Como, see San Siro (Como. For the saint after which these places are named see Syrus of Pavia or Syrus of The following season the team disappointed in Serie A, but reached Cups Winners' Cup semi-finals beating Gloria Bistrita (Away 1-1, Home 1-0) Sparta Prague (Home 2-1, Away 1-1), SL Benfica (Away 2-0, Home 0-1) but suffering the eventual winner of the competition, FC Barcelona (Away 1-1, Home 0-2): main signing of the seasons were Luis Oliveira and Andrei Kanchelskis, the last suffering a lot of injuries. Sport Lisboa e Benfica (spɔɾ liʒˈboɐ i bɐ̃ĩˈfikɐ commonly referred to as simply Benfica, S Fútbol Club Barcelona ( Catalan fudˈbɔɫ ˌklup bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish ˈfutβol ˌkluβ baɾθeˈlona known familiarly as Barça (Spanish ˈbaɾsa Catalan Luis Airton Barroso Oliveira (born March 24, 1969 in São Luis, Maranhão, Brazil) is a Brazilian- Belgian football Andrei Antanasovich Kanchelskis (Андрей Антанасович Канчельскис is a retired Soviet and Russian football Midfielder

At the end of the season Ranieri left Fiorentina and Cecchi Gori appointed Alberto Malesani: Fiorentina played well but suffered some strange losses against little teams, but managed to get a qualification in UEFA Cup. Alberto Malesani (born June 5, 1954 in Verona) is an Italian Football (soccer manager The UEFA Cup is a football competition for European club teams organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA. Malesani left Fiorentina after only a season and then arrived Giovanni Trapattoni: with the expert coach and dragged by Batistuta's goals, Fiorentina competed for the title in 1998-99 but reached only the third position at the end of the season, ensuring them anyway a spot for an historical UEFA Champions League qualification. Giovanni Trapattoni (born March 17, 1939 in Cusano Milanino, Province of Milan) is an Italian football coach considered Final classification Top Goalscorers Amoroso (Udinese 22Batistuta (Fiorentina 21Bierhoff (Milan 18Delvecchio See also List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League winners The UEFA Champions League, which evolved from the European Champion Clubs' Cup is a seasonal club The following year Serie A was disappointing but Viola played historical matches in Champions League, beating Arsenal FC 1-0 at the old Wembley Stadium and Manchester United 2-0 in Florence. original Wembley Stadium was a football Stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the Florence ( Italian: Firenze Florentia and Fiorenza) is the Capital City of the Italian region of Tuscany They were eliminated in the second group stage. At the end of the season Trapattoni left the society, which opted for the Turkish Fatih Terim; but most of all Batistuta was sold to AS Roma, which eventually had won the title the following year. Fatih Terim, Commendatore OSSI, (born September 4, 1953 in Adana, Turkey) is one of the most successful football players Associazione Sportiva Roma, ( commonly referred to as simply Roma, is an Italian professional football club from Rome, and are currently amongst In Serie A 2000-01 Fiorentina played well and competed in the higher part of the ranking, despite the sacking of Terim and the arrival of Roberto Mancini, winning also Coppa Italia for the sixth and last time. Final classification Results Relegation tie-breaker |} Reggina Calcio relegated to Serie B Roberto Mancini (born November 27, 1964 in Jesi, Ancona) is an Italian football coach and former player

2001 heralded major changes for Fiorentina, as the terrible state of the club's finances was revealed; they were unable to pay wages and had debts of around USD 50 million. The club owner, Vittorio Cecchi Gori, was able to raise some more money, but even this soon proved to be insufficient resources to sustain the club. Vittorio Cecchi Gori (born April 27, 1942) is an Italian Film producer and Politician. Then, Fiorentina were relegated at the end of the 2001-02 season and went into judicially controlled administration in June 2002. Final classification Results References and Sources Almanacco Illustrato del Calcio - La Storia 1898-2004 This form of bankruptcy (sports companies cannot exactly fail in this way in Italy, but they can suffer a similar procedure) meant that the club was refused a place in Serie B for the 2002-03 season, and as a result, effectively ceased to exist. Bankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual or organization to pay their Creditors Creditors may file a bankruptcy petition against Final classification Results Relegation tie-breaker |} Atalanta B

