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Napoli History
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Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli (also known as Azzurri and Partenopei) are an Italian professional football club based in Naples, Campania. Founded in 1904 and currently playing in Serie B, the club have spent most of their history in the top tier in Italian football. Napoli play their home games in sky blue shirts with white shorts.
In their history Napoli have won Serie A twice, first in 1987 and then again in 1990. They have also won the UEFA Cup which they achieved in 1990 and the Coppa Italia three times. Historically, Napoli are the ninth most successful club in Italian football and the most successful in Southern Italy.
The club changed its denomination to Napoli Soccer in August 2004 after the club had gone bankrupt and was re-founded by Aurelio De Laurentiis, a famous film producer and nephew of Dino De Laurentiis. On 23 May 2006, De Laurentiis restored the club's name back to S.S.C. Napoli.
History
The football club's origins can be traced back to Englishman William Poths, an employee of a maritime agency named Cunard Lines. Who, as part of his work was transferred to Naples in 1903.
He was an avid amateur football player, and along with his friend; Neapolitan engineer Emilio Anatra, they decided to form a football club in 1904. At the time Italian football was in its infancy, with only clubs from Turin, Genoa and Milan playing in the Italian Football Championship. Thus with the founding of Naples Foot-Ball & Cricket Club at a local pizzeria run by Guglielmo Matacena, the Englishman brought football to mainland Southern Italy.
The first ever Naples squad comprised 15 players, their first match was competed against a group of English sailors from a ship named Arabik; to the surprise of the people in attendance, Naples won their first ever game 3-2. The earliest colours for the Naples football club was light and dark blue striped shirts.
Sir Thomas Lipton creator of the famous Lipton tea brand was visiting Palermo in Sicily while travelling with his ship. He created a competition The Lipton Trophy in which Palermo would face off against Naples annually. This brought Naples their first trophy in 1909, winning the first of the Lipton Trophy competitions 4-2. The trophy was disputed six times in total, with Naples also winning it in 1911 and 1914.
Rivalry with US Internazionale Napoli
Two years after its foundation, the "Cricket Club" part of the name was dropped, and in 1912 a footballing rivalry would start up in the city. Some of the Italians at the club were frustrated, because their English team-mates (along with Poths) were not always there to compete as their work required them to be at sea; so the Italian contingent left to form the Unione Sportiva Internazionale Napoli.
The two clubs competed against each other in the semi-final of Southern Italy, Naples came out on top over two legs with 2-1 and 3-2 victories. However, Naples lost the regional final against S.S. Lazio. The following season, the situation was reversed with Internazionale Napoli knocking out Naples, before losing to Lazio in the final. The two clubs began competing in the semi-finals of Southern Italy for the third time in 1915, but after the first leg (won by Internazionale 3-0), the competition was called off because of World War One.
After the war, the rivalry was resumed; however the two clubs had more competition in the region of Campania with clubs such as Puteolana, Bagnolese and Savoia. In 1922 the two rival clubs, under financial pressure, merged as the Foot-Ball Club Internazionale-Naples, or FBC Internaples.
Associazione Calcio Napoli: 1926
Internaples had moderate success until they reached the finals of Southern Italy; losing out to Alba by a heavy margin. On 1 August 1926 the members of Internaples resolved to adopt a new name for their club and Giorgio Ascarelli was appointed as the first president of the Associazione Calcio Napoli.
By the time the next season started, the top league system of Italy was split into two groups consisting of 10 teams. Napoli finished bottom of their group with a dreadful 1 point earned from 18 games.
This is what got them the nickname I ciucciarelli which means "the little donkeys", previously the football club had carried with them the emblem of the city of Naples, which was a horse. But after the aforementioned season, some in the city derided them as donkeys, the club however adopted O Ciuccio as it was called, making it their mascot and displaying it with pride.
The following two seasons they did gradually better, finishing higher with this system each time.
Serie A: 1930s
As Italian football moved into the 1930s, the league was formatted into a way in which it remains today. The 1929-30 season showed what Napoli could do on a larger scale, they finished 5th in a season which saw them defeat the likes of Torino, Lazio and Milan.
At Napoli the fans’ great pre-war hero was Attila Sallustro, whose family had moved to Naples from Paraguay when he was a child. Sallustro, on account of his well-to-do background, took no salary from the club; but he was rewarded with a luxury motor car. Notably, Sallustro along with Marcello Mihalic became the first Napoli players to be called up to the Italian national football team.
