AS Roma

Roma

emblem
Full name	Associazione Sportiva Roma SpA
Nickname(s)	i Giallorossi (the Yellow-reds) La Magica (The Magic) i Lupi (the Wolves)
Founded	July 22, 1927
Ground	Stadio Olimpico Rome
Capacity	82,307
Chairman	Franco Sensi
Head Coach	Luciano Spalletti
League	Serie A
2006-07	Serie A, 2nd
Home colours Away colours

Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma or the abbreviation AS Roma, is an Italian professional football club from Rome, Lazio. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have partipicated at the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence apart from one season. For their 56th season in a row, Roma are competing in Serie A for 2007–08.

Roma, who play in maroon red shirts with a golden yellow trim and white shorts have won Serie A three times, first in 1941–42 then again in 1982–83 and 2000–01. As well as winning eight Coppa Italia trophies, Roma have had come close to success on the European stage; finishing as runners-up in the European Cup in 1983–84 and the UEFA Cup in 1990–91.

Home games are played at the Stadio Olimpico, a stadium they share with rivals SS Lazio. With a capacity of over 82,000 it is the second largest of its kind in Italy, only the San Siro is bigger. Currently AS Roma are the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana holders in Italian football.

History

Main article: History of A.S. Roma

Associazione Sportiva Roma was founded in July 1927 by a merger of three older clubs from the city of Rome who had played in the Italian football league; Roman FC (the oldest, founded in 1903), Alba-Audace Roma and Fortitudo-Pro Roma. The only major Roman club to refuse to merge was Lazio. The clubs which ultimately merged, spurned on by the regime's desire for each Italian city to be represented by one major club (as had happened in Florence, Naples and Bari already), either had good players but were struggling financially or had healthy finances but ordinary players.

After a short use of the Motovelodromo Appio stadium, the yellow-red team settled in the working-class streets of Testaccio, where it built the extraordinary all-wooden homonym ground. The area still remains the club's spiritual heartland. Other grounds that have been used by A.S. Roma are the Stadio Flaminio and the Stadio Olimpico (the latter was built in 1952).

1920's-1950's

Historical AS Roma positions in Serie A

A.S. Roma took part in their first national league in the 1929-30 season and won their first Scudetto in 1941-42. However, they would have to wait a considerable 41 years for their second triumph in the 1982-83 season and 18 years for their third in 2000-01. They have been runners-up in 1930-31, 1935-36, 1980-81, 1983-84, 1985-86, 2001-02, 2003-04, 2005-06 (after the final verdict on the match-fixing scandal) and 2006-07. A.S. Roma have been relegated only once in their 80 year history: this came at the end of the 1950-51 season, though they made a swift return to Serie A the following season.

1950s to 1970s

After returning to Serie A in 1952, Roma spent the remainder 1950s and early 1960s in the top half of Serie A. From 1963 to 1979 AS Roma endured a period of mediocrity with 3rd place in 1974-75 being the best they could manage, punctured by either mid-table mediocrity or flirtation with relegation. Notable players in this period include defender Giacomo Losi and midfielders Franco Cordova and Giancarlo De Sisti.

1980s and onwards

File:Pruzzo 78-79.jpg

Roberto Pruzzo was Roma's most effective striker in the 1980s.

With talented players including Bruno Conti, Agostino Di Bartolomei, Roberto Pruzzo and Falcao, Roma would begin the 1980s in its best position to challenge for the title since 1942. After narrowly (and controversially) missing out in 1981 to Juventus, they broke through in 1983 amidst joyous celebrations in the capital. They reached the European Cup final the following year, only to lose to Liverpool on penalties. In the 1990-1991 season, Roma reached the UEFA Cup final in which they lost to Inter Milan 2-1 on aggregate.

They have more or less remained in the top half of Serie A ever since, occasionally mounting a serious challenge for the title, which they won again in the 2000/2001 season by beating Parma 3-1 on the last day of the season, edging out Juventus by two points.

Francesco Totti was one of the main reasons for Roma's victory that season and has since become an icon of the club equal in status to Pruzzo and Conti before him. He is a hero to Roma supporters, even more today thanks to Italy's 2006 FIFA World Cup success. Since then Totti has become Roma's top scorer beating Pruzzo's previous tally of 106 goals.

