U.S. Città di Palermo
Encyclopedia
Unione Sportiva Città di Palermo (simply known as Palermo) is an Italian football
club from Palermo
, Sicily which currently plays in Serie A
, the top level of Italian football. Formed in 1900 as Anglo Panormitan Athletic and Football Club, the club had various names before assuming its final form in 1987 and is currently the top-ranked football club from the island of Sicily. During its history, Palermo played in all the professional ranks of Italy, and took part in several Serie A seasons during the 1960s and early 1970s, also ending twice as Coppa Italia
runners-up during that period.
Following its return to Serie A in 2004, the club has become one of the most prominent in Italy, also providing four players to the Italian team that won the 2006 FIFA World Cup
. It has gained a UEFA Cup
place in each of the past three seasons, narrowly missing UEFA Champions League
qualification in 2007 and 2010, and losing its third Coppa Italia final in 2011.
The official team colours are pink and black, giving rise to the nickname rosanero; another less common nickname is aquile, referring to the eagle
on both the official club logo and the city of Palermo's coat of arms.
US Città di Palermo plays its home games at Stadio Renzo Barbera
(formerly known as La Favorita) which from 2007 has a capacity of 36,349 people. It was originally built in 1932, but was renovated in the late 1980s and served as a venue for the 1990 FIFA World Cup
.
There is some debate about the exact date the club was founded. Some authorities think it may have been as early as 1898 due to the existence of papers addressed to Joseph Whitaker
, English consul in Palermo and originally believed to be first club president, about a Palermitan football team founded in that year. However, the most common and officially stated foundation date is 1 November 1900, as the Anglo Panormitan Athletic and Football Club. The club is thought to have been founded by Ignazio Majo Pagano, a young Palermitan colleague of Whitaker who had discovered football while at college in London, England, where the sport was already popular. The initial staff comprised 3 Englishmen and 9 natives of Palermo
, with Whitaker as honorary chairman, Edward De Garston as inaugural president, and with red and blue as the original team colours. The first recorded football match, played by the team on 30 December 1900, ended in a 5–0 defeat to an unidentified amateur English team. The first official match, played on 18 April 1901 against Messina Football Club
ended in a 3–2 win to the Palermitan side.
In 1907, the club changed its name to Palermo Foot-Ball Club, and the team colours were changed to the current pink and black. From 1908 until the final event in 1914, Palermo was featured in the Lipton Challenge Cup
, organised by Scottish businessman Sir Thomas Lipton
. The competition saw them face off against Naples
; Palermo won the competition three times, including a 6–0 victory in 1912.
After a gap during World War I, the club was refounded in 1919 as Unione Sportiva Palermo, by a committee of young university students and sportsmen. During the early 1920s, the club mainly competed in the Campionato Lega Sud, a football league in Southern Italy, reaching the semi-finals in 1924 before being knocked out by Audace Taranto
, Alba Roma
and Internaples
. The club was dissolved in 1927 due to financial problems, but was reformed one year later following a merger with Vigor Palermo under the name Palermo FootBall Club. Originally admitted to Prima Divisione (First Division), the equivalent of today's Serie C1
, the team was promoted into Serie B
in 1930 and finally reached Serie A
in 1932. From its debut season in Italy's top division, Palermo relocated to a new home, the Stadio Littorio (Lictorian Stadium) in the Favorita neighbourhood, today known as Stadio Renzo Barbera
. The club played Serie A until 1936, when they were relegated to Serie B and first played Catania
in the Sicilian derby
.
In 1936 Palermo was forced by the fascist regime to change its strip to yellow and red, after the official colours of the local municipality. Meanwhile, economic difficulties arose, and in 1940 they were expelled by the Italian Football Federation because of financial problems. A merger with Unione Sportiva Juventina Palermo brought the foundation of Unione Sportiva Palermo-Juventina, which joined Serie C
in 1941 and Serie B
in 1942.
. The new Palermo squad featured players such as Czechoslovakia
n legend Čestmír Vycpálek
who signed from Juventus
alongside Conti, Di Bella
and Pavesi. Palermo played Serie A until they were relegated in 1954. Massive changes in the board, as well as the manager's job and the squad proved successful and the club returned to Serie A in 1956. Palermo then became a "yo-yo club," bouncing up and down between the top two Italian leagues. Several stars played for Palermo during this period, such as Argentine
striker Santiago Vernazza
(51 goals in 115 games with the rosanero), goalkeepers Roberto Anzolin
and Carlo Mattrel
, Giuseppe Furino
and Franco Causio
. Palermo marked its best campaign in 1961–62 season
, finishing 8th in Serie A
. However, in 1963 they were relegated to Serie B, and played there for five seasons. Palermo played again in Serie A between 1968–1970.
In 1970, Renzo Barbera took over the club as the new chairman. After 1973, Palermo FBC remained firmly rooted in Serie B
. Despite this, Palermo reached two Italian Cup
finals, both of which they narrowly lost: in 1974 to Bologna
on penalty shoot-outs, and in 1979 to Juventus
after extra time. Barbera left the club in 1980 and Palermo were relegated to Serie C1
four years later. The 1985–86
season which ended in the summer was however the last for Palermo FBC as having just saved themselves from relegation, the club was expelled by the football federation due to financial problems. In the summer of 1987, after a year without professional football in Palermo, the club was re-founded bearing its current name, and began to play in Serie C2
, which it promptly won.
In the 1990s, Palermo played between Serie B and Serie C1 with a few highs, such as its 1995–1996
Serie B and Coppa Italia campaign, the latter ending in the quarter-finals, and a number of lows such as the 1998 relegation to Serie C2
after defeat in the play-offs to Battipagliese, later revoked by the federation to fill a vacant league slot.
In March 2000, AS Roma
chairman Franco Sensi
, led a holding company to purchase Palermo and Sergio D'Antoni became the President of Palermo and Palermo were promoted to Serie B one year later after a dramatic final week of the season, with Palermo coming back from behind to take first place from league-toppers Sicilian rivals Messina. The first comeback season in the Serie B, with Bortolo Mutti
as head coach, was a eventless one, with Palermo ending in a mid-table placement.
an businessman and Venezia owner Maurizio Zamparini
acquired the club from Franco Sensi in a 15 million euro bid, with the clear intention to bring Palermo back to Serie A and then establishing the club as a Serie A regular with aims of participations to European competitions. Palermo failed in its first attempt to reach the Serie A in 2002–03 on the final week of the season, but later managed to achieve it after a hard but successful 2003–04 campaign
which saw Palermo crowned as Serie B champions and promoted to Serie A after 31 years under head coach Francesco Guidolin
, who was hired in January 2004 as replacement for dismissed Silvio Baldini
.
The 2004–05 season
, the first in Serie A for the Palermo club since 1973, ended with an excellent sixth place, securing qualification for the 2005–06
UEFA Cup
for the first time in its history. Luca Toni
broke the Palermo Serie A scoring record by notching up 20 league goals. Guidolin left in 2005 and was replaced by Luigi Delneri, who did not manage to repeat his predecessor's successes and was later replaced by Giuseppe Papadopulo
. Despite an unimpressive eighth place in the Serie A table, Palermo reached the last 16 in the UEFA Cup as well as the Coppa Italia
semi-finals. Guidolin's return was followed by Palermo being admitted to play UEFA Cup again due to the 2006 Serie A scandal
and Palermo players Andrea Barzagli
, Cristian Zaccardo
, Simone Barone
and Fabio Grosso
being crowned 2006 FIFA World Cup
winners. A number of impressive signings were made to establish an ambitious team, and a good beginning in the 2006–07 campaign
appeared initially to confirm this. However, a winless 11 games streak caused Palermo to fall down from third to seventh place. The club ended the season in fifth place and qualified again to UEFA Cup for the following season
, with Stefano Colantuono
at Guidolin's place. A number of unimpressive performances left the rosanero in eighth place, seven points shy of the fourth UEFA Champions League spot, and a crushing 5–0 away defeat to Juventus
led Zamparini to sack Colantuono on 26 November 2007 and call in Guidolin for a fourth spell as Palermo boss. On 24 March 2008 Guidolin was sacked and left the club for the fourth time with his predecessor Stefano Colantuono taking charge for the second time in the season.
