) is an Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 association football manager.

Playing career

Born in Bellinzona, Switzerland, but originary from Giulianova

Giulianova

Giulianova is a coastal town and comune in the province of Teramo of central Italy.-Geography:The town lies in the north of the Abruzzo region, between the Salinello and the Tordino rivers. Giulianova is split between the Paese, the historic town up in the hills, and the lido, the more recent...

, Giampaolo is a former midfielder who played for several Serie C

Serie C

The Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico , commonly known as Lega Pro , is the governing body that runs the third and fourth highest football divisions in Italy, the Prima Divisione and Seconda Divisione respectively. It also includes the sole professional club of San Marino...

 teams, including Giulianova Calcio

Giulianova Calcio

Giulianova Calcio is an Italian association football club, based in Giulianova, Abruzzo, currently playing in Lega Pro Seconda Divisione.The club was founded in 1924, and plays its home matches at Stadio Rubens Fadini.Its colours are yellow and red....

, Gubbio

A.S. Gubbio 1910

Associazione Sportiva Gubbio 1910 is an Italian association football club, based in Gubbio, Umbria.They currently play in Serie B. The team's colors are dark blue and red.Their home field is the Stadio Pietro Barbetti, a 5,300 capacity all-seater stadium....

, Licata

S.S.D. Licata 1931

Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica Licata 1931 is an Italian association football club located in Licata, Sicily. The traditional club colours of Licata is yellow and blue; known in Italy as giallloblu...

 and Siracusa

U.S. Siracusa

Unione Sportiva Siracusa, commonly referred to as simply Siracusa or the abbreviation US Siracusa, is an Italian association football club located in Syracuse, Sicily. The club was founded in 1924 and for most of its history has played in the lower divisions of professional Italian football...

, before to make his Serie B

Serie B

Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...

 debut for Fidelis Andria

A.S. Andria BAT

Associazione Sportiva Andria BAT or simply A.S. Andria is an Italian football club, based in Andria, Apulia.The team currently plays in Lega Pro Prima Divisione.The team's colors are blue and white.- Fidelis Andria :...

 in 1995. He retired in 1997, after a season played with Gualdo, following an ankle injury.

Managing career

After his retirement, Giampaolo was signed as scout for Serie B

Serie B

Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...

 side Pescara Calcio

Pescara Calcio

Delfino Pescara 1936 is an Italian football club based in Pescara, Abruzzo.The club was formed in 1936 and currently plays in Italian Serie B. Pescara has competed in 5 seasons in Serie A...

, and successively promoted as assistant coach in 2000. In 2001, he was appointed assistant coach of Serie C1

Serie C

The Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico , commonly known as Lega Pro , is the governing body that runs the third and fourth highest football divisions in Italy, the Prima Divisione and Seconda Divisione respectively. It also includes the sole professional club of San Marino...

 side Giulianova Calcio

Giulianova Calcio

Giulianova Calcio is an Italian association football club, based in Giulianova, Abruzzo, currently playing in Lega Pro Seconda Divisione.The club was founded in 1924, and plays its home matches at Stadio Rubens Fadini.Its colours are yellow and red....

, in support of Adriano Buffoni. Both left on April 2002, despite the team was fully involved in a fight for a playoff placement, citing bad relationships with the club's management. In 2002–03, both Buffoni and Giampaolo signed for Treviso

Treviso F.B.C. 1993

Football Club Treviso is an Italian football club based in Treviso. The club was formed in 1909, and refounded in 1993 and in 2009. The club currently plays in Lega Pro Seconda Divisione.Treviso's official colours are light blue and white.-History:...

 of Serie C1, leading the team to an immediate promotion to Serie B

Serie B

Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...

 and saving the team from relegation the following season.

In 2004–05, Giampaolo moved to Ascoli

Ascoli Calcio 1898

Ascoli Calcio 1898 is an Italian football club based in Ascoli Piceno, Marche. The club was formed in 1898 and currently plays in Italian Serie B, having returned to it after two seasons spent in Serie A...

, where he again acted as assistant coach of unknown manager Massimo Silva

Massimo Silva

Massimo Silva is an Italian professional football coach and a former player who currently manages Ascoli.- Player :...

. This was often cited as a trick in order to allow Giampaolo to coach the team, as he was not in possess of a valid coaching licence at the time. The season ended in a good sixth place, which allowed Ascoli to play promotion playoffs, where it was defeated by Torino Calcio

Torino F.C.

Torino Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Torino, is a professional Italian football club based in Turin, Piedmont, that was founded in 1906. The club has spent most of its history in the top tier in Italian football....

