ITALY 2017-18 www.liberoguide.com ITALY 2017-18 www.liberoguide.com Mapei Stadium-Città del Tricolore I N T RO Match day at Juventus unpunished, a blight on the game. In need of their regular revenue, some clubs do little to rock the boat with their hard-core fans, the ultras. Given Italy’s huge distances – it’s 1,200km between Turin and Crotone – visiting support is often scant. Only the San Siro most loyal make it as far as Cagliari, on the southern coast of Sardinia, closer to Italy is the home of calcio and classy ranking teams. Sampdoria, Parma and respective city rivals, Torino and Lazio, Tunisia than to mainland Italy. clubs of great tradition – many still Fiorentina all made European finals. remain in arenas originally adapted playing in ageing communal stadiums for Olympic showcases. Average home seasons. Visit Udine or Bergamo on a Station to station from the pre- and immediate post-war AC Milan and Internazionale have gates for either in 2016-17 were in the match day and you probably won’t notice Italy is well served by leading budget eras. since been sold to Chinese backers 20,000 range. anything different. Not so in Naples. airlines easyJet (www.easyjet.com) and struggle to fill the San Siro, one and Ryanair (www.ryanair.com), from Crowds are down, revenues too. The of football’s great stadiums and most A single-stadium groundshare The only other city where a single the UK and other parts of Europe, and 1990 World Cup, played out when the famous groundshares. arrangement also applies to two other club is demonstrably worshipped is within the country itself. From the UK ultra movement and all its imaginative cities, Genoa and Verona, whose title Florence, enraptured by Fiorentina provinces, flybe (www.flybe.com) and terrace pageantry were at their height, The main success story has been wins belong to the past. despite a lack of silverware. Jet2 (www.jet2.com) also go to major seems a very long time ago. Juventus, record (and current) Italian destinations. champions who built their own If any club is going to break the Juventus Just as many stadia have barely Back then, Milan was the football stadium on the outskirts of their home monopoly, it’s Napoli, whose credible changed in decades, some attitudes British Airways (www.britishairways. capital of the world, the Rome derby city of Turin. AS Roma are following title challenges and reasonably healthy seem stuck in the dark ages. Terrace com) flies to some Italian 20 cities. was a ferocious affair between two high- their example in Rome. Each of their crowd figures now date back several racism goes on unnoticed and Cash-strapped national carrier liberoguide.com 2 ITALY 2017-18 www.liberoguide.com Pescara and Cesena have reached Serie drop from Serie C to D – the bottom- A without setting the world alight during placed finishers, plus two decided by I UDINE N BErgamO the regular season in Serie B. playout between those between 16th and th T MILAN 19 positions at season’s end. The three lowest finishers in Serie A drop RO VERONA automatically to Serie B, whose top two Serie D is the highest level of the Lega TURIN clubs go up. The last promotion place is Nazionale Dilettanti (www.lnd.it), a FERRARA decided by play-offs between the next six network of amateur leagues stretching GENOA SassuOLO/ REggiO EMILIA finishers, unless the team finishing third down six flights to the Terza Categoria. has a 14-point margin over the one in In theory, the lowliest village outfit can fourth. As this is extremely unlikely, play- ascend to Serie A. BOLOGNA offs take place, first a one-leg preliminary round, the lower-placed teams away, then The Italian Cup, Coppa Italia (www. FLORENCE semi-finals and final of two legs. legaseriea.it/it/tim-cup/calendario-e- risultati), is less prestigious than its Four teams drop down from Serie B to counterpart in England or France. It Serie C, the bottom three automatically. has no pre-qualification process – of ROME If the team finishing 18th has a minimum the 78 teams, the nine from Serie D four-point lead over the 19th, they stay up. are chosen by the Lega, usually the If not, 18th and 19th play off over two legs second-placed finishers from last – or rather playout as Italians term such season. The 24 from Serie C are the NAPLES BENEVENTO relegation deciders. highest-placed non-promotees from the previous May. Categorised into three 20-team regional leagues (Girone A, B and C), Serie C is Until the quarter-finals, each round Cagliari CROTONE the last professional division – it’s also is seeded but, unlike in Germany, referred to as Lega Pro (www.lega-pro. in favour of the higher-ranked club, Alitalia (www.alitalia.com/gb_en) has Italy’s extensive network of access