ACR Messina

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ACR Messina
Full nameAssociazioni Calcio Riunite Messina S.r.l.
Nickname(s)Giallorossi (Yellow-red)
Biancoscudati (White-shield)
Founded1900 as Messina F.C.
GroundStadio Comunale San Filippo-Franco Scoglio,
Messina, Italy
Capacity38,722[1]
ChairmanPietro Sciotto
Head coachGiacomo Modica
LeagueSerie C Group C
2022–23Serie C Group C, 17th of 20
WebsiteClub website
Current season

Associazioni Calcio Riunite Messina S.r.l. is a football club based in Messina, Sicily, Italy, that competes in the Serie C, the third tier of the Italian football league system.

History[edit]

Football in Messina[edit]

The origins of the team go back to 1900, when Messina F.C. was founded in the city.[citation needed] The club has spent most of its existence in the lower Italian football leagues.[citation needed] They last competed in Serie B in 2007–08, which followed three consecutive seasons in Serie A.[citation needed] In July 2008, Messina were excluded from professional football due to financial issues, being later registered into amateur Serie D.[citation needed]

The farthest Messina has reached in the Coppa Italia is the last 16.[citation needed] This was achieved in the 2000s decade.[citation needed] In the past, they have also reached the semi-finals in the Coppa Italia Serie C.[2]

Messina have appeared in the Italy's top league, Serie A, for a total of five seasons.[citation needed] The club's first spell in the league was in the 1960s; the second began in the 2000s decade.[citation needed] The highest ever position they have finished is 7th,[3] which happened during the 2004–05 season.[citation needed]

From Messina F.C. to Giostra Messina (1900 to 1939)[edit]

The history of Messina Football Club began when Alfredo Marangolo returned to Sicily in August 1900 from studying in London, England.[citation needed] In Great Britain the game of football was fast gathering popularity with The Football League in its early stages.[citation needed]

Messina Football Club were officially founded on 1 December 1900[4] by Marangolo with the help of Anglican reverend "Caulifield".[5]

At the college where Marangolo visited he had also made the acquaintance of Ignazio Majo Pagano who formed Anglo Palermitan (Palermo) on his return, only a month before Messina.[citation needed] The first Sicilian derby was held between Messina and Palermo on 18 April 1901; 1,000 fans turned out to Via Notarbartolo for the match.[citation needed] The game ended 3–2 to the Palermitan side.[6]

A strong bond and a healthy rivalry had built up between the two Sicilian clubs and a competition named the Whitaker Challenge Cup was arranged to be played between them.[citation needed] The first was held in 1905; Messina won another game (3–2) and captured their first trophy.[citation needed] Messina repeated the feat the following year at San Ranieri, capturing the trophy in a 2–1 victory.[citation needed]

Messina team photograph from 1910

The earthquake of 1908, which killed 60,000 people in Messina, later affected the club in a large manner; deaths included Charles Bousfield Huleatt, players Frank John Carter, Walter Oates and financial backer George H. Peirce.[citation needed] Football resumed in Messina the following year, thanks largely to Arthur Barret Lascelles who used his own money to ensure football activity in the city would continue.[citation needed] By 1910, the funds of Barret had dried up, and the club was folded, Società Ginnastica Garibaldi Messina (Gymnastic Society Garibaldi Messina) briefly took its place, until it too was dissolved due to the First World War.[7]

After World War I, a club under the name US Messinese was founded and entered the following year's Coppa Federale Siciliana, an all Sicilian championship contested in Messina, Catania and Palermo. Messina finished as runners-up.[citation needed]

The club participated in the Italian Football Championship of 1921–22, organised by the C.C.I., finishing third in the Sicilian group section; this was the first championship in which clubs from the island were entered.[citation needed] The following season the FIGC and CCI were unified.[citation needed] This coincided with mergers in Messina, as another side, Umberto I Messina, was incorporated into US Messinese, and, therefore, the club changed its name to US Messinese Umberto I in October 1922.[citation needed] The following month this new side was fused again, this time with Messina Sporting Club; creating the Messina Football Club.[citation needed] Only two years later, in December 1924, FC Messina was melted,[clarification needed] and the players became part of the reformed US Messinese.[8]

