US Salernitana 1919

History

From Unione Sportiva Salernitana to Salernitana Calcio 1919

Main article: History of U.S. Salernitana 1919

The Salerno-based club was originally founded in 1919 as the Unione Sportiva Salernitana. The club was known as Società Sportiva Salernitanaudax for a time during the 1920s following a merger with Audax Salerno. In 1978, the club was renamed Salernitana Sport. The club has spent the majority of their history at the Serie B and Serie C levels of Italian football.

Salernitana play their home matches at Stadio Arechi. In their early years, Salernitana competed in the regional Italian Football Championship. They played at this level for four seasons during the 1920s. Since that time the club reached the top level of Italian football twice; they played in Serie A during 1947–48 and 1998–99.

In 2005, the club went bankrupt but was restarted by Antonio Lombardi, changing the name from Salernitana Sport to Salernitana Calcio 1919.

In 2011, the club did not appeal against a decision by Commissione di Vigilanza sulle Società di Calcio Professionistiche (Co.Vi.So.C) and was excluded from Italian football.

Club refoundation: from Serie D to the top flight

On 21 July 2011, following the exclusion of the original Salernitana club, Salerno mayor Vincenzo De Luca, in compliance with Article 52 of N.O.I.F., assigned the new title to Marco Mezzaroma, brother-in-law of Lazio owner and chairman Claudio Lotito. The new club was admitted to Serie D under the denomination of Salerno Calcio.

In the 2011–12 season, Salernitana was immediately promoted to Lega Pro Seconda Divisione after winning Group G of Serie D.

On 12 July 2012, the club was renamed US Salernitana 1919. In the 2012–13 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione season, Salernitana finished first in Girone B, and was promoted to Lega Pro Prima Divisione. This was the second consecutive promotion for the team. Finally Salernitana won Group C of Lega Pro and returned Serie B in 2014–15 season.

After several seasons at Serie B level, Salernitana won promotion to Serie A at the end of the 2020–21 Serie B season under the tenure of head coach Fabrizio Castori, finishing in 2nd place behind champions Empoli. Promotion was secured with a 3–0 victory over Pescara on the final matchday. Salernitana's return to Serie A however required Lotito and Mezzaroma to sell the club, due to Italian football laws not allowing two clubs from the same owner to play in the same league. On 7 July 2021, the FIGC Federal Council approved the trust of Salernitana to take control of the club, meaning it was officially enrolled in Serie A for the first time in 23 years.

Serie A: 2021–2024

Salernitana's first match in its return to the top flight was a 3–2 defeat against Bologna on 22 August 2021. After a poor start to the season, earning only one point from the first six matches, the club picked up its first Serie A victory against Genoa on matchday seven, winning 1–0 courtesy of a goal from Milan Đurić. In October, the Salernitana board fired Castori after a 2–1 loss to Spezia had left the club at the bottom of the table, with four points from their opening eight league games. Stefano Colantuono was named as his replacement, returning for a second spell as head coach having previously led Salernitana from December 2017 to December 2018. On 22 May 2022, Salernitana avoided relegation by finishing with the lowest points tally in Serie A history with just 31 points. Salernitana managed to pull off the great escape by securing 18 points from their last 15 matches. In the 2023/2024 Serie A season, Salernitana finished bottom of the table and were relegated back to Serie B.

Colours, badge and nicknames

Salernitana originally wore light blue and white striped shirts, known in Italy as biancocelesti. The blue on the shirt was chosen to represent the sea, as Salerno lies right next to the Gulf of Salerno and has a long tradition as a port city. In the 1940s, the club changed to garnet coloured shirts, which has gained them the nickname granata in their homeland.

During the 2011–12 season their kit colours were striped blue and deep red, resembling F.C. Barcelona. The symbol of St. Matthew, patron saint of Salerno, was also a part of the redesigned kit.

Since renaming the club US Salernitana 1919, however, their home colours have again been the traditional garnet.

The 100th anniversary logo was announced on 24 June 2019, and appeared on their 2019–20 season kits.