Della Valle era

The club was promptly re-established in August 2002 as Florentina Viola with shoe and leather entrepreneur Diego Della Valle as new owner, and was admitted into Serie C2, the fourth tier of Italian football. The only player to remain at the club as they began their new life was Angelo Di Livio, whose commitment to the cause of resurrecting the club further endeared him to the fans. Angelo di Livio (born July 26, 1966 in Rome) is a former Italian Football (soccer Midfielder. Helped by Di Livio and 30-goal striker Christian Riganò, the club won its Serie C2 group with considerable ease at the end of the 2002–03 season, which would normally have led to a promotion to Serie C1. Christian Riganò (born 25 May 1974 in Lipari, Province of Messina) is an Italian football striker who However, due to the bizarre Caso Catania (Catania Case) the club skipped Serie C1 and was admitted into Serie B; this was possible only because the Italian Football Federation chose to resolve the Catania situation by increasing the number of teams in Serie B from 20 to 24, and promoting Fiorentina for "sports merits". Calcio Catania is an Italian football club founded in 1908 and are based in Catania, Sicily. The Italian Football Federation (Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio FIGC) also known as Federcalcio, is the governing body of football in Italy ^[3] In the 2003 off-season, the club also bought back the right to use the Fiorentina name and the famous shirt design, and re-incorporated itself as ACF Fiorentina.

Cesare Prandelli

The club's unusual double promotion was not without controversy, with some suggesting that Fiorentina did not deserve it; however, the club remained in Serie B and managed to finish the 2003–04 season in sixth place. Claudio Cesare Prandelli (born 19 August 1957 in Orzinuovi, Province of Brescia) is an Italian football coach currently This article contains information on the 2003-2004 season of Serie B, the second highest football league in Italy. This achievement placed the Viola in a two-legged playoff against Perugia Calcio (the 15th-place finisher in Serie A) for a top flight place for the next season. A playoff or final in Sports is a game or series of games played after the regular season is over with the goal of determining a league champion or a similar accolade Perugia is the capital City of the region of Umbria in central Italy, near the Tiber river and the capital of the Province of Perugia Fiorentina completed their remarkable comeback by winning the match 2–1 on aggregate, with both goals scored by Enrico Fantini, to gain promotion back to Serie A. Enrico Fantini (born February 27, 1976 in Cuneo) is an Italian footballer. In their first season back in Italian football's top flight, the club struggled to avoid relegation, securing survival only on the last day of the season, and avoiding a relegation playoff only on head-to-head record against Bologna and Parma. Bologna Football Club 1909 is an Italian football club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna. Parma Football Club (formerly Parma Associazione Calcio) is an Italian football club based in Parma, Emilia-Romagna, team that