Finally, Messinese qualified for the semi-finals of the International League, after beating Palermo, 3–0, in the Sicilian championship of 1924–25.[citation needed] Here, Messinese played against Alba Roma, Cavese and Liberty Bari, but failed to win a single match, scoring only two goals in six games.[citation needed] Messina would be promoted to Serie B for the 1932–33 campaign under the presidency of Francesco Lombardo and Koenig's coaching and remained in the league for six seasons.[citation needed] The spell in Serie B was also notable for the local rivalry between them and Calcio Catania.[citation needed]

Messina's last squad of the 1930s, while Lombardo was president

.

From 1940 to 1947[edit]

Down in Serie C, AC Messina were withdrawn and folded during 1940–41.[citation needed] The following season, in 1941–42, a club named US Peloro 1906 changed its name and became US Mario Passamonte (named after a fallen hero of the war in Africa).[citation needed] The idea was to enter the club into Serie C in place of Messina.[citation needed] However this was unsuccessful, until the following season.[why?][citation needed]

It would not be long[tone] before all activity was halted in Italian football for World War II. After several mergers in 1945, including one between US Passamonte and AP Messina, the club AS Messina subsequently emerged as a post-war representative of Messina.[citation needed] This was not a clean cut merger.[citation needed] Some players and officials formed the rival club Giostra Messina.[citation needed] Both Giostra and AS Messina reached the finals of the Southern League but eventually finished fourth and fifth respectively.[citation needed]

A.C. Riunite Messina[edit]

In 1947, the two teams AS Messina and Giostra Messina were united as one merged club Associazioni Calcio Riunite Messina, abbreviated as AC Riunite Messina.[citation needed]

The 1950s for Messina began in glorious fashion,[tone] they were crowned champions of Serie C under the management of Yugoslav manager Mihalj Balačić.[citation needed] Messina did not falter in Serie B.[citation needed] During their first season in the league they avoided relegation.[citation needed] Giuseppe Melazzo and the Comitato Reggenza owned the club during this new period of relative success.[citation needed] During the following season, Messina finished in third place.[citation needed]

Throughout the rest of the 1950s, Messina remained in the division as a whole finishing in a respectable position.[citation needed] Goffredo Muglia took over as president in 1958, to begin a brand new era for the club.[citation needed] For the first time in their history, Messina were crowned champions of Serie B during the 1962–63 season.[citation needed] The race for the championship was a very close one and went down to the last day of the season, with Messina finishing above Bari and Lazio.[citation needed]

For their first ever season in Serie A, the football squad for Messina included; Morelli, Brambilla, Stucchi, Pagani, Dotti, Peruvian Benitez, Ghelfi, Fascetti, Morbello, Canuti and Clerici.[citation needed] Messina's first game in Serie A took place on 15 September 1963.[citation needed] It ended in a 3–1 defeat against Sampdoria at Stadio Luigi Ferraris.[citation needed] As a whole, the first part of the season was not a success.[citation needed] They won only two games, but they managed to turn it around in the second half of the season with 7 wins, beating Juventus (1–0), Fiorentina (1–0) and Sampdoria (4–3).[citation needed] The surge of wins in the latter part of the season helped them stay up, finishing 14th.[citation needed]

The next season for the club in Serie A would not be so fortunate.[citation needed] They were relegated in 17th place.[citation needed] Some notable high points of the season included a 1–0 victory over Roma at the Stadio Olimpico.[citation needed] A team from Rome would also be the opposition for Messina's other most impressive result of the season.[citation needed] They stunned[tone] Lazio, beating them, 4–0, on the last day of the season.[citation needed]

