Reggina

Logo
Full name	Reggina Calcio SpA
Nickname(s)	Amaranto (Dark-reds)
Founded	1914 (U.S. Reggio Calabria) 1986 (Reggina Calcio)
Ground	Stadio Oreste Granillo, Reggio Calabria, Italy (Capacity: 27,763)
Chairman	Pasquale Foti
Manager	Roberto Breda
League	Serie B
2010–11	Serie B, 6th
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Not to be confused with A.C. Reggiana 1919, a Lega Pro Prima Divisione team based in Reggio Emilia.

Reggina Calcio are an Italian association football club, the main club of the city of Reggio Calabria. Founded in 1914, they currently play in the Italian Serie B, and play their home matches at the 27,763 seater Stadio Oreste Granillo. They are nicknamed amaranto (amaranth) after their official colour.

History[link]

The club was founded in 11 January 1914 as Unione Sportiva Reggio Calabria, and changed name many times (Società Calcistica Reggio, Reggio Foot Ball Club, Associazione Sportiva Reggina, Società Sportiva La Dominante), finally assuming their current denomination in 1986. In recent years, Reggina have been alternating between the top two levels of the Italian league. They reached the Italian top division Serie A for the first time in 1999. Two years later, they lost a relegation playoff against Verona, being consequently relegated to Serie B. Reggina finished third in Serie B in 2002, earning a return to Serie A. In 2003, Reggina survived a relegation playoff against Atalanta.

They were indicted in 2006 for sporting fraud as part of the second wave of Serie A scandal investigations. Originally punished with a 15-point deduction for the Serie A 2006-07,^[1] then reduced to 11 points following appeal.^[2] Despite the heavy deduction of points, Reggina managed to save from relegation, defeating fresh UEFA Champions League winners Milan on the final matchday and ending the season with 40 points (including the deduction), just one single point above the third relegation spot, occupied by Chievo. They however poorly started their 2007–08 campaign, causing head coach Massimo Ficcadenti to be sacked and replaced by Renzo Ulivieri.^[3] A third managerial change, with Ulivieri fired and replacing with team scout Nevio Orlandi, proved to be successful as Reggina improved their results and performances, escaping relegation with key wins at Catania, and home to Empoli. Orlandi was subsequently confirmed at the helm of the amaranto for the 2008–09 season.

Reggina are fierce rivals with neighbours F.C. Messina Peloro, who are just a fifteen-minute ferry ride apart from each other. Twice every season they clash in the Derby dello Stretto (Strait of Messina Derby), which is currently on hiatus following Messina's relegation to Serie D for the 2008–09 season due to financial problems.

Current squad[link]

As of May 28, 2012 ^[4]

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

No. Position Player 2 DF Daniel Adejo 3 DF Emerson 4 MF Nicolas Viola 5 DF Gianluca Freddi 6 DF Gabriele Angella (on loan from Udinese) 7 MF Fabrizio Melara 8 MF Marco Armellino 9 FW Fabio Ceravolo 10 FW Alessio Viola 13 DF Francesco Cosenza 15 DF Antonio Marino 18 MF Giuseppe Rizzo

No. Position Player 22 MF Antonino Barillà 27 GK Giovanni Zandrini (on loan from Foligno) 29 MF Simone Rizzato 31 MF Ivan Castiglia 32 MF Riccardo Colombo 55 MF Francesco De Rose 58 GK Emanuele Belardi 61 FW Emiliano Bonazzoli 72 MF Matteo D'Alessandro 87 FW Alessio Campagnacci 90 FW Antonino Ragusa

Out on loan[link]

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

No. Position Player GK Pietro Marino (at Barletta) GK Ádám Kovácsik (at Foligno) DF Filadelfio Carroccio (at Foligno) DF Lorenzo Burzigotti (at Latina) DF Vincenzo Camilleri (at FeralpiSalò) DF Francesco Cernuto (at Treviso) DF Andrea Costa (at Sampdoria) DF Antonio Giosa (at Lumezzane) DF Alessandro Ruggeri (at Piacenza) DF Kris Thackray (at Treviso) DF Csaba Preklet (at Egri FC) DF Carlos Valdez (at Peñarol) DF Dani Verruschi (at Pavia) FW Francesco Bombagi (at Piacenza)

No. Position Player MF Jacopo Dall'Oglio (at Pavia) MF Jonis Khoris (at Giulianova) MF Nikolas Kras (at Viareggio) MF Mattia Maita (at Catanzaro) MF Roberto Romeo (at Catanzaro) MF Vincenzo Sarno (at Foligno) MF Tommaso Squillace (at Catanzaro) MF Lóránd Szatmári (at Paks) MF Antonio Cherillo (at Treviso) FW Andrea Luca Picone (at Giulianova) FW Christian Stuani (at Santander) FW Ousmane Sy (at Benevento) FW Francesco Zizzari (at Siracusa)

Notable former players[link]

Managerial history[link]

Reggina have had many managers and trainers throughout the history of the club, in some seasons more than one manager was in charge. Here is the chronological list of them from 1928.

References[link]

External links[link]

• (Italian) (English) Official site

Gianluca Atzori (born 6 March 1971 in Collepardo) is an Italian football manager and former player. He last served as head coach of Serie B outfit Sampdoria.

Career[link]

Playing[link]

Atzori started his professional playing career with Rome-based Serie C side Lodigiani in 1988, then playing mostly at Serie B level with several teams, including Perugia, Reggina and most notably Ravenna, where he spent a total four season. In 2001 he joined Empoli, being protagonist of the Tuscans' successful 2001–02 Serie B campaign which saw the team being crowned league winners under head coach Silvio Baldini. He then played another season with Empoli, in his personal first (and only) Serie A season. In 2003 he followed Silvio Baldini at Palermo, who later won the Serie B title in 2003–04; he played only 17 league games out of 46 with the rosanero, being relegated to the bench after Silvio Baldini's dismissal from the head coaching post.

Coaching[link]

After being released by Palermo in June 2004, Atzori chose to retire from football and instead focus in a management career, becoming Silvio Baldini's assistant at Parma. He then followed again Baldini also in his unsuccessful stints at Lecce (2005–06) and Catania (2007–08), both ended in his boss and mentor being sacked in mid-season. However, after Baldini was sacked from Catania in April 2008, Atzori decided instead to stay under new boss Walter Zenga.^[1]

In June 2008 Atzori left Catania to accept a head coaching offer from Lega Pro Prima Divisione side Ravenna, a team where he had already spent four seasons as a player. He guided Ravenna through a very impressive season and qualification into promotion playoffs, where Ravenna was defeated by Padova in the semi-finals.^[1]

On 10 June 2009 Atzori accepted to return at Catania, this time as head coach, for the upcoming 2009–10 season, thus replacing his former head coach Walter Zenga at the helm of the rossoazzurri.^[1][2] However, his time back at Catania lasted only fifteen games, as he was dismissed on 8 December due to poor results.^[3]

On 16 June 2010 Serie B club Reggina announced Gianluca Atzori as the club's new head coach, replacing Roberto Breda.^[4]

On 9 June 2011 Atzori was named as the new head coach of Sampdoria have been relegated to Serie B, signing a two-year contract.^[5] After a disappointing start of season, with Sampdoria in seventh place despite being tipped as one of the main direct promotion candidates during pre-season, Atzori was ultimately sacked on 13 November 2011.^[6]

References[link]