Colantuono was confirmed as Palermo boss for the 2008–09 season
. During the summer transfer market, club stars like Amauri, Barzagli and Zaccardo were sold. New signings included former and current Italian internationals Marco Amelia
, Fabio Liverani
and Antonio Nocerino
. The rosanero started their season with a disappointing 1–2 home loss to Lega Pro Prima Divisione side Ravenna
in the Third Round of the Coppa Italia
. After just one game from the new campaign, a 1–3 loss to Udinese
, Zamparini sacked Colantuono, and the head coach role was then given to Davide Ballardini
. With Ballardini as head coach, Palermo ended the season with a respectable eighth place, and also won its first Campionato Primavera national title, under the guidance of youth coach Rosario Pergolizzi
. After the end of the season, Palermo dismissed Ballardini from the coaching post following disagreements with the board, and replaced him with Walter Zenga
, whose appointment from Sicilian arch-rivals Catania was greeted with surprise and dismay from supporters of both parties. Zenga's reign however lasted only thirteen games, as he was dismissed on 23 November 2009 due to poor performances, ironically after a 1–1 home tie to Sicilian rivals, as well as Zenga's former team, Catania, with former Lazio
boss Delio Rossi
being appointed at his place. Under the tutelage of Delio Rossi, results dramatically improved, and Palermo established a record of seven consecutive home wins, and also achieved prestigious results such as two 2–0 wins against Italian giants AC Milan
and Juventus
; the latter win, achieved on February, led Palermo to climb over the bianconeri in fourth place, establishing the rosanero as serious contenders for a UEFA Champions League spot, which they ultimately lost to Sampdoria
by one point only. Such season also launched new emerging stars such as midfielder Javier Pastore
and goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu
, who went on to become integral part of their corresponding international teams.
The new season started with Delio Rossi still in charge of the club: Kjær and Cavani left the club, and a few more promising youngsters were signed (most notably Argentine Ezequiel Muñoz
and the Slovene duo of Armin Bačinović
and Josip Iličić
), plus more experienced acquisitions such as forwards Massimo Maccarone
and Mauricio Pinilla
. The 2010–11 season also marked Palermo's return into continental football, in the UEFA Europa League. Palermo reached their third Coppa Italia finals after defeating Milan 4–3 on aggregate on May 10, 2011, then losing 1–3 to Inter in the final. For the 2011–12 season, Delio Rossi was replaced by former Chievo boss Stefano Pioli
which is sacked on August 31, 2011.
New caretaker coach is Devis Mangia.
The official badge as of 2004 is a pink/black escutcheon with an eagle poised for flight within it, and the official club denomination "U.S. Città di Palermo" in capital letters on the top. The eagle instead represents the city of Palermo, as it is also part of the city's official coat of arms.
Palermo originally played with red and blue as its official colours since its foundation in 1898, but decided to switch to the current choice of pink and black on 27 February 1907, contemporaneously with the change of denomination to Palermo Foot-Ball Club.
The colour choice was suggested by count Giuseppe Airoldi, a prominent founding member of the club. In a letter Airoldi wrote on 2 February 1905 to club councillor Joseph Whitaker
, he defined pink and black as "colours of the sad and the sweet", a choice he asserted to be a good fit for a team characterized by "results as up and down as a Swiss clock", noting also the fact that red and blue were a widely diffuse choice of colours at the time.
The club had to wait for the new jerseys for three months, because no pink flannel
was available in Palermo, forcing the appointed tailoring company to import it from England. The new shirts were first worn in a match against Sir Thomas Lipton's crew team; the match ended in a 2–1 win for Palermo. From 1936 to 1940 the team played in red and yellow jerseys due to an imposition by the fascist regime of Benito Mussolini
, red and yellow being the official colours of the municipality of Palermo. When the club was refounded in 1941 following a merger with Juventina Palermo, they started dressing in light blue shirt on the pitch, switching to the more popular pink and black one year later.
The choice of pink and black as official colours for a football club is still unique today, as Palermo appears to be one of the few top-flight football teams to use these official colours. Another club with these colors is the first division club Sport Boys
in Peru.
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Palermo plays its home matches at Stadio Renzo Barbera
, located in the Favorita neighbourhood. The stadium was opened in 1932, during the fascist regime, with the name Stadio Littorio (Lictorial Stadium). The inaugural match was played on 24 January 1932, against Atalanta
; Palermo won it 5–1. In 1936, it was renamed Stadio Michele Marrone, after a fascist hero who died in the Spanish civil war
.
Initially a racetrack was present, and there were no curved sections, but only terraces and a stand. In 1948, following the end of World War II and the fall of the Fascist regime, the stadium assumed the denomination of Stadio La Favorita, after the neighbourhood where it was located, and was also heavily restructured, without racetrack and with two curved sections, thus increasing its capacity to 30,000. In 1984 it was again enlarged, giving a capacity of circa 50,000. This higher capacity was however completely covered in only twice, respectively in a Serie C1
league match against Messina
and a friendly match against Juventus
. On the occasion of the 1990 FIFA World Cup
, the stadium was renovated with the addition of seats, but the capacity, which was reached on only two occasions before 1990, was reduced to 37,619. During the 1989 renovation works, five employees died following the collapse of a section of the stadium. In 2002 the stadium was renamed in honour of Renzo Barbera, legendary Palermo chairman in the 1970s.
Plans to move the club to a new state-of-the-art stadium to be built were announced in 2007 by current Palermo chairman and owner Maurizio Zamparini
; the new venue is expected to be built in the area of the Velodromo Paolo Borsellino
(a smaller venue which also hosted some Palermo games in the past) in the ZEN neighbourhood of the city of Palermo.
The majority of Palermo supporters come from the city and its neighbourhood. However, Palermo is also widely popular throughout Western Sicily, as well as among Sicilian immigrants in northern Italy, leading Palermo to have one of the largest followings in its away matches. US Palermo supporters, mainly Sicilian emigrants, are also present outside Italy; a number of Palermo fans living in and around the German city of Solingen
have even founded a club named after their favourite club, FC Rosaneri, which as of 2007 plays in the Kreisliga B
league.
Support for Palermo is closely associated with a strong sense of belonging to Sicily; indeed, it is not uncommon to see Sicilian flags
waved by fans and ultras
during Palermo matches. Palermo fans are also twinned with Lecce
ultras. The latter was even more strengthened in recent times by the acquisition of Fabrizio Miccoli
, who is originary from the outskirts of Lecce and a well-known supporter of the local team, who then went on to become a key player and captain for the Sicilians.
Palermo's biggest rivals by far are fellow islanders Catania
. Matches between Palermo and Catania are usually referred to as Sicilian derbies
, despite the existence of a third valid Sicilian team, Messina
, who played in Serie A alongside Palermo and Catania in recent years. Rivalry with Messina, although historically older, is instead less intense than that with Catania.
The 2006–07 return match between Palermo and Catania, played on 2 February 2007 at Stadio Angelo Massimino
, Catania
, is remembered due to the death of policeman Filippo Raciti
who was injured during riots between the local police and the Catania supporters
. This event led Italian Federation commissioner Luca Pancalli
to suspend all football leagues and national team events in the whole country for a couple of weeks.