The Sicilian side were not able to bounce straight back up[tone] into Serie A, and, in fact,[tone] after their third season back down in Serie B were relegated.[citation needed] After several seasons finishing in and around[vague] the top 10 positions of Serie C, Messina were relegated down to Serie D in the 1972–73 season.[citation needed] The club managed to bounce straight back,[tone] winning the Serie D championship and achieving promotion back into C.[citation needed] After a few[quantify] decent[vague][tone] seasons in the upper parts of the table, relegation struck Messina again.[tone][citation needed] In the 1979 season Serie C2 was formed and Messina were placed into it.[citation needed]

By 1983, Messina were champions of Serie C2 and had a future star[tone] amongst their ranks in Salvatore Schillaci.[citation needed] The club, now back on the right track,[tone] came close to promotion to Serie B in 1985 with a third-place finish just behind Palermo, and won Serie C1 and earned themselves promotion back to Serie B the following season.[citation needed]

Time in Serie B during the 1980s, was a pleasant one for the Sicilian side.[tone][citation needed] They notched[tone] seventh and eighth-place finishes.[citation needed] In 1989, Schillaci was sold to Turin giants Juventus, and, just three seasons after Schillaci's departure, Messina lost their position in Serie B and were relegated down to C1 and then spiraled[tone] into further trouble.[citation needed] The club finished 12th in Serie C1 in the 1992–93 season, but, due to financial difficulties, the FIGC cancelled all professional football activity for Messina.[citation needed]

In 1993, it was included to Sicilian Promozione, and in 1994, it was admitted in Sicilian Eccellenza.[citation needed] In this league the club has played until 1998, when following the relegation in Sicilian Promozione, it was dissolved.[citation needed]

A.S. Messina[edit]

The decision was thought to be unjust by the club and fans, with Messina been thrown into a footballing abyss never known before.[tone][citation needed] In the summer of 1993, A.S. Messina was founded with the president Pietro La Malfa, beginning in the amateurs national championship (C.N.D.) with the objective to bring back the giallorossi to professional football.[citation needed]

They played in the Campionato Nazionale Dilettanti for four seasons, finishing high up[where?][vague] for the first three of them, but in the 1996–97 season, they were ranked last and relegated to the Sicilian Eccellenza league.[citation needed]

In the 1998–99 season, they were relegated to Sicilian Promozione and were dissolved.[citation needed]

From U.S. Peloro to F.C. Messina Peloro[edit]

In the summer of 1994, after the merger of Villafranca and Tremestieri, U.S. Peloro was founded.[citation needed] It played two seasons in Eccellenza Sicily, and in 1996, it was promoted to Campionato Nazionale Dilettanti (Serie D).[citation needed] Then, in the 1996 season, the club played in the same league as the town's other team, A.S. Messina, where it was ranked 6th.[citation needed]

In July 1997, the club changed its name to Football Club Messina Peloro.[citation needed] In a few[quantify][vague] short[why?][vague] seasons, the club ramped up[clarification needed][tone] the Italian league system, from Campionato Nazionale Dilettanti in the 1997–98 season, Messina were promoted into Serie C2 as champions.[citation needed] Promoted to Serie C1 in 2000, they immediately managed to fight hard[tone] for a promotion spot back to Serie B, winning promotion to Calcio Catania after play-offs.[citation needed] In less than a decade, under the presidency of Aliotta, Messina had climbed back up from the abyss[tone] and were back in the upper part of the Italian league system.[citation needed]

After two seasons in Serie B, local entrepreneur Pietro Franza took over, and in 2003–04, Sicily returned into Serie A under coach Bortolo Mutti.[citation needed] The club had not appeared in the top Italian league since 1965, a total of forty years.[citation needed]

After being tipped as underdogs in Serie A for the 2004–05 season, Messina surprised doubters by producing several good results including defeating both of the Milanese clubs, beating AC Milan first at San Siro 2–1,[9] and then later in the season also with Internazionale, this time at home, for the first time in their history; the winning goal was struck by Rafael in the third minute of injury time.[10]

Messina managed to stay clear of relegation throughout the whole season, and eventually finished in seventh place in the table, just a single place away from securing a UEFA Cup place.[citation needed] Also during this period, for the first time in the club's history,[11] Messina players were called up in the Italy national football team: first was Alessandro Parisi in 2004, then Carmine Coppola in 2005 who was called up twice by the azzurri.[citation needed]