The next six seasons Napoli consistently finished in the top 10, including two third place spots in 1932-33 and 1933-34 under legendary English coach William Garbutt. Another notable club hero from this period was Antonio Vojak; signed from Juventus in 1929 the Italian scored 102 goals in 190 games over a six year period for Napoli. Top scorer of the first World Cup, Argentine forward Guillermo Stábile, also played at Napoli during the 1935–36 season.
The Neapolitan club was set to go into a decline in the years leading up to World War Two, with up and down results in Serie A. They flirted with relegation in 1937 and again in 1940, where they stayed up on a goal difference of four over Liguria. Just one season before this they had finished in 5th. 1942 saw Napoli finally going down to Serie B, just four points separating them from the next six teams. Down in Serie B, during 1943 Napoli missed out on a promotion straight back up, by two points, finishing in third place just behind Brescia. At the end of the season, left their Stadio Giorgio Ascarelli stadium and moved into the Campo Vomero.
Post-War Napoli
When the championship was contested on a regional basis for the 1946 season, Napoli proved themselves the best team in the Centro-Sud region losing just three matches en route to a narrow league victory, finishing level on points with Bari, but with a better goal difference. They only finished mid-table in the final group, but it was enough to ensure the Neapolitans a place in Serie A the following year.
Napoli only managed to survive one season in the newly formed Serie A before in 1948, they were relegated again, until becoming champions of Serie B in 1950. They managed to step straight back into the groove of Serie A in the following five seasons, finising in the top six. During the rest of the fifties their league finishes were up and down, two lower key seasons were followed by a 4th place in 1957-58, above both of the Milanese teams and A.S. Roma.
The 1960s were a mixed time for Napoli, they were relegated in 1961, but finished runners-up in Serie B the following season, regaining promotion. 1962 was also notable for its cup success, Napoli lifted the Coppa Italia by beating Spal 2-1 in the final with goals from Corelli, and Ronzon; this was the first time a club competing in Serie B had won the competition.
Unfortunately for Napoli, they were unable to follow up their cup success with top league stability, as they were relegated once again. The mid-sixties saw the club rise up again, their name was changed its name to Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli on June 25, 1964 and they were promoted as runners-up from Serie B in 1964-65. The following season, they finished an impressive 3rd in the top Italian league, and also won the Coppa delle Alpi.
Napoli on the rise: 1970s
Napoli came very close to winning the league in 1968, finishing 2nd just behind AC Milan. This spell for the club boasted talented players such as azzurri legend Dino Zoff along with the likes of José Altafini and Antonio Juliano. During the early 70s, Napoli put their name amongst the big teams with the two third place finished (in 71' and 74').
The 1974-75 season under coach and former Napoli player; Luís Vinício, would prove to be the closest Napoli had ever come to capturing the scudetto at this point in history. They finished two points behind champions Juventus and the goal difference between the clubs was also only two. Although their efforts did not gain them the scudetto, it did gain the club access into Europe for the UEFA Cup 1974-75 where they reached the third round, knocking out Portuguese club FC Porto 2-0 on the way.
Their second ever Coppa Italia trophy was won the same season, knocking out AC Milan and Fiorentina en route to the success, they beat Hellas Verona 4-0 in the final, with goals from Ginulfi, Braglia, and two from Giuseppe Savoldi. In the Anglo-Italian League Cup, Napoli beat English side Southampton 4-1 aggregate; which included a resounding 4-0 victory at home in Naples, to win the competition.
Because the club had won the Coppa Italia the previous season, they gained access to the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1976-77, giving them their second shot at European football; Napoli managed to reach the semi-finals of the competition. The last two seasons of the 70s, Napoli came in at 6th.
The Maradona era: League and European success
The 1980s for the club started in relatively good fashion with 3rd and 4th place league positions early in the decade. But it wouldn't be until Argentine Diego Maradona joined the club from FC Barcelona, in 1984 that Napoli were truly put on the world football map.
Success with Maradona was not instant. The club had to work hard, first with an 8th position in 1984-85, then the following season they stepped up further, with a 3rd place. 1986-87 proved to be Napoli's year, with Diego; Napoli won the scudetto for the first time in their history. In doing so, they also became the first and only mainland Southern Italian team (not including Sardinian club Cagliari) to win the league, this record still stands today. It wasn't just Serie A that the club won that season either, they also beat Atalanta B.C. 4-0 in the Coppa Italia final to complete the double.