. However, following a serie of cancellations by the federation, Ascoli was admitted to play Serie A the next season, and both Giampaolo and Silva were confirmed to coach a team built in only two weeks, with the only goal to maintain a place in Italian top division. On February 2006, Giampaolo was disqualified for two months by the Italian Football Federation for having acted as first team head coach without a valid coaching licence. Successively, Giampaolo was admitted to join the Coverciano coaching course, and, after having saved Ascoli from relegation, he was announced as coach of Cagliari Calcio

Cagliari Calcio

Cagliari Calcio is an Italian football club based in Cagliari, Sardinia. The club was formed in 1920 and currently plays in Italian Serie A, having spent a large part of recent years mainly in Serie A and Serie B....

.

On September 2006, Marco Giampaolo was involved in a freak training ground accident, the 39-year old boss was hit on the head by a wayward ball and, despite continuing with the training session, developed symptoms of concussion soon after. The coach was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.

On December 17, 2006, after a 3–1 away defeat to Udinese

Udinese Calcio

Udinese Calcio is an Italian football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and currently plays in the Serie A. Founded in 1896, Udinese is the second oldest club in the Serie A, after Genoa....

 in a league match, Cagliari boss Massimo Cellino

Massimo Cellino

Massimo Cellino is an Italian entrepreneur and football club owner.He is the current chairman of Cagliari Calcio after the 1992 takeover from the Orrù brothers, who were the previous club owners...

 announced to have sacked Giampaolo, citing coach's loss of confidence with the team. However on February 26, 2007 Cellino decided to sack Franco Colomba

Franco Colomba

Franco Colomba is an Italian football coach and former player, who is currently in charge of Serie A club Parma.-Playing:...

 and reinstate Giampaolo back at the Cagliari head coach position. After having led Cagliari to avoid relegation, he was confirmed for the 2007–08

Serie A 2007-08

The 2007-08 Serie A football season was the seventy-sixth since its establishment, and started on August 26, 2007 and ended on May 18, 2008. Internazionale successfully defended the championship on the final day of the season, finishing first with 85 points, three ahead of Roma.-Plusvalenze...

, but he was sacked again on November 13 and replaced by Nedo Sonetti

Nedo Sonetti

Nedo Sonetti is an Italian veteran football manager.-Career:Sonetti was born in Piombino, southern Tuscany and lives now in Gorle.He played in Serie B and Serie C for Spezia Calcio 1906 and Reggina....

, leaving the rossoblu in last place with nine points (but with one match less than other teams). He was later called once again to return at the helm of the rossoblu, following the dismissal of Sonetti, but he ultimately rejected the offer, citing his unwillingness to do so. He successively rescinded his contract with Cagliari, and on June 2008 was announced head coach of Siena

A.C. Siena

Associazione Calcio Siena is an Italian football club based in Siena.The club currently plays in Serie A, having gained promotion from Serie B at the end of the 2010-2011 season....

 for the 2008–09 season

Serie A 2008-09

The 2008–09 Serie A was the seventy-seventh season since its establishment. It began on 30 August 2008 and ended on 31 May 2009, with the announcement of the list of fixtures made on 25 July 2008...

, who was fired on 29 October 2009.

On May 30, 2010 Giampaolo was appointed to replace Siniša Mihajlović

Siniša Mihajlovic

Siniša Mihajlović is a Serbian football manager and former player. He was in charge of Serie A club Fiorentina since June 2010 to November 2011....

 as head coach of Catania

Calcio Catania

Calcio Catania is an Italian football club founded in 1908 and based in Catania, Sicily. The club has spent much of its history in Serie B, gaining promotion to Italy's top league Serie A five times...

. After an unimpressive first half of season, Giampaolo and Catania parted company on 18 January 2011.

On 4 June, 2011, Cesena announced that he will be appointed head coach, replacing Massimo Ficcadenti

Massimo Ficcadenti

Massimo Ficcadenti is an Italian football manager and former midfielder.-Playing:Ficcadenti started his playing career with Sambenedettese, where he played from 1985 to 1989. He then signed for Messina, playing for the Sicilian side for a total of three seasons before to join Verona in 1992...

 who left the club by mutual consent despite keeping the club in Serie A

Serie A

Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...

.

On October 30, 2011 he was sacked because of bad results. Cesena is currently last in Serie A

Serie A

Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...

 with just 3 points.

Personal

He has a brother, Federico Giampaolo

Federico Giampaolo

Federico Giampaolo is an Italian footballer. He plays for Noicattaro.Like his brother Marco, now a football head coach, started his career at Giulianova. He played his first professional season in 1987-88, made 27 Serie C2 appearances.He then joined Juventus youth team...

, who is currently a Serie B

Serie B

Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...

 footballer for Sorrento.