Despite this impressive[tone] form, Messina were still in danger of being relegated from Serie A at the end of the season, due to a possibility of not having enough finances available to compete in the league.[citation needed] Eventually,[vague][clarification needed] though,[vague][clarification needed] they successfully managed to stay in the Serie A league.[citation needed] In the 2005–06 season, Messina were unable to repeat their previous impressive[tone] season, leading to the sacking of Mutti, who was replaced by Giampiero Ventura.[citation needed] Despite all,[vague][clarification needed] they looked to be mathematically relegated from the top division after Day 36.[citation needed] losing the derby against Reggina, 3–0.[citation needed] However, due to the Serie A scandal of 2006, Messina avoided relegation to Serie B despite finishing 18th.[citation needed]

Messina started the 2006–07 season with Bruno Giordano as head coach; however, he was replaced on 30 January 2007, by Alberto Cavasin because of poor results.[citation needed] On 2 April, following a 2–0 away defeat to Cagliari, another team involved in the battle to avoid relegation, Cavasin was sacked, and Giordano was recalled to fill the coaching position.[citation needed] Giordano's record was even worse in his second time at Messina, with four defeats in four matches.[citation needed] With Messina second-last placed in the table five matchdays prior to the end of the season, Giordano was sacked again on 23 April, and replaced by Bruno Bolchi.[citation needed] Messina were relegated at the end of the season.[citation needed]

After a quiet Serie B season in 2007–08, in July 2008 Messina chairman Pietro Franza announced he did not find any investor ready to take over the club and that he was consequently giving up the club's Serie B membership, declaring that he would look forward to enter the club into an amateur league.[citation needed] On 1 August, it was confirmed[by whom?] that Messina was admitted to Serie D.[citation needed] In November 2008, the Court of Messina declared the club to be bankrupt and appointed a trustee to start a search for potential investors.[citation needed]

A.C. Rinascita Messina[edit]

Logo of Rinascita Messina

In March 2009, Rome-based entrepreneur Alfredo Di Lullo acquired Football Club Messina Peloro in a blind auction held by the Court of Messina in April 2009.[12] The club was renamed A.C. Rinascita Messina (rinascita means "revived").[citation needed] On 4 January 2011, the club was transferred to the group Martorano which on 14 August 2011, sold it to Raffaele "Lello" Manfredi.[citation needed]

In June 2012, the club was acquired by a consortium led by prominent football manager Pietro Lo Monaco, former managing director at Serie A club Catania and one of the masterminds behind the club's rise into top flight in the 2000s.[citation needed] Messina finished 4th in Group I and qualified to the promotion playoffs in the 2011–12 season.[citation needed] It eliminated Battipagliese by a score of 3–1 in the first round but was eliminated by Cosenza by a score of 3–0 in the second round.[citation needed] Messina finally became champions of Group I of Serie D and were promoted to Lega Pro Seconda Divisione, the fourth level of the Italian league.[citation needed] After winning the Lega Pro Seconda Divisione/B title, the club was then admitted to play in the unified 2014–15 Lega Pro season.[citation needed]

A.C. Riunite Messina[edit]

Since the summer of 2014, the new name of the club is Associazioni Calcio Riunite Messina.[citation needed] In the 2014–15 season, the club was relegated to Serie D, but it was readmitted to Lega Pro for involvement in sporting fraud.[citation needed] Since the summer of 2015, the new owner and president is Natale Stracuzzi.[citation needed] The club failed to submit its surety by the 5 July 2017 deadline[13] and was expelled by Lega Pro.[14] A successor club, A.C.R. Messina S.s.d. a r.l. was admitted to the 2017–18 Serie D.[15]

Under the ownership of local car dealing businessman Pietro Sciotto, Messina were promoted back to Serie C in 2021 as league champions, and have played in the Italian third tier ever since.[citation needed]

Rivalries[edit]