Below is a list of prominent head coaches who served at least two seasons, reaching at least a promotion or a tournament final during their stay with the club: Gyula Feldmann Carmelo Di Bella
Delio Rossi
Francesco Guidolin
Fernando Veneranda
Čestmír Vycpálek
Not including league playoff matches
Football in Italy
Football is the most popular sport in Italy. The Italian national football team has won the FIFA World Cup 4 times , trailing only Brazil . Italy's club sides have won 27 major European trophies, making them the most successful European nation in the subject of football...
club from Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
, Sicily which currently plays 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...
, the top level of Italian football. Formed in 1900 as Anglo Panormitan Athletic and Football Club, the club had various names before assuming its final form in 1987 and is currently the top-ranked football club from the island of Sicily. During its history, Palermo played in all the professional ranks of Italy, and took part in several Serie A seasons during the 1960s and early 1970s, also ending twice as Coppa Italia
Coppa Italia
The Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
runners-up during that period.
Following its return to Serie A in 2004, the club has become one of the most prominent in Italy, also providing four players to the Italian team that won the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
. It has gained a UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
place in each of the past three seasons, narrowly missing UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
qualification in 2007 and 2010, and losing its third Coppa Italia final in 2011.
The official team colours are pink and black, giving rise to the nickname rosanero; another less common nickname is aquile, referring to the eagle
Eagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
on both the official club logo and the city of Palermo's coat of arms.
US Città di Palermo plays its home games at Stadio Renzo Barbera
Stadio Renzo Barbera
Stadio Renzo Barbera is a football stadium in Palermo, Italy. It is currently home of U.S. Città di Palermo football team. The stadium was inaugurated on January 24, 1932 and was named Stadio Littorio in homage to the Fascism. The opening match was Palermo vs Atalanta, with Palermo winning 5–1...
(formerly known as La Favorita) which from 2007 has a capacity of 36,349 people. It was originally built in 1932, but was renovated in the late 1980s and served as a venue for the 1990 FIFA World Cup
1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
.
Early history (1898–1947)
Joseph Whitaker (ornithologist)
Joseph Isaac Spadafora Whitaker was a Sicilan-English ornithologist, archaeologist and sportsman. He is mainly known for his work on the birds of Tunisia, and for being involved in the foundation of the Sicilian football club U.S. Città di Palermo.-Biography :Whitaker's family came from prominent...
, English consul in Palermo and originally believed to be first club president, about a Palermitan football team founded in that year. However, the most common and officially stated foundation date is 1 November 1900, as the Anglo Panormitan Athletic and Football Club. The club is thought to have been founded by Ignazio Majo Pagano, a young Palermitan colleague of Whitaker who had discovered football while at college in London, England, where the sport was already popular. The initial staff comprised 3 Englishmen and 9 natives of Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
, with Whitaker as honorary chairman, Edward De Garston as inaugural president, and with red and blue as the original team colours. The first recorded football match, played by the team on 30 December 1900, ended in a 5–0 defeat to an unidentified amateur English team. The first official match, played on 18 April 1901 against Messina Football Club
F.C. Messina Peloro
Associazione Calcio Rinascita Messina is an Italian football club based in Messina, Sicily. It currently plays in Serie D.- Brief history :The origins of the team go back to 1900 when Messina F.C was founded in the city. The club has spent most of its history in the lower Italian football leagues...
ended in a 3–2 win to the Palermitan side.
In 1907, the club changed its name to Palermo Foot-Ball Club, and the team colours were changed to the current pink and black. From 1908 until the final event in 1914, Palermo was featured in the Lipton Challenge Cup
Lipton Challenge Cup
The Lipton Challenge Cup also known as Coppa Lipton was a football competition competed between clubs from Southern Italy and Sicily. It was played during the period leading up to World War I when football in the country was still in its infancy....
, organised by Scottish businessman Sir Thomas Lipton
Thomas Lipton
Sir Thomas Johnstone Lipton, 1st Baronet, KCVO was a Scotsman of Ulster-Scots parentage who was a self-made man, merchant, and yachtsman. He created the Lipton tea brand and was the most persistent challenger in the history of the America's Cup.-Parentage and childhood:Lipton was born in Glasgow...
. The competition saw them face off against Naples
S.S.C. Napoli
Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli, commonly referred to as Napoli, is a professional Italian football club based in Naples and founded in 1926. The club has spent most of its history in Serie A, where it currently plays its 2011–12 season....
; Palermo won the competition three times, including a 6–0 victory in 1912.
After a gap during World War I, the club was refounded in 1919 as Unione Sportiva Palermo, by a committee of young university students and sportsmen. During the early 1920s, the club mainly competed in the Campionato Lega Sud, a football league in Southern Italy, reaching the semi-finals in 1924 before being knocked out by Audace Taranto
Taranto Sport
A.S. Taranto Calcio is an Italian association football club, based in Taranto, Apulia. The club was founded in 1904. Taranto currently plays in Lega Pro Prima Divisione, having last been in Serie B in 1993. The team's colors are red and blue.-History:...
, Alba Roma
A.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
and Internaples
S.S.C. Napoli
Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli, commonly referred to as Napoli, is a professional Italian football club based in Naples and founded in 1926. The club has spent most of its history in Serie A, where it currently plays its 2011–12 season....
. The club was dissolved in 1927 due to financial problems, but was reformed one year later following a merger with Vigor Palermo under the name Palermo FootBall Club. Originally admitted to Prima Divisione (First Division), the equivalent of today's Serie C1
Serie C1
Lega Pro Prima Divisione is the name of the third highest football league in Italy. It consists of 36 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 18 teams each. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1....
, the team was promoted into 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...
in 1930 and finally reached 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...
in 1932. From its debut season in Italy's top division, Palermo relocated to a new home, the Stadio Littorio (Lictorian Stadium) in the Favorita neighbourhood, today known as Stadio Renzo Barbera
Stadio Renzo Barbera
Stadio Renzo Barbera is a football stadium in Palermo, Italy. It is currently home of U.S. Città di Palermo football team. The stadium was inaugurated on January 24, 1932 and was named Stadio Littorio in homage to the Fascism. The opening match was Palermo vs Atalanta, with Palermo winning 5–1...
. The club played Serie A until 1936, when they were relegated to Serie B and first played 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...
in the Sicilian derby
Sicilian derby
The Derby di Sicilia is a local derby between Italian football clubs Calcio Catania and U.S. Città di Palermo. Catania and Palermo are the two main cities on the island of Sicily, and the teams are fierce rivals...
.
In 1936 Palermo was forced by the fascist regime to change its strip to yellow and red, after the official colours of the local municipality. Meanwhile, economic difficulties arose, and in 1940 they were expelled by the Italian Football Federation because of financial problems. A merger with Unione Sportiva Juventina Palermo brought the foundation of Unione Sportiva Palermo-Juventina, which joined 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...
in 1941 and 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...
in 1942.
Post-war years (1947–2002)
After World War II, the team returned to Serie A by winning the Serie B championship of 1947–48Serie B 1947-48
This championship had three gironi organized with geographical criteria for the last time. The round-robin system should be restored in 1948.-Final classification:-Results:...
. The new Palermo squad featured players such as Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
n legend Čestmír Vycpálek
Cestmír Vycpálek
Čestmír Vycpálek was a former Czech football player and manager. He was an uncle of noted football manager Zdeněk Zeman.-Playing career:...
who signed from Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
alongside Conti, Di Bella
Carmelo Di Bella
Carmelo Di Bella was an Italian football player and manager. Di Bella spent the vast majority of his career in Sicily where he was a prominent figure in the footballing scene, especially in relation to the island's most successful clubs; Catania and Palermo.-Playing career:Di Bella, a left wing,...
and Pavesi. Palermo played Serie A until they were relegated in 1954. Massive changes in the board, as well as the manager's job and the squad proved successful and the club returned to Serie A in 1956. Palermo then became a "yo-yo club," bouncing up and down between the top two Italian leagues. Several stars played for Palermo during this period, such as Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
striker Santiago Vernazza
Santiago Vernazza
Júlio Carlos Santiago "Ghito" Vernazza is a former Argentine footballer. He was a forward who played for Platense and River Plate in his native Argentina until 1956, when he moved to Italy and signed for newly-promoted Serie A club Palermo...
