Empoli Football Club is an Italian association football club located in Empoli, Tuscany, founded in 1920 and played its first official match in 1921.

The club has spent most of the last decade bouncing between Serie A and Serie B. Most recently, Empoli was relegated from Serie B in 2004, but secured promotion back to Serie A in the next season, finishing first in Serie B and qualified for European football for the first time in their history with a respectable 7th place finish. 2007–08 was the seventh Serie A season for Empoli, particularly impressive for a team in a city of only 45,000 inhabitants. Empoli relies on extremely successful youth divisions which are among the most renowned in Italy. However, as of 2011-2012, Empoli currently competes in Serie B.

Empoli's history was relatively obscure before the 1980s when they attained Serie B status. In 1986, this small-town club managed the remarkable feat of promotion to Serie A. Playing their first few home games in Florence, Empoli's Serie A debut resulted in a 1–0 win over Inter. Helped by a 9-point deduction from Udinese, they only just avoided relegation with only 23 points and 13 goals in 30 games. Empoli themselves received a 5-point penalty the following season, and were relegated despite an improved showing. They were relegated again to Serie C1 in 1989.

Empoli (Italian pronunciation: [ˈempoli]) is a town and comune in Tuscany, Italy, about 20 km southwest of Florence, to the south of the Arno in a plain formed by this river. The plain has been usable for agriculture since Roman times. The commune's territory becomes a hilly one as it departs from the river. Empoli is on the main railway line from Florence to Pisa, and is the point of divergence of a line to Siena. Empoli has an enduring tradition as an agricultural centre. It has given its name to a local variety of artichoke.

Archaeological finds have revealed that Empoli was already settled in the early Roman Empire times, and continued to exist until 4th century AD. The river acted as a communication way for the trade of agricultural products, together with the local amphorae. In the Tabula Peutingeriana of the 4th century Empoli is called in portu ("in the port") as a river port on the Roman road Via Quinctia, which led from Fiesole and Florence to Pisa. Empoli was also on the Via Salaiola, connecting to Volterra's salt ponds.

Football Club Internazionale Milano S.p.A., commonly referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy. The club is commonly known as Inter Milan outside of Italy. They have spent their entire history in the top flight First Division (known as Serie A since 1929). Internazionale have won 30 domestic trophies, including the league eighteen times, the Coppa Italia seven and the Supercoppa Italiana five. From 2006 to 2010 the club won five successive league titles, equalling the all-time record. They have won the Champions League three times; two back-to-back in 1964 and 1965 and then another in 2010. The last completed an unprecedented Italian treble with the Coppa Italia and the Scudetto. The club has also won three UEFA Cups, two Intercontinental Cups and one FIFA Club World Cup.

Inter's home games are played at San Siro, also known as the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza. The stadium, which is shared with A.C. Milan, is the largest in Italian football, with a total capacity of 80,018. Milan are considered one of their biggest rivals, and matches between the two teams are called Derby della Madonnina, which is one of the most followed derbies in football. As of 2010, Inter is the second most supported team in Italy, and the eighth most supported team in Europe. The current president and owner of Inter is Massimo Moratti. The club is one of the wealthiest and most valuable in Italian and world football. It was a founding member of the now-defunct G-14 group of Europe's leading football clubs as well as its replacement, the European Club Association.

Francesco "Ciccio" Tavano (born 2 March 1979 in Caserta) is an Italian football a striker who currently plays for Empoli of Serie B.

Tavano started his professional career with Pisa, then being sold to minor Florence team Rondinella, then in Serie C2. He then joined Empoli, where he slowly established himself as one of the stars of the small Tuscan team. During the 2006 January transfer window, several Italian football pundits claimed that Real Madrid were interested in signing Tavano, but he eventually signed for Valencia during Summer 2006.

His time in Spain however proved out to be unsuccessful, as he fell out with coaching staff after making statements in the press which led to him being a sub player for the majority of the short stay which he has had. Tavano then returned to Italy for a loan spell with Roma, where he mostly served as a reserve player for the main giallorossi strikers.

In 2007 he was permanently signed by Livorno, for a reported €5.5 million and signed 4-year contract. He received the #10 jersey, previously retired in honour to Igor Protti and unretired that year under explicit request from the former amaranto star. Despite being the club top scorer in his comeback season in Tuscany, his side did not manage to escape from relegation. Tavano agreed to stay at Livorno also in their Serie B 2008–09 campaign in order to try to lead his team back into the top fllght.

Massimiliano Cappellini (born January 2, 1971 in Bollate) is a retired Italian professional football player.

He played 9 seasons (161 games, 25 games) in the Serie A for A.C. Milan, U.S. Foggia, Piacenza Calcio and Empoli F.C.

He represented Italy at the 1987 FIFA U-16 World Championship.