Luca Toni in Viola

Adrian Mutu, current Fiorentina star

In 2005–06, Fiorentina hired Cesare Prandelli as new head coach and made several signings during the summer transfer market, most notably Palermo 20-goal striker Luca Toni and French goalkeeper Sebastian Frey. Luca Toni Varchetta Delle Cave, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI, (born May 26, 1977 in Pavullo nel Frignano, Modena) is an Italian Adrian Mutu (born January 8 1979 in Călineşti, Argeş County) is a Romanian Striker who plays for Italian Serie A club ACF Scudetto winner and match-fixing scandal The 29th scudetto originally won by Juventus F Claudio Cesare Prandelli (born 19 August 1957 in Orzinuovi, Province of Brescia) is an Italian football coach currently Unione Sportiva Città di Palermo is an Italian football club from Palermo, Sicily which currently plays in Serie A, the top level of Italian Luca Toni Varchetta Delle Cave, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI, (born May 26, 1977 in Pavullo nel Frignano, Modena) is an Italian This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Sébastien Frey (born March 18, 1980 in Thonon-les-Bains) is a French football goalkeeper currently playing for Italian The combination of defence by captain Dario Dainelli and Czech international regular Tomáš Ujfaluši, midfield by Cristian Brocchi, wing by Martin Jorgensen, playmaking by Stefano Fiore and key marksman Luca Toni with Sebastian Frey as goalkeeper proved to be an outstanding force in Serie A, giving them a final fourth place with 74 points, awarding them a spot for the third qualifying round of the Champions League. Dario Dainelli (born 9 June 1979 in Pontedera, Province of Pisa) is an Italian football player The Czech national football team is the national football team of the Czech Republic controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic. Tomáš Ujfaluši (born March 24, 1978 in Rýmařov) is a Czech football defender, who is signed to Spanish club Atlético Cristian Brocchi (born 30 January 1976, Milan) is an Italian footballer who currently plays for S for the Danish screenwriter see Martin Jørgensen (screenwriter Lars Martin Jørgensen (born October 6, 1975) is a Danish Stefano Fiore (born April 17, 1975 in Cosenza) is an Italian football (soccer player who can play in central Midfield Luca Toni Varchetta Delle Cave, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI, (born May 26, 1977 in Pavullo nel Frignano, Modena) is an Italian Sébastien Frey (born March 18, 1980 in Thonon-les-Bains) is a French football goalkeeper currently playing for Italian See also List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League winners The UEFA Champions League, which evolved from the European Champion Clubs' Cup is a seasonal club Fiorentina thus officially regained their status as an Italian elite, especially with Toni himself having scored an amazing 31 goals in just 34 appearances, the first player to pass the 30 goal mark since Antonio Valentin Angelillo in the 1958–59 season, which has seen him claim the European Golden Boot. Luca Toni Varchetta Delle Cave, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI, (born May 26, 1977 in Pavullo nel Frignano, Modena) is an Italian Antonio Valentín Angelillo (born September 5, 1937) is an Argentine former football forward who played the majority of his professional Final classification Results References and Sources Almanacco Illustrato del Calcio - La Storia 1898-2004 The European Golden Shoe, formerly known as the European Golden Boot, is an Association football award presented each season to the leading goalscorer in league

On July 14, 2006 Fiorentina were however relegated to Serie B due to their involvement in the 2006 Serie A match fixing scandal and given a 12 point penalty. Events 1223 - Louis VIII becomes King of France upon the death of his father Philip II of France. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The 2006 Italian football scandal (Italian more common names Calciopoli or Moggiopoli, sometimes referred to as Calciocaos) involved Italy 's The team was later reinstated to the Serie A on appeal, albeit with a 19 point penalty for the 2006–07 season. The team also lost their UEFA Champions League 2006–07 place. ^[4] After the start of the season, upon appealing to the Italian courts, Fiorentina's penalization was reduced to 15 points from 19.

Despite starting the 2006–2007 season with the 15-point penalty, Fiorentina managed to secure a place in the 2007–2008 edition of the UEFA Cup. The combination of Luca Toni and Adrian Mutu proved to be one of Serie A's most proficient strike partnerships, scoring 31 goals between them. Luca Toni Varchetta Delle Cave, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI, (born May 26, 1977 in Pavullo nel Frignano, Modena) is an Italian Adrian Mutu (born January 8 1979 in Călineşti, Argeş County) is a Romanian Striker who plays for Italian Serie A club ACF

While many doubted the potential of the Viola in the 2007–2008 season due to Luca Toni's departure, Fiorentina had a sensational start to the season and had been tipped by Marcello Lippi and other prominent names in Calcio as surprise potential Scudetto challengers. Events Plusvalenze investigation Inquiries are being conducted by the CO Marcello Romeo Lippi, Commendatore OMRI, (born April 12, 1948) is an Italian World Cup -winning football manager and former The Italian football champions ( Italian: Scudetto - little shield are the annual winners of Serie A, Italy 's premier annual football ^[5] However this form tailed off towards the middle of the season with various disappointing losses in connection with a grievous family loss suffered by club manager Prandelli. They also reached the semi-final of the UEFA Cup, where they were ultimately defeated by Rangers on penalties after two 0–0 ties, despite having the majority of possession and shots on goal. The UEFA Cup is a football competition for European club teams organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA. Rangers Football Club are an Association football team based in Glasgow Scotland, who currently play in the Scottish Premier League. The season ended on a high note as Fiorentina defeated Torino 1-0 on the season's final day to secure their first UEFA Champions League spot at the expense of AC Milan. See also List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League winners The UEFA Champions League, which evolved from the European Champion Clubs' Cup is a seasonal club