(51 goals in 115 games with the rosanero), goalkeepers Roberto Anzolin
Roberto Anzolin
Roberto Anzolin is an Italian footballer. He was a goalkeeper noted for having played most of the 1960s with Juventus, where he won a Serie A championship in 1966/1967...
and Carlo Mattrel
Carlo Mattrel
Carlo Mattrel was an Italian footballer. He was a goalkeeper who played with Juventus for most of his career, winning three Serie A titles and three Coppa Italia tournaments .He was also part of the Italian squad in the 1962 FIFA World Cup, and made his first and only appearance for the...
, Giuseppe Furino
Giuseppe Furino
Giuseppe Furino is a retired Italian footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.- Career :Having originally started his career at Juventus as a youngster he played for Savona Calcio and U.S...
and Franco Causio
Franco Causio
Franco Causio is an Italian, World Cup winning former footballer who played for Juventus for many years in the 1970s and 1980s.-Biography:Causio was born in Lecce , and moved to Juventus when he was 17....
. Palermo marked its best campaign in 1961–62 season
Serie A 1961-62
-Final classification:-Results:...
, finishing 8th 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...
. However, in 1963 they were relegated to Serie B, and played there for five seasons. Palermo played again in Serie A between 1968–1970.
In 1970, Renzo Barbera took over the club as the new chairman. After 1973, Palermo FBC remained firmly rooted in 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...
. Despite this, Palermo reached two Italian Cup
Coppa Italia
The Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
finals, both of which they narrowly lost: in 1974 to Bologna
Bologna F.C. 1909
Bologna Football Club 1909, known simply as Bologna, is an Italian Football League club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, formed in 1993. The club are nicknamed the rossoblù because of the red and blue striped shirts they wear. Red and Blue are the official colours of the town.During its history...
on penalty shoot-outs, and in 1979 to Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
after extra time. Barbera left the club in 1980 and Palermo were relegated to Serie C1
Serie C1
Lega Pro Prima Divisione is the name of the third highest football league in Italy. It consists of 36 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 18 teams each. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1....
four years later. The 1985–86
Serie B 1985-86
This article contains information on the 1985-1986 season of Serie B, the second highest football league in Italy.-Classification:-Results:-References and sources:...
season which ended in the summer was however the last for Palermo FBC as having just saved themselves from relegation, the club was expelled by the football federation due to financial problems. In the summer of 1987, after a year without professional football in Palermo, the club was re-founded bearing its current name, and began to play in Serie C2
Serie C2
Lega Pro Seconda Divisione is the name of the fourth highest football league in Italy, the lowest with a professional status. Usually it consists of 54 teams, but in the season 2010–11 the teams are only 49 divided geographically into three divisions of 17, 16 and 16 teams each...
, which it promptly won.
In the 1990s, Palermo played between Serie B and Serie C1 with a few highs, such as its 1995–1996
Serie B 1995-96
This article contains information on the 1995-1996 season of Serie B, the second highest football league in Italy.-Final classification:-Results:...
Serie B and Coppa Italia campaign, the latter ending in the quarter-finals, and a number of lows such as the 1998 relegation to Serie C2
Serie C2
Lega Pro Seconda Divisione is the name of the fourth highest football league in Italy, the lowest with a professional status. Usually it consists of 54 teams, but in the season 2010–11 the teams are only 49 divided geographically into three divisions of 17, 16 and 16 teams each...
after defeat in the play-offs to Battipagliese, later revoked by the federation to fill a vacant league slot.
In March 2000, AS Roma
A.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
chairman Franco Sensi
Franco Sensi
Francesco Sensi, Cavaliere del lavoro, , was an Italian oil tycoon. He was born in Rome, where he lived throughout his entire life, though he also served time as mayor of Visso, the city where his family came from. He had been for fifteen years, until his death, general manager of Associazione...
, led a holding company to purchase Palermo and Sergio D'Antoni became the President of Palermo and Palermo were promoted to Serie B one year later after a dramatic final week of the season, with Palermo coming back from behind to take first place from league-toppers Sicilian rivals Messina. The first comeback season in the Serie B, with Bortolo Mutti
Bortolo Mutti
Bortolo Mutti is an Italian football manager and a former player.His older brother Tiziano Mutti also played football professionally...
as head coach, was a eventless one, with Palermo ending in a mid-table placement.
The Zamparini era: back to Serie A and European years (2002–present)
In the summer of 2002, FriuliFriuli
Friuli is an area of northeastern Italy with its own particular cultural and historical identity. It comprises the major part of the autonomous region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, i.e. the province of Udine, Pordenone, Gorizia, excluding Trieste...
an businessman and Venezia owner Maurizio Zamparini
Maurizio Zamparini
Maurizio Zamparini is an Italian businessman and the current owner and chairman of Serie A club U.S. Città di Palermo....
acquired the club from Franco Sensi in a 15 million euro bid, with the clear intention to bring Palermo back to Serie A and then establishing the club as a Serie A regular with aims of participations to European competitions. Palermo failed in its first attempt to reach the Serie A in 2002–03 on the final week of the season, but later managed to achieve it after a hard but successful 2003–04 campaign
U.S. Città di Palermo season 2003-04
U.S. Città di Palermo played the season 2003-04 in the Serie B league. The rosanero ended the season in first place, being crowned Serie B champions and promoted to Serie A after over 30 years in the lower divisions.-Review and events:...
which saw Palermo crowned as Serie B champions and promoted to Serie A after 31 years under head coach Francesco Guidolin
Francesco Guidolin
Francesco Guidolin is an Italian football manager and former player, currently serving as head coach of Serie A outfit Udinese.-Playing career:...
, who was hired in January 2004 as replacement for dismissed Silvio Baldini
Silvio Baldini
Silvio Baldini is an Italian association football manager and the former head coach of Vicenza in the Serie B league.- Coach :...
.
U.S. Città di Palermo season 2004-05
U.S. Città di Palermo played the season 2004-05 in the Serie A league. It was the first time Palermo entered the top division since 1973.-Review and events:Palermo returned to Serie A in 2004 as Serie B champions...
, the first in Serie A for the Palermo club since 1973, ended with an excellent sixth place, securing qualification for the 2005–06
UEFA Cup 2005-06
The UEFA Cup 2005–06 season was won by Sevilla FC, beating Middlesbrough FC in the final. It was the first victory for Sevilla in a European competition, and the first appearance by Middlesbrough in a European final. The final took place at Philips Stadion, in Eindhoven, Netherlands. The match was...
UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
for the first time in its history. Luca Toni
Luca Toni
Luca Toni, Ufficiale OMRI is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who currently plays for Serie A club Juventus. He has had successful spells at top clubs such as Palermo, Fiorentina, Bayern Munich, and Roma...
broke the Palermo Serie A scoring record by notching up 20 league goals. Guidolin left in 2005 and was replaced by Luigi Delneri, who did not manage to repeat his predecessor's successes and was later replaced by Giuseppe Papadopulo
Giuseppe Papadopulo
Giuseppe Papadopulo is an Italian football manager and former player, last in charge as head coach of Torino.-Career:...