Roma came close to a successful defense of their title, but lost out as another title race with Juve went to the wire. They missed out by just one point and had to settle for second place and an automatic UEFA Champions League spot. Since they won the scudetto Roma have finished second every season in either the Serie A or the Coppa Italia. They lost out to AC Milan in the Coppa Italia final in the 2002-2003 season (losing 4-2 on aggregate), and again in the Serie A in the 2003-2004 season where they finished second.

2004-2005 was an abysmal campaign where Roma flirted with relegation before finishing in 8th place. They managed to secure a UEFA Cup spot by reaching the Coppa Italia final which they lost to Inter Milan 3-0 on aggregate. Their Champions League campaign was even worse as they only managed 1 point from 6 games before finishing last in their group. Their first game was a 3-0 victory for Dynamo Kiev as they got penalized because an object from the stands hit the referee. The match was called off, victory was given to the Ukrainian outfit, and Roma had to play 2 home games behind closed doors. Their only point came from the 1-1 draw at home with Bayer Leverkusen thanks to a late goal by Vincenzo Montella.

In 2005/2006 Roma classified 5th, but after de-scoring of Juventus, Milan and Fiorentina, Roma reached 2nd place. 2005/2006 season was remarkable because Roma won 11 consecutive matches, beating previous record of ten, owned by Juventus (1931-'32, trainer Carlo Carcano), Milan (1950-'51 trainer Lajos Czeizler) and Bologna (1963-'64, trainer Fulvio Bernardini). The record only lasted a matter of months as Inter beat it the following season. AS Roma also made to the final of the 2005/06 Coppa Italia to face Inter Milan. They drew the First leg 1-1 but lost the return leg 3-1, losing 4-2 on aggregate. This was the second year in a row they lost to Inter Milan in the Coppa Italia final.

AS Roma beat Olympique Lyonnais to reach the quarter finals of the Champions League in 2007, but after taking a 2-1 lead over Manchester United at home and being undefeated in 10 games in all competitions, they suffered a 7-1 defeat in the second leg at Old Trafford (8-3 on aggregate). This was their first defeat in Europe since losing 1-0 to Shakhtar Donetsk in the group stage. It was also the biggest margin of victory in a quarter final match of either the European Cup or Champions League, since 1957-58, when Real Madrid beat Sevilla 8-0 (10-2 on aggregate).

The team secured second place in Serie A with three games to go, behind Inter Milan. Although the nerazzurri dominated the championship, they lost the match against Roma 1-3 in San Siro. The two clubs also faced each other in the two legs of the 2007 Coppa Italia final. Roma won the cup after an impressive 6-2 in the first leg, while lost 2-1 the second leg. It was the eighth Coppa Italia in Roma's history.

On August 19th, 2007, at San Siro, again Roma contested for the Supercup against Inter at home. After an inarguable foul by Burdisso on Totti, De Rossi converted the penalty created to win 1-0 away from home and secure the second Italian Supercup of A.S Roma's history.

Supporters

Stadio Olimpico during an AS Roma match

The club plays at the 82,656 seater Stadio Olimpico, shared with S.S. Lazio. The two teams face off against each other at least twice a season in the Derby della Capitale (Derby of the Capital) which is notorious for being one of the most fiery and emotional rivalries in world football. Two extreme incidents in particular have left their mark on the history of this heated fixture. In 1979, Lazio fan Vincenzo Paparelli was hit in the eye by a flare fired by a Roma fan from the opposite end of the stadium, subsequently becoming the first fatality in Italian football history. In 2003 an unprecedented event occurred when the Roma Ultras forced the game to be suspended after spreading false rumours among the crowd that a child had been killed by the police prior to the beginning of the game.

AS Roma's principal ultras group until the middle of the 1990s was the left-leaning CUCS (Commando Ultrà Curva Sud). However the group was slowly usurped by rival factions and ultimately broke up. The Curva Sud has been controlled since then by various groups which lean markedly to the right (AS Roma Ultras, Boys, Giovinezza, etc.) even if the oldest group, Fedayn, is now a-political. It is worth bearing in mind that in both team's cases the political leanings of the actual groups, though more likely to generate media attention, is usually not their raison d'être and more just a part of their overall identity.

