Lazio
emblem
Full name	Società Sportiva Lazio SpA
Nickname(s)	Biancocelesti (White and sky-blue) Aquilotti (Young Eagles) Le Aquile (The Eagles)
Founded	January 9, 1900
Ground	Stadio Olimpico Rome, Italy
Capacity	82,656
Chairman	Claudio Lotito
Head Coach	Delio Rossi
League	Serie A
2006–07	Serie A, 3rd
Home colours 　 Away colours

Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to SS Lazio or simply Lazio, is an Italian professional sports club most noted for its football section, founded in 1900 and based in Rome. Lazio participate in thirty-seven sports disciplines in total, more than any other sports association in Europe.^[1]

Lazio, who play in sky blue shirts with white shorts, have won Serie A twice, first in 1973–74 and then again in 1999–00. As well as winning four Coppa Italia trophies, Lazio have earned silverware on the European stage, winning the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and UEFA Super Cup both in 1999. The club has spent most of their history in the top tier in Italian football, where they are currently playing in the 2007–08 season.

Home games are played at the Stadio Olimpico, a stadium they share with rivals AS Roma. With a capacity of over 82,000 it is the second largest of its kind in Italy; only the San Siro is bigger.

History

For more details on this topic, see History of S.S. Lazio

Foundation to post-World War II (1900-1949)

Società Podistica Lazio, or Lazio Track and Field Club was founded on January 9, 1900 in the Prati district of Rome. Wanting to encompass more than just the city of Rome that they were from, the club's nine original founding members^[2] chose to name Lazio after the region in which the city is located (Lazio).

In 1901[1], a member of Racing Club de Paris^[3] first introduced the club to football making it the oldest active one in Rome and one of the oldest in Italy.^[4] A team was formed immediately, however official matches were played the following year in 1902^[5], the very first one being a 3-0 victory on May 16th, 1902 against the now defunct Società Sportiva Virtus, a break-away club consisting of ex-Lazio players.

Lazio joined league competition in 1912 as soon as the Italian Football Federation began organising championships in the center and south of Italy, and reached the final of the national championship playoff three times, but never won, losing in 1913 to Pro Vercelli, in 1914 to Casale and in 1923 to Genoa 1893.

In 1927 Lazio was the only major Roman club which resisted the Fascist regime's attempts to merge all the city's teams into what would become A.S. Roma the same year.

The club played in the first organised Serie A in 1929 and, led by legendary Italian striker Silvio Piola, achieved a second place finish in 1937—its highest pre-war result.

1950s and 60s

The 1950s produced a mix of mid and upper table results with an Italian Cup win in 1958.

Lazio was relegated for the first time in 1961 to the Serie B, but returned two years later. Under Argentine coach Juan Carlos Lorenzo, Lazio's tight defence ensured a credible 8th place finish in 1964 with a paltry 21 goals scored and a stingy 24 conceded. A 3-0 away win over Juventus was a highlight of the season.

Stars of the side in those years included midfielder Nello Governato, who later went on to work as a manager for the club. Lazio were relegated in 1967 and returned to Serie A two years later finishing 8th in the top flight.

1970s

The 1970s began just as the 1960s did, with relegation following the 1970-71 season. However promotion the following year ushered in Lazio's first truly successful period. They took to the field in the 1972-73 season with a team comprising English-born captain Giuseppe Wilson in defence, Luciano Re Cecconi and Mario Frustalupi in midfield, Renzo Garlaschelli and Giorgio Chinaglia up front, and coach Tommaso Maestrelli. With Chinaglia providing the goals and the defence giving little away, Lazio emerged as surprise challengers for the Scudetto to Milan and Juventus in 1972-1973, only losing out on the final day of the season after conceding a late goal at Napoli (whilst Juventus left it late to secure a win at Lazio's bitter rivals Roma).

It served as a prelude to a breakthrough for the 1973-74 season, when Lazio would sweep all before them to win their first league title, having lead throughout the season. Unfortunately this was not built upon, as 4th place the following year would be followed by a struggle against relegation in 1975-76 and a mid-table finish in 1977-78 (with a 5th place finish in 1976-77 in between). The tragic deaths of Luciano Re Cecconi and scudetto trainer Tommaso Maestrelli in addition to the departure of Chinaglia would be a triple blow for Lazio. The emergence of Bruno Giordano during this period provided some relief as he finished League top scorer in 1979, when Lazio finished 8th.

1980s

Lazio were forcibly relegated to Serie B in 1980 due to a remarkable scandal concerning illegal bets on their own matches, along with Milan. They remained in Italy's second division for three seasons in what would mark the darkest period in Lazio's history. They would return in 1983 and manage a last-day escape from relegation the following season. 1984-85 would prove harrowing, with a pitiful 15 points and bottom place finish despite the emergence of promising, though albeit unfulfilled talent of Francesco Dell'Anno and Francesco Fonte.