. Despite an unimpressive eighth place in the Serie A table, Palermo reached the last 16 in the UEFA Cup as well as the Coppa Italia
Coppa Italia 2005-06
The 2005–06 Coppa Italia was the 58th edition of the tournament. For the second consecutive season, Roma and Internazionale were the finalists. Inter won the tournament by a score of 4–1 agreggate in the final...
semi-finals. Guidolin's return was followed by Palermo being admitted to play UEFA Cup again due to the 2006 Serie A scandal
2006 Serie A scandal
The 2006 Italian football scandal involved Italy's top professional football leagues, Serie A and Serie B...
and Palermo players Andrea Barzagli
Andrea Barzagli
Andrea Barzagli, Ufficiale OMRI is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who plays as a defender for Serie A club Juventus.- Club career :...
, Cristian Zaccardo
Cristian Zaccardo
Cristian Zaccardo, Ufficiale OMRI is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer, who plays for Italian Serie A club Parma...
, Simone Barone
Simone Barone
Simone Barone, Ufficiale OMRI is an Italian footballer.-Club career:Barone started his career making his first team debut in 4 May 1997 for Parma, against Atalanta. He then played for Padova of Serie C1 in 1998, Alzano Virescit of Serie B in 1999.In summer 2000, he joined Chievo in a co-ownership...
and Fabio Grosso
Fabio Grosso
Fabio Grosso, Ufficiale OMRI is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who currently plays for Serie A club Juventus. Grosso is primarily a left wingback, but can also play as left back. He is also a free kick, penalty kick and corner kick specialist...
being crowned 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
winners. A number of impressive signings were made to establish an ambitious team, and a good beginning in the 2006–07 campaign
U.S. Città di Palermo season 2006-07
U.S. Città di Palermo played the season 2006-07 in the Serie A league. It has been the third season in a row for Palermo in the top division of Italy.-Review and events:...
appeared initially to confirm this. However, a winless 11 games streak caused Palermo to fall down from third to seventh place. The club ended the season in fifth place and qualified again to UEFA Cup for the following season
U.S. Città di Palermo season 2007-08
U.S. Città di Palermo is playing the season 2007–08 in the Serie A, being the fourth season in a row for Palermo in the league since their return in 2004 .-Review and events:...
, with Stefano Colantuono
Stefano Colantuono
Stefano Colantuono is an Italian football manager, currently in charge as head coach of Atalanta.-Playing career:...
at Guidolin's place. A number of unimpressive performances left the rosanero in eighth place, seven points shy of the fourth UEFA Champions League spot, and a crushing 5–0 away defeat to Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
led Zamparini to sack Colantuono on 26 November 2007 and call in Guidolin for a fourth spell as Palermo boss. On 24 March 2008 Guidolin was sacked and left the club for the fourth time with his predecessor Stefano Colantuono taking charge for the second time in the season.
Colantuono was confirmed as Palermo boss for the 2008–09 season
U.S. Città di Palermo season 2008-09
U.S. Città di Palermo spent the season 2008–09 in the Serie A, the fifth season in a row for the Sicilian club in the Italian top flight since their return to the league in 2004.-Review and events:...
. During the summer transfer market, club stars like Amauri, Barzagli and Zaccardo were sold. New signings included former and current Italian internationals Marco Amelia
Marco Amelia
Marco Amelia, Ufficiale OMRI is an Italian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A club Milan. He was part of the Italian squad that won the 2006 FIFA World Cup.-Early career:Amelia grew up as part of the Roma youth system...
, Fabio Liverani
Fabio Liverani
Fabio Liverani is an Italian football coach and former midfielder of partial Somali descent, currently working as youth coach of Genoa.-Club career:...
and Antonio Nocerino
Antonio Nocerino
Antonio Nocerino is an Italian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Milan and the Italian national team.-Juventus and early career:...
. The rosanero started their season with a disappointing 1–2 home loss to Lega Pro Prima Divisione side Ravenna
Ravenna Calcio
Ravenna Calcio is an Italian association football club, based in Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna. The club was founded in 1913 and refounded in 2001....
in the Third Round of the Coppa Italia
Coppa Italia 2008-09
The 2008–09 Coppa Italia was the sixty-first season of the tournament. The competition started on 9 August 2008 and ended on 13 May 2009. The radically different format used in the 2007–08 Coppa was abandoned, with the new format more closely resembling earlier editions of the tournament.The final...
. After just one game from the new campaign, a 1–3 loss 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....
, Zamparini sacked Colantuono, and the head coach role was then given to Davide Ballardini
Davide Ballardini
Davide Ballardini is an Italian association football manager who is currently the head coach at Serie A club Cagliari...
. With Ballardini as head coach, Palermo ended the season with a respectable eighth place, and also won its first Campionato Primavera national title, under the guidance of youth coach Rosario Pergolizzi
Rosario Pergolizzi
Rosario Pergolizzi is an Italian football manager of Pavia and former player.-Playing:Pergolizzi, a defender, made his professional debut with Sardinian team Olbia Calcio; he then moved to Napoli, where he made a single appearance in the Serie A 1987-88...
. After the end of the season, Palermo dismissed Ballardini from the coaching post following disagreements with the board, and replaced him with Walter Zenga
Walter Zenga
Walter Zenga is a retired Italian footballer and current manager. He is a long-time goalkeeper for the Italian national team and Internazionale. He also holds Romanian citizenship...
, whose appointment from Sicilian arch-rivals Catania was greeted with surprise and dismay from supporters of both parties. Zenga's reign however lasted only thirteen games, as he was dismissed on 23 November 2009 due to poor performances, ironically after a 1–1 home tie to Sicilian rivals, as well as Zenga's former team, Catania, with former Lazio
S.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
boss Delio Rossi
Delio Rossi
Delio Rossi is an Italian association football manager, currently managing Fiorentina.-Playing career:Rossi's playing career was not a bright one, as he reached his personal top from 1981 to 1983, playing Serie B with U.S. Foggia, where he spent most of his footballing time...
being appointed at his place. Under the tutelage of Delio Rossi, results dramatically improved, and Palermo established a record of seven consecutive home wins, and also achieved prestigious results such as two 2–0 wins against Italian giants AC Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
and Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
; the latter win, achieved on February, led Palermo to climb over the bianconeri in fourth place, establishing the rosanero as serious contenders for a UEFA Champions League spot, which they ultimately lost to Sampdoria
U.C. Sampdoria
Unione Calcio Sampdoria is an Italian association football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria...
by one point only. Such season also launched new emerging stars such as midfielder Javier Pastore
Javier Pastore
Javier Matías Pastore is an Argentine footballer who currently plays for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Argentina national football team as an attacking midfielder....
and goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu
Salvatore Sirigu
Salvatore Sirigu is an Italian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and Italy national football team.-Club career:...
, who went on to become integral part of their corresponding international teams.
The new season started with Delio Rossi still in charge of the club: Kjær and Cavani left the club, and a few more promising youngsters were signed (most notably Argentine Ezequiel Muñoz
Ezequiel Muñoz
Ezequiel Matías Muñoz is an Argentine footballer who plays as a centre back for Serie A club Palermo.His nickname is Il niño di Pergamino.-Club career:...
and the Slovene duo of Armin Bačinović
Armin Bačinovič
Armin Bačinovič is a Slovenian football midfielder who currently plays for Palermo and Slovenia national football team.-Club career:...
and Josip Iličić
Josip Iličič
Josip Iličić is a Slovenian football midfielder, who currently plays for Italian Serie A club Palermo and the Slovenia national team. In Slovenia he is nicknamed Jojo.-Club career:...
), plus more experienced acquisitions such as forwards Massimo Maccarone
Massimo Maccarone
Massimo Maccarone is an Italian association football striker currently playing for Sampdoria....
and Mauricio Pinilla
Mauricio Pinilla
Mauricio Ricardo Pinilla Ferrera is a Chilean footballer who plays for U.S. Città di Palermo in Italy, as a centre forward....