The club anthem, Roma (non si discute,si ama) -popularly but incorrectly known as Roma Roma- by Antonello Venditti, is played and sung before each match, and "Grazie Roma", by the same singer, is played at the end of home games when the team wins. A recent addition to the supporters repertoire was the riff to the White Stripes song, 'Seven Nation Army' which was later used by supporters of the Italian national team in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. It started when Roma played against Club Brugges in Belgium during 2005-2006 UEFA Cup. The home team scored, and belgian supporters started singing the song. But suddenly Roma scored once, and then once again, and Roma supporters started singing the same song in order to provoke the opposite fans. The week after Rome won in the derby against Lazio, making the record of 11 consecutive victories, and the song became as popular as it now is.

Players

As of 8 September, 2007

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	ITA	Gianluca Curci
2	DF	ITA	Christian Panucci
3	DF	BRA	Cicinho
4	DF	BRA	Juan
5	DF	FRA	Philippe Mexès
7	MF	CHI	David Pizarro
8	MF	ITA	Alberto Aquilani
9	FW	MNE	Mirko Vučinić
10	FW	ITA	Francesco Totti (captain)
11	MF	BRA	Rodrigo Taddei
13	DF	ITA	Marco Andreolli
14	FW	FRA	Ludovic Giuly
15	DF	POR	Antunes
16	MF	ITA	Daniele De Rossi

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
18	FW	ITA	Mauro Esposito
20	MF	ITA	Simone Perrotta
21	DF	ITA	Matteo Ferrari
22	DF	ITA	Max Tonetto
25	GK	ITA	Carlo Zotti
26	MF	ROU	Adrian Piţ
27	GK	BRA	Júlio Sérgio
29	MF	GHA	Ahmed Barusso
30	FW	BRA	Mancini
31	DF	GHA	Samuel Kuffour
32	GK	BRA	Doni
33	MF	ITA	Matteo Brighi
77	DF	ITA	Marco Cassetti

For all transfers and loans pertaining to Roma for the current season, please see; 2007–08

Retired numbers

Main article: Retired numbers in football

6 – Aldair, centre back, 1990–2003

Notable players

Main article: List of A.S. Roma players

For a list of all former and current Roma players with a Wikipedia article, see Category:A.S. Roma players.

Honours

National titles

Serie A: 3

• Champions: 1941–42; 1982–83; 2000–01
• Runners-up: 1930–31; 1935–36; 1954–55; 1980–81; 1983–84; 1985–86; 2001–02; 2003–04; 2005–06; 2006–07

A mural of Francesco Totti painted after Roma's 2000–01 Serie A title victory, their third in total

Coppa Italia: 8

• Winners: 1963–64; 1968–69; 1979–80; 1980–81; 1983–84; 1985–86; 1990–91; 2006–07
• Runners-up: 1936–37; 1940–41; 1992–93; 2002–03; 2004–05; 2005–06

Supercoppa Italiana: 2

• Winners: 2001, 2007
• Runners-up: 1991, 2006

European titles

European Cup / UEFA Champions League:

• Runners-up: 1983–84

Inter-Cities Fairs Cup: 1

• Winners: 1960–61

UEFA Cup

• Runners-up: 1990–91

Anglo-Italian Cup: 1

• Winners: 1971–72

Youth titles

• Youth Team Awards:
  • Campionato Nazionale Primavera
    • Winner (6): 1972-73, 1973-74, 1977-78, 1983-84, 1989-90, 2004-05
  • Coppa Italia Primavera
    • Winner (3): 1973-74, 1974-75, 1993-94
  • Torneo di Viareggio
    • Winner (3): 1981, 1983, 1991
    • Runners-up (7): 1950, 1957, 1978, 1985, 1989, 1992, 2007