to the group stage of the com). which gets home advantage. Ties are a few routes left. As of 2018, Milan- motorways (www.autostrade.it/ Champions League. Fifth means the decided over one game, extra-time based Air Italy (www.airitaly.com/en) autostrade_en-gis/percorso.do) is Europa League group stage, sixth, Only each regional group winner goes up and penalties, apart from the two- is picking up the slack. interspersed by regular toll gates Europa League second qualifying to Serie B, everyone else down to tenth legged semi-final. (www.aiscat.it/inautostrada_en/ round. The Italian Cup winners (see (!!) place reaches the byzantine play-offs. A cheap, extensive rail system is pedaggio.htm?nome=pedaggio), below) also qualify for the EL group For these, the First Round is one match, The final is usually played at Rome’s run by Trenitalia (www.trenitalia. priced about €9 per 100km. Payment stage. any drawn games decided by previous Stadio Olimpico. com), competition provided on high- is possible by credit card. league position. Then come two-leg speed intercity lines by Italo (www. Serie B (www.legab.it) consists of 22 knock-outs. The winners gain a berth in the Europa italotreno.it/en). There is no national Tables & trophies teams, and those finishing between League – unless already through to the bus carrier, only random regional The top four finishers of the 20-club third and eighth make the promotion Amateur Serie D consists of nine regional Champions League. If so, the runners- services. Serie A (www.legaseriea.it/en) gain play-offs. The likes of Benevento, leagues, each with 18 clubs. Nine clubs up do not qualify for Europe. liberoguide.com 3 ITALY 2017-18 www.liberoguide.com Torino FC tickets The same goes for purchases from CONTENTS the biglietteria at the stadium, usually 5 Benevento I possible on a match day. Given the 6 Benevento Calcio N comparatively low crowds, availability is 7 Bergamo T never too problematic these days. Few 8 Atalanta RO club shops distribute tickets. 9 Bologna 10 Bologna FC Re-sale agency viagogo (www.viagogo. 11 Cagliari it/Biglietti-Sport/Calcio/Serie-A) is also 12 Cagliari Calcio very active in Italy. 13 Crotone 14 FC Crotone The most expensive tickets (around 15 Ferrara €50-60) will be in the Tribuna Centrale, 16 SPAL then Tribuna Laterale or Distinti (around 17 Florence €30-40). The cheapest (around €20) are 18 Fiorentina behind the goals in the Curva, usually 19 Genoa indicated Sud or Nord. This will be with 20 Stadio Luigi Ferraris the ultras. Away tickets are rarely sold 21 Genoa on the day. Prices usually rise by at 22 Sampdoria least 15% for games against the Milan 23 Milan giants or Juventus. 24 San Siro 25 AC Milan Match-day sales are common, though 26 Internazionale not for visiting supporters. 27 Naples 28 Napoli Season’s dealings Teams taking part in Champions updated schedule for both Serie A Welcome to liberoguide.com! 29 Rome Serie A begins in late August and League fixtures the following midweek (www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/Serie-A) The digital travel guide for football fans, 30 Stadio Olimpico finishes in mid to late May. There’s a often play league games on the previous and Serie B (www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/ liberoguide.com is the most up-to-date 31 Lazio two-week break in January. Saturday rather than Sunday. Serie-B). resource, city-by-city, club-by-club, to 32 Roma the game across Europe. Using only 33 Sassuolo/Reggio Emilia Sunday is calcio day, though there Serie B runs from late August to the Entry level original photos and first-hand research, 34 Turin are usually a couple of games on a third week of May, with play-offs and Nearly all clubs distribute online most taken and undertaken over five seasons, 35 Juventus Saturday, at 6pm and 8.45pm. Sunday playouts into mid June. Most games are of them using either listicket (www. liberoguide.com has been put together 36 Torino is also staggered, usually with a game played on Saturday at 3pm, usually with listicket.com/ticketing/home.html) or to enhance every football weekend and 37 Udine at 12.30pm and at least one marquee one fixture on Friday evening and one ticketone (www.ticketone.it). Both also Euro night experience. From airport to 38 Udinese fixture at 8.45pm, straddling the main on Monday evening. have outlets across Italy. arena, downtown sports bar to hotel, 39 Verona kick-off time of 3pm. Kick-off for liberoguide.com helps you get the best 40 Stadio Bentegodi midweek fixtures is 8.45pm, often with Milan sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport You will need to provide ID details or, if out of your visit to football’s furthest 41 Chievo one game at 6pm.