Players

Current squad

As of 2008-05-24^[6]

No. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1218 - The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt. 1276 - Magnus Ladulås is crowned Position Player 1 GK Sébastien Frey 2 DF Per Krøldrup 3 DF Dario Dainelli (captain) 4 MF Marco Donadel 5 DF Alessandro Gamberini 6 DF Alessandro Potenza 7 MF Franco Semioli 9 FW Pablo Daniel Osvaldo 10 FW Adrian Mutu 11 FW Alberto Gilardino 12 GK Cristiano Lupatelli 15 DF Ondřej Mazuch 16 MF Jan Hable 17 FW Papa Waigo 18 MF Riccardo Montolivo 19 MF Massimo Gobbi

No. In many team Sports a goalkeeper (termed goaltender netminder, goalie, or keeper in some sports Sébastien Frey (born March 18, 1980 in Thonon-les-Bains) is a French football goalkeeper currently playing for Italian In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring Per Billeskov Krøldrup (born July 31, 1979 in Farsø) is a Danish professional football player who plays as a central defender In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring Dario Dainelli (born 9 June 1979 in Pontedera, Province of Pisa) is an Italian football player For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Marco Donadel (born 21 April 1983 in Conegliano, Province of Treviso, Italy) is an Italian football Midfielder In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring Alessandro Gamberini (born August 27, 1981 in Bologna) is an Italian footballer for ACF Fiorentina of Serie A In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring Alessandro Potenza (born 8 March 1984 in San Severo) is an Italian football defender who plays for Genoa. For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Franco Semioli (born June 20, 1980 in Ciriè Turin, Italy) is an Italian footballer for ACF Fiorentina of Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing Pablo Daniel Osvaldo (born January 12, 1986 in Capital Federal, Buenos Aires) is an Italian - Argentine footballer Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing Adrian Mutu (born January 8 1979 in Călineşti, Argeş County) is a Romanian Striker who plays for Italian Serie A club ACF Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing Alberto Gilardino, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI, (born July 5 1982 in Biella, Piedmont) is a World Cup -winning footballer who plays as In many team Sports a goalkeeper (termed goaltender netminder, goalie, or keeper in some sports Cristiano Lupatelli (born 21 June 1978 in Perugia) is an Italian football Goalkeeper who is currently playing at In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring Ondřej Mazuch (born 15 March, 1989 in Hodonín, Czechoslovakia) is a Czech footballer, who plays as a defender For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Jan Hable (born 4 January 1989 in Hradec Králové, Czechoslovakia) is a Czech footballer, who plays as a midfielder Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing Papa Waigo N'Diaye (born 20 January, 1984 in Saint-Louis Senegal) is a Senegalese Football (soccer international Striker For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Riccardo Montolivo (born 18 January 1985 in Caravaggio, Bergamo) is an Italian footballer. For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Massimo Gobbi (born 31 October 1980 in Milan) is an Italian football Midfielder. Position Player 20 MF Martin Jørgensen 22 MF Zdravko Kuzmanović 23 DF Manuel Pasqual 24 MF Mario Santana 25 GK Vlada Avramov 26 DF Alex (from youth team) 27 FW Samuel Di Carmine (from youth team) 29 FW Giampaolo Pazzini 31 GK Edoardo Pazzagli (from youth team) MF Felipe Melo 33 DF Massimiliano Tagliani (from youth team) 34 FW Matthias Lepiller (from youth team) 35 MF Papa Diakhate (from youth team) 54 DF Manuel da Costa 99 FW Daniele Cacia

Confirmed summer signings

In

		FW	Alberto Gilardino (from AC Milan)
		FW	Stevan Jovetić (from Partizan Belgrade)
		MF	Felipe Melo (from Almería)