Messina's biggest rivals are Reggina, located on the mainland, due to their close proximity and matches are known as Derby dello Stretto ("Derby of the Strait") as Messina and Reggio Calabria are separated by the Strait of Messina.[citation needed]

Catania and Palermo, the other two biggest clubs in Sicily, compete the Sicilian derbies.[citation needed]

Colors and badge[edit]

Its colours are yellow and red.[citation needed]

Current squad[edit]

As of 1 February 2024[16]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Italy ITA Edoardo Piana (on loan from Udinese)
4 DF Moldova MDA Daniel Dumbravanu (on loan from SPAL)
5 MF Italy ITA Marco Firenze
6 DF Italy ITA Marco Manetta
7 DF Italy ITA Damiano Lia
8 MF Italy ITA Giulio Frisenna
9 FW Italy ITA Pierluca Luciani (on loan from Frosinone)
10 FW Italy ITA Michele Emmausso
11 FW Italy ITA Marco Zunno (on loan from Cremonese)
16 MF Italy ITA Domenico Franco
19 MF Italy ITA Francesco Giunta
20 DF Italy ITA Samuele Zona (on loan from Arezzo)
No. Pos. Nation Player
21 DF Italy ITA Giuseppe Salvo
23 DF Italy ITA Federico Pacciardi
24 FW Italy ITA Pasqualino Ortisi
27 FW Italy ITA Carlo Cavallo
28 FW Italy ITA Vincenzo Plescia
30 GK Italy ITA Ermanno Fumagalli
33 DF Italy ITA Vincenzo Polito
70 FW Italy ITA Marco Rosafio (on loan from SPAL)
77 FW Italy ITA Francesco Scafetta (on loan from Bari)
88 MF Italy ITA Marco Civilleri
90 FW Italy ITA Antonino Ragusa
91 FW Italy ITA Sabino Signorile (on loan from Cerignola)

Notable players[edit]

Stadium[edit]

Stadio San Filippo

The former club Football Club Messina Peloro have played their home matches in the new Stadio Comunale San Filippo since the 2004–05 to 2008–09 season.[citation needed] Since the season 2009–10 plays here the current team of A.C. Riunite Messina 1947.[citation needed]

The capacity of the stadium is 37,895 seats.[citation needed] It is named after the part of the city in which it is located, but a couple of petitions aim to rename it after the former Messina manager Franco Scoglio or the Messina Saint Hannibal Mary Di Francia.[citation needed]

The old stadium, the 11,000 seater Stadio Comunale Giovanni Celeste, is now used by S.S.D. Città di Messina, the second team of the city.[citation needed]

Honours[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Impianti superiori a 7500 Archived 21 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine osservatoriosport.interno.it
  2. ^ Messina Story
  3. ^ RSSSF.com Archived 12 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Messina Story
  5. ^ Storia F.C. Messina
  6. ^ Messina Story
  7. ^ Messina Calcio
  8. ^ MessinaCalcio.net Archived 17 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ Channel4.com
  10. ^ Channel4.com
  11. ^ Forza Azzurri Statistics
  12. ^ "COMUNICATO UFFICIALE N.160/A (2008–09)" (PDF) (in Italian). FIGC. 27 June 2009. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  13. ^ "Serie C 2017/2018: Mantova, Messina, Maceratese e Akragas Non Presentano la Fideiussione" [Serie C 2017-18: Mantua, Messina, Maceratese and Akragas Do Not Have a Surety]. Sport Piacenza (in Italian). 6 July 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  14. ^ Chito, Roberto (20 July 2017). "Serie C, il Consiglio Federale: Ecco Tutte le Decisioni Prese Oggi" [Series C, the Federal Council: Here are All the Decisions Made Today]. Tutto Matera (in Italian). Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  15. ^ "Serie D 2017/2018: I Gironi" [Serie D 2017-18: The Groups] (Press release) (in Italian). Serie D. 11 August 2017. Archived from the original on 23 June 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  16. ^ "Italy - ACR Messina - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  17. ^ "Risultati e Classifiche". Lega Nazionale Dilettanti (in Italian). Retrieved 20 July 2021.

External links[edit]