In the successive year the team were knocked out in the first round of the European Cup by Real Madrid but a runners-up spot in Serie A meant qualification for the UEFA Cup. Juventus and Bayern Munich were among Napoli's victims en route to the final where Maradona and Careca scored a goal apiece late in the second half to beat VfB Stuttgart two-one in the first leg. In the second leg, played in Stuttgart, the match ended in draw (3-3): so Napoli won their first European trophy. Napoli also reached the final of the Italian Cup that year, only to be beaten by Sampdoria.
In 1990, Napoli were champions again, although in rather less auspicious circumstances than their previous Serie A title. They were awarded 2 points after the Brazilian Alemão was struck by a coin away at Atalanta's Stadio Comunale. If this was not bad enough, Napoli's physio was caught on TV cameras exhorting the player to stay on the ground. Anyway, these 2 points weren't crucial, as AC Milan lost a match with Hellas Verona, so Napoli would've won the championship anyway. Worse was to come. Maradona made inflammatory remarks during the 1990 World Cup, appealing to Neapolitans to cheer on his Argentina team over the northern dominated Italy.
The Napoli "tifosi" responded by displaying a banner in their "curva" that read: "Maradona, You are our love, but Italy is our blood". It was touching for Maradona as Napoli was the only stadium during that World Cup in which the Argentinian national anthem wasn't jeered. Apparently, Napoli fans were the "black sheep" of Italy because they rooted for Maradona. He departed after testing positive for cocaine less than a year later, the club was in financial crisis. Although he let his nightlife affect his legacy with Napoli, Maradona will still go down as the greatest Napoli player ever. He has mentioned many times that his love for Napoli is almost as much for his native team Boca Juniors.
The following year the club won the Supercoppa Italiana, the last major trophy won by Napoli, beating Juventus 5-1. The game included two goals from Careca, two from Andrea Silenzi and the 5th from Massimo Crippa, Roberto Baggio grabbed the consolation goal for the old lady. The result was a record margin victory in the competition for any club, the record still stands today.
Decline
The club started a slow decline after wining the Supercoppa Italiana. One by one, players like Gianfranco Zola, Daniel Fonseca and Careca departed. During the earliest part of the 1990s, the club were still holding their own in the league somewhat, although lower down than with the recently passed Maradona era. A place 4th position was achieved in 1991-92 and they haven't been able to reach such heights since.
In 1997 Napoli reached the final of the Italian Cup only to be beaten by Vicenza (1-0/0-3 aet). By this time the league for them was a less successful story, from 1996 onwards their league finishes were significantly lower, and a first relegation to Serie B came in 1998 where they recorded only two wins all season.
Napoli fans had to wait till 2000 to see their team achieve promotion back to the Italian top division, the promotion was won by finishing runners-up in Serie B. During their season back in Serie A, Napoli were relegated straight back down; although the relegation battle was quite close, U.S. Lecce and Hellas Verona had only 1 more point than the azzurri but stayed up.
In 2001 Napoli failed to gain promotion back up, missing out by one place. This set off a spiral effect which saw the club slip further; the next season they finished a lowly 16th. Worse was to come for the club however, with a debt estimated up to 70 million euros[8], the club was declared bankrupt in August 2004.
Rebirth under De Laurentiis
Under the name Napoli Soccer a new club was born, thanks to film producer Aurelio De Laurentiis; the intention was to ensure the city of Naples would not be left without a football team. During the first season down in Serie C1, Napoli narrowly missed out on promotion to U.S. Avellino after losing 2-1 in the play-offs.
In the 2005-06 season, they went one better and won the Serie C1 championship. They secured promotion on April 15, 2006, after a 2-0 win at home to Perugia. Despite the fact that Napoli were playing in such a low division, they remained among clubs with the largest fan base in Italy. With higher average attendances than most of the Serie A clubs, (breaking the Serie C attendance record with 51,000 at one game) and six million fans worldwide
The club's name was restored back to S.S.C. Napoli in May 2006 by chairman De Laurentiis.
Current season
As of May 2007, the team is proving itself to be one of the top clubs in Italian Serie B. For a significant part of the season Napoli have been in second place, now in third. They are currently in the top half of the table fighting for promotion to Serie A via either automatic promotion or through the play-offs. If Napoli were to finish in third, 10 points ahead of the fourth place team, they would automatically advance back into Serie A.
source: wikipedia.org
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