Out

		DF	Tomáš Ujfaluši (to Atlético Madrid)
		MF	Fabio Liverani (to Palermo)
		FW	Christian Vieri

Notable players

Main article: List of ACF Fiorentina players

Managerial history

Fiorentina have had many managers and head coaches throughout their history, below is a chronological list of them from when they were founded in 1926 by a merger, until the present day. ^[7]

Name Nationality Years Károly Csapkay 1926–1928 Károly Csapkay Gyula Feldmann 1928–1930 Gyula Feldmann 1930–1931 Hermann Felsner 1931–1933 William Rady 1933 Ferenc Ging 1933–1934 Guido Ara 1934–1937 Ottavio Baccani 1937–1938 Ferenc Molnar 1938 Rudolf Soutschek 1938–1939 Giuseppe Galluzzi 1939–1945 Guido Ara 1946 Renzo Magli 1946–1947 Imre Senkey 1947 Luigi Ferrero 1947–1951 Renzo Magli 1951–1953 Fulvio Bernardini 1953–1958 Lajos Czeizler 1958–1959 Luigi Ferrero 1959 Luis Carniglia 1959–1960 Giuseppe Chiappella 1960 Nándor Hidegkuti 1960–1962 Ferruccio Valcareggi 1962–1964 Giuseppe Chiappella 1964–1967 Luigi Ferrero 1967–1968 Andrea Bassi 1968 Bruno Pesaola 1968–1971 Oronzo Pugliese 1971 Nils Liedholm 1971–1973 Luigi Radice 1973–1974

Name Nationality Years Nereo Rocco 1974–1975 Carlo Mazzone 1975–1977 Mario Mazzoni 1977–1978 Giuseppe Chiappella 1978 Paolo Carosi 1978–1981 Giancarlo De Sisti 1981–1985 Ferruccio Valcareggi 1985 Aldo Agroppi 1985–1986 Eugenio Bersellini 1986–1987 Sven-Göran Eriksson 1987–1989 Bruno Giorgi 1989–1990 Francesco Graziani 1990 Sebastião Lazaroni 1990–1991 Luigi Radice 1991–1993 Aldo Agroppi 1993 Luciano Chiarugi 1993 Claudio Ranieri 1993–1997 Alberto Malesani 1997–1998 Giovanni Trapattoni 1998–2000 Fatih Terim 2000–2001 Luciano Chiarugi 2001 Roberto Mancini 2001 Ottavio Bianchi 2001–2002 Luciano Chiarugi 2002 Eugenio Fascetti 2002 Pietro Vierchowod 2002 Alberto Cavasin 2002–2003 Emiliano Mondonico 2003–2004 Sergio Buso 2004–2005 Dino Zoff 2005 Cesare Prandelli 2005–present