. The 2010–11 season also marked Palermo's return into continental football, in the UEFA Europa League. Palermo reached their third Coppa Italia finals after defeating Milan 4–3 on aggregate on May 10, 2011, then losing 1–3 to Inter in the final. For the 2011–12 season, Delio Rossi was replaced by former Chievo boss Stefano Pioli
Stefano Pioli
Stefano Pioli is an Italian former footballer and current manager of Serie A team Bologna.-Player:Pioli, a native of Parma, started his own playing career for his home city team, AC Parma. Successively, he was signed by Juventus, with whom he had his Serie A debut in 1984...
which is sacked on August 31, 2011.
New caretaker coach is Devis Mangia.
Colours and badge
The official badge as of 2004 is a pink/black escutcheon with an eagle poised for flight within it, and the official club denomination "U.S. Città di Palermo" in capital letters on the top. The eagle instead represents the city of Palermo, as it is also part of the city's official coat of arms.
Palermo originally played with red and blue as its official colours since its foundation in 1898, but decided to switch to the current choice of pink and black on 27 February 1907, contemporaneously with the change of denomination to Palermo Foot-Ball Club.
The colour choice was suggested by count Giuseppe Airoldi, a prominent founding member of the club. In a letter Airoldi wrote on 2 February 1905 to club councillor Joseph Whitaker
Joseph Whitaker (ornithologist)
Joseph Isaac Spadafora Whitaker was a Sicilan-English ornithologist, archaeologist and sportsman. He is mainly known for his work on the birds of Tunisia, and for being involved in the foundation of the Sicilian football club U.S. Città di Palermo.-Biography :Whitaker's family came from prominent...
, he defined pink and black as "colours of the sad and the sweet", a choice he asserted to be a good fit for a team characterized by "results as up and down as a Swiss clock", noting also the fact that red and blue were a widely diffuse choice of colours at the time.
The club had to wait for the new jerseys for three months, because no pink flannel
Flannel
Flannel is a soft woven fabric, of various fineness. Flannel was originally made from carded wool or worsted yarn, but is now often made from either wool, cotton, or synthetic fibre. Flannel may be brushed to create extra softness or remain unbrushed. The brushing process is a mechanical process...
was available in Palermo, forcing the appointed tailoring company to import it from England. The new shirts were first worn in a match against Sir Thomas Lipton's crew team; the match ended in a 2–1 win for Palermo. From 1936 to 1940 the team played in red and yellow jerseys due to an imposition by the fascist regime of Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
, red and yellow being the official colours of the municipality of Palermo. When the club was refounded in 1941 following a merger with Juventina Palermo, they started dressing in light blue shirt on the pitch, switching to the more popular pink and black one year later.
The choice of pink and black as official colours for a football club is still unique today, as Palermo appears to be one of the few top-flight football teams to use these official colours. Another club with these colors is the first division club Sport Boys
Sport Boys
Sport Boys Association is a Peruvian football club, playing in the port city of Callao. It was founded on Peru's independence day, July 28, 1927....
in Peru.
Shirt sponsors and manufacturers
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 1979–80 | Pouchain | None |
| 1981–82 | NR | Vini Corvo |
| 1983–84 | Pasta Ferrara | |
| 1985–86 | Juculano | |
| 1987–90 | Città di Palermo Palermo Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old... |
|
| 1989–90 | Hummel Hummel International hummel International is a Denmark-based sportswear company. The firm was started in 1923 by the Messmer family in the town of Hamburg, Germany. It currently manufactures apparel for football, handball, basketball, rugby league, Australian football, shinty and volleyball... |
|
| 1990–91 | ABM | |
| 1991–92 | Seleco Seleco Sèleco is an electronics company based in Pordenone, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy. It is part of Super//Fluo, who bought the rights in August, 2006, along with Brionvega and Imperial.-History:... |
|
| 1992–93 | Giornale di Sicilia Giornale di Sicilia Giornale di Sicilia is an Italian daily national newspaper based in Palermo, Sicily. It is also the best-selling newspaper in Sicily.It was founded in 1860, immediately following the Expedition of the Thousand headed by Giuseppe Garibaldi; it was first published on June 7 under the name "Giornale... |
|
| 1993–94 | Toka | |
| 1994–96 | Provincia Regionale di Palermo Province of Palermo The Province of Palermo is a province in the autonomous region of Sicily, a major island in Southern Italy. Its capital is the city of Palermo. The Province of Palermo has 82 comuni , 1,239,272 inhabitants, and is 4,992 km² .-External links:... |
|
| 1996–97 | Kappa Kappa (company) Kappa is an Italian company specialized at the manufacture of sporting clothes and accessories, that started as a sock and underwear manufacturer in 1916 in Turin.-Logo:... |
Giornale di Sicilia Giornale di Sicilia Giornale di Sicilia is an Italian daily national newspaper based in Palermo, Sicily. It is also the best-selling newspaper in Sicily.It was founded in 1860, immediately following the Expedition of the Thousand headed by Giuseppe Garibaldi; it was first published on June 7 under the name "Giornale... |
| 1997–98 | Tomarchio Naturà | |
| 1998–99 | Palermo Provincia Turistica Province of Palermo The Province of Palermo is a province in the autonomous region of Sicily, a major island in Southern Italy. Its capital is the city of Palermo. The Province of Palermo has 82 comuni , 1,239,272 inhabitants, and is 4,992 km² .-External links:... |
|
| 1999–00 | Kronos Kronos Kronos can refer to:*Cronus, a Titan, the father of Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Demeter, Hera, and Chiron.In business*Kronos Foods, the world's largest manufacturer of gyrosIn computing... |
Tele+ Canal+ Canal+ is a French premium pay television channel launched in 1984. It is 80% owned by the Canal+ Group, which in turn is owned by Vivendi SA. The channel broadcasts several kinds of programming, mostly encrypted... |
| 2000–01 | Lotto Lotto Sport Italia Lotto Sport Italia is an Italian sports apparel manufacturer. Its products are now distributed in more than 60 countries.-History:Lotto was established in 1973 by the Caberlotto family in Montebelluna, northern Italy, the world centre of footwear manufacturing. In June 1973, Lotto made its debut... |
Alitalia Alitalia Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. , in its later stages known as Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. in Extraordinary Administration, was the former Italian flag carrier... |
| 2001–02 | LTS | |
| 2002–06 | Provincia di Palermo Province of Palermo The Province of Palermo is a province in the autonomous region of Sicily, a major island in Southern Italy. Its capital is the city of Palermo. The Province of Palermo has 82 comuni , 1,239,272 inhabitants, and is 4,992 km² .-External links:... |
|
| 2006–08 | None | |
| 2008 | Pramac | |
| 2008–09 | None | |
| 2009–10 | Betshop | |
| 2010 | Eurobet | |
| 2010–11 | Legea Legea Legea is a sportswear company founded in 1990, in Pompei, Italy. It is one of the most popular brands among Italian amateur football teams, now heavily expanding also among top division professional clubs.... |
|
| 2011–12 | Eurobet & Burger King Burger King Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain... |
Stadium
Stadio Renzo Barbera
Stadio Renzo Barbera is a football stadium in Palermo, Italy. It is currently home of U.S. Città di Palermo football team. The stadium was inaugurated on January 24, 1932 and was named Stadio Littorio in homage to the Fascism. The opening match was Palermo vs Atalanta, with Palermo winning 5–1...
, located in the Favorita neighbourhood. The stadium was opened in 1932, during the fascist regime, with the name Stadio Littorio (Lictorial Stadium). The inaugural match was played on 24 January 1932, against Atalanta
Atalanta B.C.
Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio, commonly known as just Atalanta, Atalanta Bergamo or the abbreviation Atalanta BC, is an Italian football club based in Bergamo, Lombardy.They are nicknamed the Nerazzurri and the orobici...
; Palermo won it 5–1. In 1936, it was renamed Stadio Michele Marrone, after a fascist hero who died in the Spanish civil war
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
.
Initially a racetrack was present, and there were no curved sections, but only terraces and a stand. In 1948, following the end of World War II and the fall of the Fascist regime, the stadium assumed the denomination of Stadio La Favorita, after the neighbourhood where it was located, and was also heavily restructured, without racetrack and with two curved sections, thus increasing its capacity to 30,000. In 1984 it was again enlarged, giving a capacity of circa 50,000. This higher capacity was however completely covered in only twice, respectively in a Serie C1
Serie C1
Lega Pro Prima Divisione is the name of the third highest football league in Italy. It consists of 36 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 18 teams each. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1....
league match against Messina
F.C. Messina Peloro
Associazione Calcio Rinascita Messina is an Italian football club based in Messina, Sicily. It currently plays in Serie D.- Brief history :The origins of the team go back to 1900 when Messina F.C was founded in the city. The club has spent most of its history in the lower Italian football leagues...
and a friendly match against Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
. On the occasion of the 1990 FIFA World Cup
1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
, the stadium was renovated with the addition of seats, but the capacity, which was reached on only two occasions before 1990, was reduced to 37,619. During the 1989 renovation works, five employees died following the collapse of a section of the stadium. In 2002 the stadium was renamed in honour of Renzo Barbera, legendary Palermo chairman in the 1970s.
Plans to move the club to a new state-of-the-art stadium to be built were announced in 2007 by current Palermo chairman and owner Maurizio Zamparini
Maurizio Zamparini
Maurizio Zamparini is an Italian businessman and the current owner and chairman of Serie A club U.S. Città di Palermo....
; the new venue is expected to be built in the area of the Velodromo Paolo Borsellino
Velodromo Paolo Borsellino
Velodromo Paolo Borsellino is a multi-use stadium in Palermo, Italy, located in the ZEN neighbourhood of the city, and currently home to local American football club Sharks Palermo and rugby football club Palermo Rugby 2005...
(a smaller venue which also hosted some Palermo games in the past) in the ZEN neighbourhood of the city of Palermo.
Supporters
Solingen
Solingen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the northern edge of the region called Bergisches Land, south of the Ruhr area, and with a 2009 population of 161,366 is the second largest city in the Bergisches Land...
have even founded a club named after their favourite club, FC Rosaneri, which as of 2007 plays in the Kreisliga B
Kreisliga
The Kreisliga is a low tier in league sports in Germany and the 9th tier of league soccer there.The Kreisligen usually rank right below the Bezirksligen, Bezirksklassen or Landesligen. Any teams finding themselves at the bottom of the Kreisligen would find themselves in one of the local...
league.
Support for Palermo is closely associated with a strong sense of belonging to Sicily; indeed, it is not uncommon to see Sicilian flags
Flag of Sicily
The flag of Sicily was first adopted in 1282, after the successful Sicilian Vespers revolt against Charles I of Sicily. It is characterized by the presence of the triskelion in its middle, the head of Medusa and three wheat ears. The three bent legs allegedly represent the three points of the...
waved by fans and ultras
Ultras
Ultras are a type of sports fans renowned for their fanatical support and elaborate displays. They are predominantly European followers of football teams...
during Palermo matches. Palermo fans are also twinned with Lecce
U.S. Lecce
Unione Sportiva Lecce or simply U.S. Lecce is an Italian football club based in Lecce, Apulia who play in the Italian Serie A. After being crowned Serie B champions in 2009–10, the team successfully managed to avoid relegation in 2010-11....
ultras. The latter was even more strengthened in recent times by the acquisition of Fabrizio Miccoli
Fabrizio Miccoli
Fabrizio Miccoli is an Italian football striker who currently is playing for Serie A team Palermo.-Early years:After playing at youth level with Milan, he returned to his native Apulia in 1995 to join Serie C1 team Casarano, where he made his professional debut at the age of 17...
, who is originary from the outskirts of Lecce and a well-known supporter of the local team, who then went on to become a key player and captain for the Sicilians.
Palermo's biggest rivals by far are fellow islanders 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...
. Matches between Palermo and Catania are usually referred to as Sicilian derbies
Sicilian derby
The Derby di Sicilia is a local derby between Italian football clubs Calcio Catania and U.S. Città di Palermo. Catania and Palermo are the two main cities on the island of Sicily, and the teams are fierce rivals...
, despite the existence of a third valid Sicilian team, Messina
F.C. Messina Peloro
Associazione Calcio Rinascita Messina is an Italian football club based in Messina, Sicily. It currently plays in Serie D.- Brief history :The origins of the team go back to 1900 when Messina F.C was founded in the city. The club has spent most of its history in the lower Italian football leagues...
, who played in Serie A alongside Palermo and Catania in recent years. Rivalry with Messina, although historically older, is instead less intense than that with Catania.
The 2006–07 return match between Palermo and Catania, played on 2 February 2007 at Stadio Angelo Massimino
Stadio Angelo Massimino
Stadio Angelo Massimino is a multi-use stadium in Catania, Italy. It is currently used mostly for football matches and the home of Calcio Catania. The stadium was built in 1937 and holds 23,420...
, Catania
Catania
Catania is an Italian city on the east coast of Sicily facing the Ionian Sea, between Messina and Syracuse. It is the capital of the homonymous province, and with 298,957 inhabitants it is the second-largest city in Sicily and the tenth in Italy.Catania is known to have a seismic history and...
, is remembered due to the death of policeman Filippo Raciti
Filippo Raciti
Filippo Raciti was an Italian police officer who was killed in a violent confrontation between Calcio Catania football supporters and police officers....
who was injured during riots between the local police and the Catania supporters
2007 Catania football violence
On February 2, 2007, football violence occurred between football supporters and the police in Catania, Italy. The clashes occurred during and after the Serie A match between Catania and Palermo football clubs, also known as the Sicilian derby...
. This event led Italian Federation commissioner Luca Pancalli
Luca Pancalli
Luca Pancalli is a sports manager and former swimmer. He is currently the Commissioner of the Italian Football Federation....
to suspend all football leagues and national team events in the whole country for a couple of weeks.
Current squad
As of 1 September 2011Technical staff
As of 28 September 2011- Devis MangiaDevis MangiaDevis Mangia is an Italian association football manager, currently in charge as head coach of Serie A club Palermo.-Early years:...
— Head coachCoach (sport)In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:... - Onofrio BaroneOnofrio BaroneOnofrio Barone is an Italian football coach and former player, currently in charge as assistant coach of hometown club Palermo of the Serie A league.-Playing career:...
— Assistant coachCoach (sport)In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:... - Daniele Riganti — Fitness coach
- Mauro Bacchin — Goalkeeping coach
- Paolo Cozzi — Technical collaborator
- Antonello Capodicasa — Primavera Under-19 coach
- Cesare Beggi — Primavera Under-19 assistant coach
- Tarcisio CataneseTarcisio CataneseTarcisio Catanese is a retired Italian professional football midfielder who has more recently been involved in the sport as a manager....
— Allievi Nazionali Under-17 coach - Giovanni TedescoGiovanni TedescoGiovanni Tedesco is an Italian former footballer in the role of centre midfielder, currently in charge as youth coach of U.S. Città di Palermo.-Club career:...