Honours

League

• Serie B: ::Winners: 1946–47 (Group C), 1997–98
• Serie C / Serie C1: ::Winners: 1937–38, 1965–66, 2007–08, 2014–15
• Lega Pro Seconda Divisione: / Serie C2: ::Winners: 2012–13
• Serie D: ::Winners: 2011–12 (as Salerno Calcio)

Cups

• Coppa Italia Serie C: ::Winners: 2013–14
• Supercoppa di Lega di Seconda Divisione: ::Winners: 2012–13

Internationally

• Anglo-Italian Cup: ::Quarter Finalist: 1994-1995

Divisional movements

Players

Current squad

Out on loan

Non-playing staff

• POL Krzysztof Piątek (2022)
• SEN Boulaye Dia (2022)
• TUN Dylan Bronn (2022)

Managers

• HUN Géza Kertész (1929–31)
• ITA Pietro Leone (1931–32)
• HUN Ferenc Hirzer (1936–38)
• ITA PAR Attila Sallustro (1939)
• HUN Ferenc Hirzer (1940–41)
• HUN Géza Kertész (1943–44)
• ITA Giuseppe Viani (1946–48)
• ITA Arnaldo Sentimenti (1950)
• AUT Rodolphe Hiden (1951–52)
• ITA Paolo Todeschini (1956–57)
• ITA Nicolò Nicolosi (1958–59)
• URU Ettore Puricelli (1960–61)
• HUN Gyula Zsengellér (1961–62)
• AUT Rodolphe Hiden (1963–64)
• ITA Pietro Magni (1969)
• ITA Lucio Mujesan (1977)
• ITA Enea Masiero (1977–78)
• ITA Lucio Mujesan (1978)
• ITA Lamberto Leonardi (1980–81)
• ITA Romano Mattè (1981–82)
• ARG Francisco Lojacono (1982–83)
• ITA Mario Facco (1983–84)
• ITA Gian Piero Ghio (1984–86)
• ITA Lamberto Leonardi (1989)
• ITA Giovanni Simonelli (1991–92)
• ITA Tarcisio Burgnich (1991–92)
• ITA Giuliano Sonzogni (1992–93)
• ITA Delio Rossi (1993–95)
• ITA Franco Colomba (1995–97)
• ITA Delio Rossi (1997–99)
• ITA Luigi Cagni (1999–2000)
• ITA Nedo Sonetti (2000–01)
• CZE Zdeněk Zeman (2001–02)
• ITA Stefano Pioli (2003–04)
• ITA Angelo Gregucci (2004–05)
• ITA Stefano Cuoghi (2005–06)
• ITA Gianfranco Bellotto (2006–07)
• ITA Andrea Agostinelli (2007)
• ITA Fabio Brini (2008)
• ITA Fabrizio Castori (2008)
• ITA Bortolo Mutti (2008–09)
• ITA Fabrizio Castori (2009)
• ITA Fabio Brini (2009)
• ITA Marco Cari (2009)
• ITA Gianluca Grassadonia (2010)
• ITA Roberto Breda (2010–11)
• ITA Carlo Perrone (2011–12)
• ITA Giuseppe Galderisi (2012)
• ITA Carlo Perrone (2012–13)
• ITA Stefano Sanderra (2013)
• ITA Carlo Perrone (2013)
• ITA Angelo Gregucci (2014)
• ITA Mario Somma (2014)
• ITA Leonardo Menichini (2014–15)
• ITA Vincenzo Torrente (2015–16)
• ITA Leonardo Menichini (2016)
• ITA Giuseppe Sannino (2016)
• ITA Alberto Bollini (2016–17)
• ITA Stefano Colantuono (2017–18)
• ITA Angelo Gregucci (2018–19)
• ITA Leonardo Menichini (2019)
• ITA Gian Piero Ventura (2019–20)
• ITA Fabrizio Castori (2020–21)
• ITA Stefano Colantuono (2021–22)
• ITA Davide Nicola (2022–23)
• POR Paulo Sousa (2023)
• ITA Filippo Inzaghi (2023–24)
• ITA Fabio Liverani (2024)
• ITA Stefano Colantuono (2024)
• ITA Giovanni Martusciello (2024)
• ITA Stefano Colantuono (2024)
• ITA Roberto Breda (2025)
• ITA Pasquale Marino (2025)
• ITA Giuseppe Raffaele (2025–present)

References

References

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19. (26 July 2011). "Sarà "Salerno Calcio" il nome della nuova società calcistica della città. Lotito e Mezzaroma hanno presentato i loro progetti". 12mesi.it.
20. [https://www.ussalernitana1919.it/il-nuovo-logo-ufficiale-della-u-s-salernitana-1919-per-la-stagione-numero-100/ Il logo ufficiale della Salernitana per la stagione numero 100] {{Webarchive. link. (13 December 2022 (in Italian))
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23. {{NFT player