Social identity

Badge

The badge used by Florentia Viola

The official emblem of the city of Florence; a red and white fleur-de-lis; has played a pivitol role in the all round symbolism of the club. Károly Csapkay ( May 29, 1894 — March 1, 1966) commonly known as Karl Csapkay, was a Hungarian football Károly Csapkay ( May 29, 1894 — March 1, 1966) commonly known as Karl Csapkay, was a Hungarian football Gyula Feldmann ( November 16 1880 or 1891 — October 31 1955) was a Hungarian football player and coach Gyula Feldmann ( November 16 1880 or 1891 — October 31 1955) was a Hungarian football player and coach Hermann Felsner (* 1 April 1889 - † 6 February 1977) also known as Ermanno Fellsner, was an Austrian football Guido Ara ( 28 August 1888 – 2 July 1975) was an Italian footballer and manager from Vercelli in the region Ferenc Molnár ( 8 April 1891 - ? was a Hungarian football player and manager from Érd. Giuseppe Galluzzi (born 10 November 1903) was a Italian footballer and manager from Florence. Guido Ara ( 28 August 1888 – 2 July 1975) was an Italian footballer and manager from Vercelli in the region Imre Senkey (born 1898 in Budapest) was a Hungarian football player and manager who spent the majority of his managerial time in Italy Luigi Ferrero ( 26 December 1904 - ? was an Italian football manager and former player from Turin. Fulvio Bernardini ( December 28, 1905 &ndash January 13, 1984) was an Italian professional footballer and coach Lajos Czeizler ( 5 October 1893 &ndash 6 May 1969) was a Hungarian Football (soccer coach born in Heres. Luigi Ferrero ( 26 December 1904 - ? was an Italian football manager and former player from Turin. Luis Antonio Carniglia ( October 4, 1917 - June 22 2001) was a football striker and manager from Argentina Giuseppe Chiappella (born 28 September 1924 in Milan) is a former Italian football midfielder and manager Nándor Hidegkuti ( March 3 1922 &ndash February 14, 2002) was a Hungarian football player and manager Ferruccio Valcareggi ( 12 February 1919 &ndash 2 November 2005) was an Italian football player and coach Giuseppe Chiappella (born 28 September 1924 in Milan) is a former Italian football midfielder and manager Luigi Ferrero ( 26 December 1904 - ? was an Italian football manager and former player from Turin. Bruno Pesaola (born 28 July 1925 in Buenos Aires, Argentina) is a former professional Italian - Argentine football Oronzo Pugliese ( 5 April 1910 - 11 March 1990) was an Italian football manager from Turi in the Province Nils Liedholm ( October 8, 1922 &ndash November 5, 2007) was a Swedish football Midfielder and coach Luigi "Gigi" Radice (born January 15, 1935, in Cesano Maderno) is an Italian football coach and former player Nereo Rocco (b 20 May 1912 Trieste &mdash d 20 February 1979 Trieste) was an Italian football player and manager Carlo "Carletto" Mazzone (born March 19, 1937 in Rome) is an Italian football manager Giuseppe Chiappella (born 28 September 1924 in Milan) is a former Italian football midfielder and manager Giancarlo de Sisti (born 13 March 1943 in Rome) is a former Italian footballer. Ferruccio Valcareggi ( 12 February 1919 &ndash 2 November 2005) was an Italian football player and coach Sven-Göran Eriksson ( born February 5 1948 is a Swedish football manager, who is currently the manager of the Mexico national football team. Francesco "Ciccio" Graziani (born December 16, 1952) is an Italy football manager and former player Sebastião Barroso Lazaroni (born September 25, 1950 in Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro state) is a Brazilian Football (soccer Luigi "Gigi" Radice (born January 15, 1935, in Cesano Maderno) is an Italian football coach and former player Luciano Chiarugi (born January 13, 1947 in Ponsacco, Province of Pisa) is an Italian football manager and former player Claudio Ranieri, born on October 20, 1951 in Rome, is an Italian football manager and former player currently manager Alberto Malesani (born June 5, 1954 in Verona) is an Italian Football (soccer manager Giovanni Trapattoni (born March 17, 1939 in Cusano Milanino, Province of Milan) is an Italian football coach considered Fatih Terim, Commendatore OSSI, (born September 4, 1953 in Adana, Turkey) is one of the most successful football players Luciano Chiarugi (born January 13, 1947 in Ponsacco, Province of Pisa) is an Italian football manager and former player Roberto Mancini (born November 27, 1964 in Jesi, Ancona) is an Italian football coach and former player Ottavio Bianchi (born October 6, 1943) is an Italian former football player and coach Luciano Chiarugi (born January 13, 1947 in Ponsacco, Province of Pisa) is an Italian football manager and former player Pietro Vierchowod (born April 6, 1959 in Calcinate) is an Italian former footballer turned coach Alberto Cavasin (born January 9, 1956 in Treviso) is an Italian Football (soccer manager Emiliano Mondonico, born on March 9, 1947 in Rivolta d'Adda, is an Italian football manager Dino Zoff (born February 28, 1942 in Mariano del Friuli) is an Italian former football Goalkeeper and is the oldest winner Claudio Cesare Prandelli (born 19 August 1957 in Orzinuovi, Province of Brescia) is an Italian football coach currently Florence ( Italian: Firenze Florentia and Fiorenza) is the Capital City of the Italian region of Tuscany The fleur-de-lys (or fleur-de-lis, plural fleurs-de-lis ˌfləː(rdəˈliː (ˌfləː(rdəˈlɪs in Quebec) translated from French as "lily