In 1986, Lazio was hit with a 9-point deduction (a true deathblow back in the day of the two-point win) for a betting scandal involving one player, Claudio Vinazzini. An epic struggle against relegation followed the same season in Serie B, with the club led by trainer Eugenio Fascetti only avoiding relegation to the Serie C after play-off wins over Taranto and Campobasso. This would prove a turning point in the club's history, with Lazio returning to Serie A in 1988 and, under the careful financial management of Gianmarco Calleri, the consolidation of the club's position as a solid top-flight club.

1990s

The arrival of Sergio Cragnotti, in 1992, changed the club's history forever as he was prepared to invest long term in new players for the club in order to make the team a competitor on the Serie A level. Cragnotti repeatedly broke transfer records in pursuit of players who were considered major stars - Juan Sebastian Veron for £18million, Christian Vieri for £19million and breaking the world transfer record, albeit only for a matter of weeks, to sign Hernan Crespo from Parma for £35million.

In 1993 Lazio finished fifth in Serie A, fourth in 1994, second in 1995, third in 1996, and fourth again in 1997, then it lost the championship just by one point to AC Milan on the last championship's match in 1999 before, with the likes of Sinisa Mihajlovic, Alesandro Nesta and Pavel Nedved in the side, finally winning its second scudetto in 2000, as well as the Italian Cup in an impressive and rare (by Italian standards) "double" with Sven-Göran Eriksson (1997-2001) as manager.

In addition to the aforementioned one, Lazio had two other Coppa Italia triumphs in recent years, in 1998 and 2004. Lazio also won the last ever UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1999 and reached the UEFA Cup final in 1998, but lost 0-3 against a Ronaldo-inspired Inter Milan. Lazio won the Italian Super Cup twice and defeated Manchester United in 1999 to win the European Super Cup. Lazio was also the first Italian football club to be quoted on the Italian Piazza Affari stock market.

2000 to present - Decline and revival

Lazio began the decade brightly by winning the Italian Super Cup and finishing in 3rd place in the league - but the departure of Sven Goran Eriksson accelerated the decline of the club. With money running out, or wasted on transfer flops like Gaizka Mendieta for £28million, Lazio missed the all-important qualification for the UEFA Champions League in the 2001/2002 season, finishing in a disappointing 6th place.

A financial scandal involving Cragnotti and his food products multinational Cirio forced him to leave the club in 2002, and Lazio was controlled until 2004 by caretaker financial managers and a bank pool. This forced the club to sell their star players & even the "symbol" of the club - club captain Nesta - in quick succession. Lazio was subsequently sold to entrepreneur Claudio Lotito, who is the current majority share owner.

That summer, 36-year old former Lazio star Paolo Di Canio accepted to join the club he supported as a youth, taking a 75 per cent paycut. The 2005-2006 season saw Lazio lose veterans such as Fernando Couto, Paolo Negro and Giuliano Giannichedda who were let go by the club, among other things, to lower its salary expenditure. The 2005-2006 season under the coaching of Delio Rossi saw the club compete beyond all expectations with a team which blends remaining veterans such as Angelo Peruzzi and midfield fan favourites Fabio Liverani and Ousmane Dabo with an infusion of motivated players with lower salary demands. The policy had proven successful as the club qualified for the 2006-07 UEFA Cup.

On July 14, it was announced that they had been relegated to Serie B with a 7 point penalty for their involvement in match-fixing scandal. The club's appeal was successful and in a judgment released on July 25, Lazio's penalty was reduced to an 11 point deduction in the following Serie A season (subsequently further reduced to 3 points) and a 30 point deduction in the previous Serie A season, resulting in the loss of their qualification to the following UEFA Cup.

Despite a later-reduced points deduction, Lazio achieved a 3rd place finish in the 2006/2007, just falling short of breaking the club record for games won in succession - the current squad racked up 8 wins in a row, compared to the 2000 Scudetto winning squad who set the record of 9.

Società Sportiva Lazio as a company

In 1998, during Sergio Cragnotti's period in charge, Società Sportiva Lazio became a joint stock company; Lazio were the first Italian club to do so.^[6] Currently, the Lazio shares are distributed between Claudio Lotito, who holds 61.312%, and other shareholders who own the remaining 38.688%.^[7] Along with Juventus and Roma, Lazio is one of only three Italian clubs listed on the Borsa Italiana (Italian stock exchange). Unlike the other two Italian clubs on the stock exchange there is only one significantly large share holder in Lazio.