— Allievi Regionali Under-17 coach - Rosario Argento — Youth system chief
Players
Notable managers
Below is a list of prominent head coaches who served at least two seasons, reaching at least a promotion or a tournament final during their stay with the club: Gyula Feldmann Carmelo Di Bella
Carmelo Di Bella
Carmelo Di Bella was an Italian football player and manager. Di Bella spent the vast majority of his career in Sicily where he was a prominent figure in the footballing scene, especially in relation to the island's most successful clubs; Catania and Palermo.-Playing career:Di Bella, a left wing,...
Delio Rossi
Delio Rossi
Delio Rossi is an Italian association football manager, currently managing Fiorentina.-Playing career:Rossi's playing career was not a bright one, as he reached his personal top from 1981 to 1983, playing Serie B with U.S. Foggia, where he spent most of his footballing time...
Francesco Guidolin
Francesco Guidolin
Francesco Guidolin is an Italian football manager and former player, currently serving as head coach of Serie A outfit Udinese.-Playing career:...
Fernando Veneranda
Fernando Veneranda
Fernando Veneranda was an Italian football player and manager.-Playing career:Veneranda, a forward, started his professional career for Fiorentina, where he played from 1960 to 1963. He never played a single Serie A match, but appeared in a Cup Winners' Cup match, as well as in the Coppa Italia...
Čestmír Vycpálek
Cestmír Vycpálek
Čestmír Vycpálek was a former Czech football player and manager. He was an uncle of noted football manager Zdeněk Zeman.-Playing career:...
Presidential history
Over the years Palermo has had various owners, chairmen or presidential figures; here is a chronological list of the known presidents:- Edward De Garston (1900)
- Michele Vannucci del Corbo (1903)
- Ignazio Majo Pagano (1903)
- Barone Sergio (1920)
- Columbus (1924)
- Barone Luigi Bordonaro (1929)
- Francesco Paolo Barresi (1931)
- Valentino Colombo (1934)
- Giovanni De Luca (1935)
- Valentino Colombo (1936)
- Paolo Di Pietra (1937)
- Salvatore Barbaro (1938)
- Federico D'Arle (1941)
- Giuseppe Agnello (1942)
- Stefano La Motta (1947)
- Giuseppe Guazzardella (1948)
- Raimondo Lanza di Trabia (1951)
- Barone Carlo La Lomia (1952)
- Mario Fasino (1953)
- Ernesto Pivetti (1954)
- Giuseppe Trapani (1955)
- Arturo Cassina, G. Seminara (1956)
- Casimiro Vizzini (1957)
- Guglielmo Pinzero (1963)
- Di Fresco, Barbaccia, Gorgone (1964)
- Luigi Gioia (1965)
- Giuseppe Pergolizzi (1967)
- Renzo Barbera (1970)
- Gaspare Gambino (1981)
- Roberto Parisi (1982)
- Salvatore Matta (1985)
- Salvino Lagumina (1987)
- Giovanni Ferrara (1989)
- Liborio Polizzi (1993)
- Giovanni Ferrara (1995)
- Sergio D'Antoni (2000)
- Maurizio ZampariniMaurizio ZampariniMaurizio Zamparini is an Italian businessman and the current owner and chairman of Serie A club U.S. Città di Palermo....
(2002)
Honours
- Coppa ItaliaCoppa ItaliaThe Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
- Runners-up (3): 1973–74, 1978–79, 2010–112010–11 Coppa Italia-=Second round:=-----=Third round:=-----=Fourth round:=-Section 2:-=First round:=---------=Second round:=---------=Third round:=-----=Fourth round:=-Section 3:-=First round:=-=Second round:=--------...
- Serie BSerie BSerie 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...
- Champions (4): 1931–32, 1947–48, 1967–68, 2003–04
- Runners-up (1): 1958–59
- Serie CSerie CThe 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...
- Champions (1): 1941–42, 1945–46
- Serie C1Serie C1Lega Pro Prima Divisione is the name of the third highest football league in Italy. It consists of 36 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 18 teams each. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1....
- Champions (2): 1992–93, 2000–01
- Runners-up (3): 1984–85, 1990–91
- Serie C2Serie C2Lega Pro Seconda Divisione is the name of the fourth highest football league in Italy, the lowest with a professional status. Usually it consists of 54 teams, but in the season 2010–11 the teams are only 49 divided geographically into three divisions of 17, 16 and 16 teams each...
- Champions (1): 1987–88
- Coppa Italia Serie CCoppa Italia Serie CCoppa Italia Lega Pro , formerly named Coppa Italia Serie C, is a straight knock-out based competition involving teams from Lega Pro in Italian football. All games, including the final, are on a home/away basis....
- Winners (1): 1990–91
- Coppa Federale SicilianaCoppa Federale SicilianaCoppa Federale Siciliana was a Sicilian football competition which took place in during May 1920. The tournament took place just once, in the aftermath of World War I...
- Winners (1): 1920
- Whitaker Challenge Cup
- Winners (1): 1908
- Lipton Challenge CupLipton Challenge CupThe Lipton Challenge Cup also known as Coppa Lipton was a football competition competed between clubs from Southern Italy and Sicily. It was played during the period leading up to World War I when football in the country was still in its infancy....
- Winners (3): 1910, 1912, 1913
- Runners-up (3): 1909, 1911, 1914
Records
- Most league goals – 64, Carlo Radice (1929–32)
- Most Serie A league goals – 56, Fabrizio MiccoliFabrizio MiccoliFabrizio Miccoli is an Italian football striker who currently is playing for Serie A team Palermo.-Early years:After playing at youth level with Milan, he returned to his native Apulia in 1995 to join Serie C1 team Casarano, where he made his professional debut at the age of 17...
(2007–Present) - Most goals in a season – 30, Luca ToniLuca ToniLuca Toni, Ufficiale OMRI is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who currently plays for Serie A club Juventus. He has had successful spells at top clubs such as Palermo, Fiorentina, Bayern Munich, and Roma...
(2003–04) - Most league appearances – 319, Roberto BiffiRoberto BiffiRoberto Biffi is a former Italian footballer in the role of centre back, who lastly worked as an assistant manager for Bulgarian A PFG club Botev Plovdiv.-Player:...
(1988–99) - Most European appearances - 15, Mattia CassaniMattia CassaniMattia Cassani is an Italian footballer who plays as a defender for Serie A club Fiorentina and the Italian national team.-Club career:Cassani started his career at Juventus and then left for Sampdoria on loan in January 2003...
- Most Serie A league appearances – 161, Mattia CassaniMattia CassaniMattia Cassani is an Italian footballer who plays as a defender for Serie A club Fiorentina and the Italian national team.-Club career:Cassani started his career at Juventus and then left for Sampdoria on loan in January 2003...
(2006–2011) - Current player with most league appearances – 161, Mattia CassaniMattia CassaniMattia Cassani is an Italian footballer who plays as a defender for Serie A club Fiorentina and the Italian national team.-Club career:Cassani started his career at Juventus and then left for Sampdoria on loan in January 2003...
(updated 24 August 2011) - Biggest win and biggest home win – 8–0 (v. Pro PatriaPro Patria CalcioAurora Pro Patria 1919 is an Italian association football club, based in Busto Arsizio, Lombardy. They currently play in Lega Pro Seconda Divisione.In Latin, Pro Patria translate to "For the Fatherland"....
, 5 November 1950) - Biggest away win – 7–1 (v. LecceU.S. LecceUnione Sportiva Lecce or simply U.S. Lecce is an Italian football club based in Lecce, Apulia who play in the Italian Serie A. After being crowned Serie B champions in 2009–10, the team successfully managed to avoid relegation in 2010-11....
, 23 October 1994) - Biggest defeat and biggest away defeat – 0–9 (v. AC MilanA.C. MilanAssociazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
, 18 February 1951) - Biggest home defeat – 0–7 (v. UdineseUdinese CalcioUdinese 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....
, 27 February 2011)