AS Roma
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Full name | Associazione Sportiva Roma SpA | ||
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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 | ||
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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.[1] For their 56th season in a row, Roma are competing in Serie A for 2007–08.
Roma 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; on the European stage Roma won an Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1960–61, but have had come close to success 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
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[2]. 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
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
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.
Colours and badge
Roma's colours of maroon red with a golden yellow trim represents the traditional colours of the Eternal City, the official seal of the comuni features the same colours.[3] The gold symbolizes God in Roman Catholicism, while the maroon represents imperial dignity.
White shorts and black socks are usually worn with the maroon red shirt, however in particually high key games the shorts and socks are the same colour as the home shirt. The kit itself was originally worn by Roman Football Club; one of the three clubs who merged to form the current incarnation in 1927. Because of the colours they wear, Roma are often nicknamed i giallorossi meaning the yellow-reds.[4]
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 wolf featured on the badge has led to another of the club's nicknames; i lupi, meaning the wolves.
Supporters
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[5]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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- For all transfers events pertaining to Roma for the current season, please see: AS Roma 2007-08
Retired numbers
6 – Aldair, centre back, 1990–2003
Notable players
Honours
National titles
Serie A: 3
Coppa Italia: 8
- Winners: 2001; 2007
- Runners-up: 1991; 2006
European titles
European Cup / UEFA Champions League:
- Runners-up: 1983–84
- Winners: 1960–61
- Runners-up: 1990–91
- Winners: 1971–72
Youth titles
Campionato Nazionale Primavera: 6
- Winner: 1972–73; 1973–74; 1977–78; 1983–84; 1989–90; 2004–05
- Winner: 1973–74; 1974–75; 1993–94
- Winner: 1981; 1983; 1991
- Runners-up: 1950; 1957; 1978; 1985; 1989; 1992; 2007
International records
Season | Achievement | Notes | |
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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
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See also
References
- ^ Serie B - 1951-52
- ^ S.S. Lazio was founded in 1900 as an athletics club [1] and a football section was founded in 1901 which began playing official matches in 1902. Over the course of the next decade the club played a mixture of tournaments and local championships until 1912 when the Italian football association began recognizing and organizing teams from the center and south of Italy into national championships. By the 1920s Lazio was the strongest single team in Rome and had nothing to gain from the merger(Almanacco Illustrato del Calcio, Edizioni Panini)
- ^ "Stemma Comune di Roma". Comuni-Italiani. 24 June 2007.
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(help) - ^ "AS Roma". Football In Italy. 24 June 2007.
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(help) - ^ "LA ROSA 2007/2008" (in Italian). AS Roma. Retrieved 2007-07-30.
External links
- Official Site Template:It icon Template:Zh icon
- AS Roma Statistics
- Roma Formations at football-lineups