Over the course of the club's history they have had several badge changes, all of which incorporated Florence's fleur-de-lis in some way. The fleur-de-lys (or fleur-de-lis, plural fleurs-de-lis ˌfləː(rdəˈliː (ˌfləː(rdəˈlɪs in Quebec) translated from French as "lily ^[8] The first one was nothing more than the city's coat of arms, that is a white shield with the red fleur-de-lis inside. It was soon changed for a very stylized fleur-de-lis, always red, sometimes even without a white field. The most common symbol, adopted for about twenty years, had been a white lozenge with the flower inside. Applications Modal logic In Modal logic, the lozenge expresses the possibility of the following expression Only during the season they were Italian champions, the lozenge disappeared and the flower was overlapped with the scudetto. The Italian football champions ( Italian: Scudetto - little shield are the annual winners of Serie A, Italy 's premier annual football

A particularly noted logo, was one which was half made up of the city of Florence's emblem and half made up of an "F" standing for Fiorentina. When introduced by the new owner Flavio Pontello, people disliked it believing it was an advertising commercial decision and, most of all, the symbol bore more of a resemblance to an alabard rather than a fleur-de-lis. ^[8]

Today's logo is a gold bordered lozenge with a purple background, and the letters "AC" in white and the letter "F" in red, standing for the club's name. Gold, also called golden, is a Yellowish orange Color which is a representation of the color of the element Applications Modal logic In Modal logic, the lozenge expresses the possibility of the following expression In the upper half, there is another gold bordered lozenge inside it, this time with a white background and the red fleur-de-lis of Florence. Gold, also called golden, is a Yellowish orange Color which is a representation of the color of the element Applications Modal logic In Modal logic, the lozenge expresses the possibility of the following expression ^[8] This had been in use from 1992 to 2002, but after the financial crisis of the old society the new one couldn't use the same logo. Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Florence's comune, then, granted them the stylized coat of arms of the city used in other documents. In Italy, the comune, (plural comuni) is the basic Administrative division of both provinces and regions and may be properly approximated in Diego Della Valle acquired the logo the next year in a judicial auction for a fee of €2. Please update other articles as well to avoid contradiction within Wikipedia e 5 million, thus making it the most expensive logo in Italian football.

Kit and colours

Original 1926 kit.

Originally when Fiorentina was founded in 1926, the red and white halves shirts were derived from the colour of the city emblem. ^[9] The more well known and highly distinctive purple kit was adopted in 1928 and has been theirs ever since; giving them the nickname La viola ("The Purple (team)"). Purple is a general term for the range of shades of Color occurring between Red and Blue. Traditionally it is said that the purple kit became Fiorentina's by mistake, after an accident washing the old red and white coloured kits in the river. ^[10]

World Cup winners

• Mario Pizziolo (Italy 1934)
• Daniel Passarella (Argentina 1978)
• Giancarlo Antognoni (Spain 1982)
• Francesco Graziani (Spain 1982)
• Giovanni Galli (Spain 1982)
• Pietro Vierchowod (Spain 1982)
• Daniele Massaro (Spain 1982)
• Luca Toni (Germany 2006)

Honours

National titles

Serie A: 2

• Champions : 1955–56; 1968–69

Coppa Italia: 6

• Winners : 1939–40; 1960–61; 1965–66; 1974–75; 1995–96; 2000–01

Supercoppa Italiana: 1

• Winners : 1996

Europeans titles

European Cup / UEFA Champions League:

• Runners-up (1): 1956–57

UEFA Cup:

• Runners-up (1): 1989–90

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1

• Champions : 1960–61^[11]
• Runners-up (1): 1961-62

Minor titles

Mitropa Cup:

• Winners: 1966

Anglo-Italian League Cup: 1

• Winners: 1975

Memorial Pier Cesare Baretti

• Winners (1): 1989

References

External links

• (Italian)Official website