According to The Football Money League published by consultants Deloitte, in the 2004–05 season Lazio was the twentieth highest earning football club in the world with an estimated revenue of €83 million.^[8]

Players

As of October 20, 2007^[9]

No. Position Player 1 GK Fernando Muslera 2 DF Guglielmo Stendardo 3 DF Aleksandar Kolarov 4 MF Fabio Firmani 5 MF Massimo Mutarelli 6 Lionel Scaloni 8 DF Luciano Zauri (captain) 10 Roberto Baronio 11 Stefano Mauri 13 DF Sebastiano Siviglia 14 GK Tommaso Berni (on loan from Ternana) 15 DF Mobido Diakité 17 FW Igli Tare 18 FW Tommaso Rocchi (vice-captain)

No. Position Player 19 FW Goran Pandev 20 FW Stephen Makinwa 21 Fabio Vignaroli 22 Ivan Artipoli 23 MF Mourad Meghni 24 MF Cristian Daniel Ledesma 25 DF Emilson Sanchez Cribari 26 MF Gaby Mudingayi 29 DF Lorenzo De Silvestri (from youth team) 32 GK Marco Ballotta 68 MF Christian Manfredini 81 FW Simone Del Nero 85 MF Valon Behrami 86 Simone Sannibale

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

Notable players

Main article: List of S.S. Lazio players

World Cup Winners

• Angelo Peruzzi (Germany 2006)
• Massimo Oddo (Germany 2006)
• Silvio Piola (France 1938)
• Anfilogino Guarisi (Italy 1934)

Presidential history

Below is a complete presidential history of Lazio, from when the club was first founded until the present day.^[10]

Managerial history

Lazio have had many managers and head coaches throughout their history, below is a cronological list of them from when Serie A was changed into a league format, from 1929–30 onwards.^[11]

Colours, badge and nicknames

Lazio's colours of white and sky blue were inspired by the national emblem of Greece, due to the fact that Lazio is a mixed sports club this was chosen in recognition of the fact that the Ancient Olympic Games and along with it the sporting tradition in Europe is linked to Greece.^[12]

Originally Lazio wore a shirt which was divided into white and sky blue quarters, with black shorts and socks.^[13] After a while of wearing a plain white shirt very early on, Lazio reverted to the colours which they wear today.^[13] Some seasons Lazio have used a sky blue and white shirt with stripes, but usually it is sky blue with a white trim, with the white shorts and socks.^[13] The club's colours have led to their Italian nickname of biancocelesti.^[16]

Lazio's traditional club badge and symbol is the eagle, which was chosen by founding member Luigi Bigiarelli.^[17] It is an acknowledgment to the emblem of the Roman Empire's army commonly known as the Aquila; the Roman legion carried the symbol with them when going in to battle.^[18] Lazio's use of the symbol has led to two of their nicknames; Aquilotti (Young Eagles) and le Aquile (the Eagles). The current club badge features a golden eagle above a white shield with a blue border; inside the shield is the club's name and a smaller tripartite shield with the colours of the club.^[19]

Supporters and rivalries

Lazio is the sixth most supported football club in Italy with around 3.5% of Italian football fans supporting the club (according to the Doxa Institute-L'Expresso’s research of April 2006).^[20] Historically the largest section of Lazio supporters in the city of Rome has come from the northern section just above the Vatican City, creating an arch like shape across Rome with areas such as; Parioli, Prati, Flaminio, Salario, Nomentano, Cassia and Monte Mario.^[21]

Founded in 1987 Irriducibili Lazio are currently the club's biggest ultras group.^[22] The group has become notorious for their far-right political stance, which has received worldwide media attention.^[23][24] However, as with all clubs the political stance of the ultras does not represent the entire fanbase. In terms of match day displays Lazio ultras opt for a traditionally English style^[22] and embrace elements of lad culture. Usually the only time they create traditional Italian ultras displays is for the Derby della Capitale.^[22]

The Derby della Capitale, known in English speaking countries as the Rome derby is a match between Lazio and their main rivals Roma; it is amongst the most heated and emotional footballing rivalries in the world. A Lazio fan, Vincenzo Paparelli was killed at one of the derby games during the 1979–80 season after being hit in the eye by a flare thrown by a Roma fan.^[27] Lazio also have a strong rivalry with Napoli, while conversely the ultras have friendly relationships with Inter and Hellas Verona.^[28]

Honours

National titles

Serie A: 2

*Champions: 1973–74; 1999–00

*Runners-up: 1936–37; 1994–95; 1998–99

Coppa Italia: 4

*Winners: 1958; 1997–98; 1999–00; 2003–04

*Finalists: 1960–61

Italian Super Cup: 2

*Winners: 1998; 2000

*Finalists: 2004

Serie B: 1

*Champions: 1968–69

*Runners-up: 1962–63; 1971–72, 1982–83

*Promoted: 1987–88

European titles

UEFA Cup:

*Finalists: 1997–98

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup:

*Winners: 1998–99

UEFA Super Cup:

*Winners: 1999

Coppa delle Alpi:

*Winners: 1971

Youth team titles

Trofeo Giacinto Facchetti: 4

*Champions: 1975–76; 1986–87; 1994–95; 2000–01

Società Sportiva Lazio as a company

In 1998, during Sergio Cragnotti's period in charge, Società Sportiva Lazio became a joint stock company; Lazio were the first Italian club to do so.^[29] Currently, the Lazio shares are distributed between Claudio Lotito, who holds 61.312%, and other shareholders who own the remaining 38.688%.^[30] Along with Juventus and Roma, Lazio is one of only three Italian clubs listed on the Borsa Italiana (Italian stock exchange). Unlike the other two Italian clubs on the stock exchange there is only one significantly large share holder in Lazio.

According to The Football Money League published by consultants Deloitte, in the 2004–05 season Lazio was the twentieth highest earning football club in the world with an estimated revenue of €83 million.^[31]

References

External links

• Official website (Italian)
• Laziopolisportiva.net (Italian)
• Enciclopedia Biancoceleste (Italian)

Societ Sportiva Lazio  •  • [ e]
S.S. Lazio | Coaches | History | Statistics Seasons | 2007-08 Stadio Olimpico Derby della Capitale
Serie A • 2007-08 clubs  •  • [ e]
Atalanta • Cagliari • Catania • Empoli • Fiorentina • Genoa • Inter • Juventus • Lazio • Livorno Milan • Napoli • Palermo • Parma • Reggina • Roma • Sampdoria • Siena • Torino • Udinese
Italian Football Championship seasons
1898 • 1899 • 1900 • 1901 • 1902 • 1903 • 1904 • 1905 • 1906 • 1907 • 1908 • 1909 1909-10 • 1910-11 • 1911-12 • 1912-13 • 1913-14 • 1914-15 • 1919-20 • 1920-21 1921-22 (C.C.I.) • 1921-22 (F.I.G.C.) • 1922-23 • 1923-24 • 1924-25 • 1925-26 1926-27 • 1927-28 • 1928-29
Serie A seasons
1929-30 • 1930-31 • 1931-32 • 1932-33 • 1933-34 • 1934-35 • 1935-36 • 1936-37 1937-38 • 1938-39 • 1939-40 • 1940-41 • 1941-42 • 1942-43 •    1944    • 1945-46 1946-47 • 1947-48 • 1948-49 • 1949-50 • 1950-51 • 1951-52 • 1952-53 • 1953-54 1954-55 • 1955-56 • 1956-57 • 1957-58 • 1958-59 • 1959-60 • 1960-61 • 1961-62 1962-63 • 1963-64 • 1964-65 • 1965-66 • 1966-67 • 1967-68 • 1968-69 • 1969-70 1970-71 • 1971-72 • 1972-73 • 1973-74 • 1974-75 • 1975-76 • 1976-77 • 1977-78 1978-79 • 1979-80 • 1980-81 • 1981-82 • 1982-83 • 1983-84 • 1984-85 • 1985-86 1986-87 • 1987-88 • 1988-89 • 1989-90 • 1990-91 • 1991-92 • 1992-93 • 1993-94 1994-95 • 1995-96 • 1996-97 • 1997-98 • 1998-99 • 1999-00 • 2000-01 • 2001-02 2002-03 • 2003-04 • 2004-05 • 2005-06 • 2006-07 • 2007-08
UEFA Champions League 2007-08  •  • [ e]
Arsenal • Barcelona • Benfica • Beşiktaş • Celtic • Chelsea • CSKA Moscow • Dynamo Kyiv • Fenerbahe • Internazionale • Lazio • Liverpool • Lyon • Manchester United • Marseille • Milan • Olympiacos • Porto • PSV • Rangers • Real Madrid • Roma • Rosenborg • Schalke • Sevilla • Shakhtar Donetsk • Slavia Prague • Sporting • Steaua • Stuttgart • Valencia • Werder Bremen
Football in Italy  •  • [ e]
League competitions National association Cup competitions Serie A Italy Coppa Italia Serie B U-21 Supercoppa Italiana Serie C1 (2 divisions) League system Coppa Italia Serie C Serie C2 (3 divisions) Super Coppa di Lega Serie C1 Serie D (9 divisions) Super Coppa di Lega Serie C2 Eccellenza (28 divisions) Serie A scandal Coppa Italia Serie D Promozione (53 divisions) Foreign players Coppa Italia Dilettanti Prima Categoria (1,600+ teams) Oscar del Calcio Coppa Italia Primavera (youth teams) Seconda Categoria (2,800+ teams) Records Super Coppa Primavera (youth teams) Terza Categoria (3,100+ teams) Torneo di Viareggio (youth teams) Campionato Primavera (youth teams) Campionato Berretti (youth teams)