International records

Season	Achievement	Notes
European Champions Clubs' Cup / UEFA Champions League
2006-07	Quarter-finals	eliminated by Manchester United FC, 2-1 in Rome, 1-7 in Manchester
1983-84	Final	defeated by Liverpool FC, 1-1, 2-4 on penalties
Cup Winners' Cup
1991-92	Quarter-finals	eliminated by AS Monaco FC 0-0 in Rome, 0-1 in Monaco
1984-85	Quarter-finals	eliminated by FC Bayern München 0-2 in Munich, 1-2 in Rome
1969-70	Semi-finals	eliminated by Górnik Zabrze 1-1 in Rome, 2-2 in Zabrze
UEFA Cup
1998-99	Quarter-finals	eliminated by Club Atlético de Madrid 1-2 in Madrid, 1-2 in Rome
1995-96	Quarter-finals	eliminated by SK Slavia Praha 0-2 in Prague, 3-1 in Rome
1992-93	Quarter-finals	eliminated by BV Borussia Dortmund 1-0 in Rome, 0-2 in Dortmund
1990-91	Final	defeated by FC Internazionale Milano, 0-2 in Milan, 1-0 in Rome
1982-83	Quarter-finals	eliminated by SL Benfica 1-2 in Rome, 1-1 in Lisbon
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
1963-64	Quarter-finals	eliminated by 1. FC Köln 3-1 in Rome, 0-4 in Koln
1962-63	Semi-finals	eliminated by Valencia CF 0-3 in Valencia, 1-0 in Rome
1960-61	Winner	won Birmingham City FC, 2-2 in Birmingham, 2-0 in Rome
1959-60	Quarter-finals	eliminated by Union Saint-Gilloise 0-2 in Brussels, 1-1 in Rome

Managerial history

Main article: List of A.S. Roma managers

Name Nationality Years William Garbutt 1927–1929 Guido Baccani 1929–1930 Francis Burgess 1930–1932 Jonas Barr 1932–1933 Lajos Kovács 1933–1934 Luigi Barbesino 1934–1938 Guido Ara 1938–1939 Alfréd Schäffer 1939–1942 Géza Kertész 1942–1943 Guido Masetti 1943–1945 Giovanni Degni 1945–1947 Imre Senkey 1947–1948 Luigi Brunella 1948–1949 Fulvio Bernardini 1949–1950 Adolfo Baloncieri 1950 Pietro Serantoni 1950 Guido Masetti 1950–1951 Giuseppe Viani 1951–1953 Mario Varglien 1953–1954 Jesse Carver 1954–1956 György Sarosi 1956 Guido Masetti 1956–1957 Alec Stock 1957–1958 Gunnar Nordahl 1958–1959 György Sarosi 1959–1960 Alfredo Foni 1960–1961 Luis Carniglia 1961–1963 Naim Krieziu 1963 Alfredo Foni 1963–1964

Name Nationality Years Luis Miró 1964–1965 Juan Carlos Lorenzo 1965–1966 Oronzo Pugliese 1966–1968 Helenio Herrera 1968–1970 Luciano Tessari 1970 Helenio Herrera 1971–1972 Tonino Trebiciani 1972–1973 Nils Liedholm 1974–1977 Gustavo Giagnoni 1978–1979 Ferruccio Valcareggi 1979–1980 Nils Liedholm 1980–1984 Sven-Göran Eriksson 1984–1986 Angelo Sormani 1986–1988 Nils Liedholm 1988 Luciano Spinosi 1988–1989 Gigi Radice 1989–1990 Ottavio Bianchi 1990–1992 Vujadin Boškov 1992–1993 Carlo Mazzone 1993–1996 Carlos Bianchi 1996 Nils Liedholm 1996 Ezio Sella 1996 Zdeněk Zeman 1997–1999 Fabio Capello 1999–2004 Cesare Prandelli 2004 Rudi Völler 2004 Luigi Del Neri 2004–2005 Bruno Conti 2005 Luciano Spalletti 2005–present

Colours, badge and nicknames

Roma's home strip comprises of maroon red shirts with golden yellow borders, white shorts and black socks (or maroon red shorts and socks in highly important games), thus earning them their nickname i Giallorossi (the Yellow-Reds). The emblem of the team portrays the female wolf with the two infant brothers Romulus and Remus, illustrating the well-known myth of the creation of Rome, superimposed on a bipartite golden yellow over maroon red shield. The official colours also reflect the gold and maroon bipartite of the flag of the Eternal City, with the former symbolizing God in Christianity, and the latter imperial dignity.

See also

• Richest football clubs

External links

• Official Site Template:It icon Template:Zh icon
• AS Roma Statistics
• Roma Formations at football-lineups