To hell and back again

By: Joe | June 12th, 2007

Napoli supporters must have felt a bit like Dante Aligheri when his character in the Divine Comedy passed through the gates of hell. “Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch’intrate” or “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.” The concentric circles of hell had closed in on the once proud societa who remain the only Southern Italian squad to win the scudetto. The team’s run of 34 straight years in the top flight came to an end in 2000 and longtime President Corrado Ferlaino, who ran the franchise since 1968 (with a few breaks) had departed. A revolving door was put in place in the President’s office as no less than five men steered S.S.C. Napoli until they finally hit rock bottom in 2004. The team went bankrupt and Lega Calcio stripped the name “S.S.C. Napoli” and “Napoli Soccer” was born under the leadership of Italian movie producer Aurelio De Laurentis.

Mr. De Laurentis had the daunting task of building the team from scratch. Players, uniforms, training grounds, sponsors, coaches, equipment had to all be procured. Napoli’s punishment was to start the 2004/05 campaign in Serie C1. It would mark the first time the franchise had ever been in Italy’s 3rd division. The squad, whose players were culled together in a frantic summer, had fantastic success in their first season. They amassed 61 points, finished in 3rd place, and qualified for the playoffs. Napoli Soccer advanced past the first round by knocking Sambenedettese 3-1 on aggregate. The succesful first pass meant Napoli would be pitted against neighboring Avellino for the right to play Serie B calcio. Alas, a return to Serie B was not in the cards after a scoreless draw in the home leg left Napoli vulnerable and they lost 2-1 in the away leg. A second season in Serie C1 was in store for the squadra partenopei and Napoletano’s were crushed by the dual indignity of continuing to play in Serie C while watching Avellino climb up to Serie B.

The 2005/06 version of the squad took on a more formidable as the squad was strengthened with the addition of Genarro Iezzo, Mariano Bogliacino and Ruben Maldonado. The squad absolutely steamrolled through Serie C1 and amassed 68 points, a full 13 points ahead of 2nd place Frosinone. Additionally, the squad turned San Paolo back into a fortress as the squad was undefeated at home in 17 matches (13 wins and 4 draws). Lega Calcio saw fit to allow the squad to re-establish the S.S.C. Napoli moniker (Societa Sportiva Calcio Napoli).

The recently concluded campaign was a roller coaster ride for all involved. The calciomercato season saw Napoli bring home native son Paolo Cannavaro from Parma, former Chelsea midfielder Samuele Dalla Bona, Roberto De Zerbi from Catania who helped them gain promotion to Serie A and the 2005/06 capocannonieri Christian Bucchi from Modena. It was obvious the intention was to compete in Serie B and potentially earn a playoff spot.

Mr. De Laurentis maintained the plan was to return to Serie A in five years, which would mean Serie A calcio would be played in 2008/09. However, the string of positive results had the Napoli tifoseria dreaming of immediate advancement. The season kicked off in tremendous fashion as Napoli rolled passed Frosinone and Serie A side Ascoli in the Coppa Italia. The stage was set to play Juventus at the San Paolo. The match was one for the ages and my favorite Napoli game I can remember. Alex Del Piero scored the go-ahead goal late into extra time and it looked as if all was lost. However, Paolo Cannavaro hit an impossible bicycle kick in the closing seconds to beat World Cup winning keeper Gigi Buffon. Napoli wound up winning 8-7 on penalty kicks and denying Juventus their only shot at playing European football in 2007/08 (the winner of the Coppa Italia qualifies for a EUFA spot).

Aurelio De Laurentis The season itself was marked with tremendous highs (drawing Juve at home and a string of 19 consecutive matches without a loss) and spirit crushing matches (losing to relegation bound Crotone 2-1, drawing with Triestina at home on a late equalizer). The squad is now in their rightful place back among the Italian calcio giants. For their international fans, a return to Serie A means we are likely to see more matches. Fans have had to purchase RAI International and be content with only viewing a handful of matches. The abundance of games on Fox Soccer Channel and the occasional RAI match should make following Napoli easier and more enjoyable next year. It feels great to know we’ll be traveling to the San Siro and the Stadio Olimpico instead of the Ezio Scida in Crotone or the Stadio Comunale in Pizzighettone which seats a whopping 2,500 specatators.