Former European Cup winner
© Imago
The UC Sampdoria has been relegated to series C for the first time in its history. The traditional Italian club, which once belonged to Europe’s top with stars like Gianluca Vialli and Roberto Mancini, did not get out of a 0-0 at Juve Stabia on Tuesday evening on Tuesday evening and must thus be the third to last with Cosenza and Cittadella. Striker M’Baye Niang gave a huge opportunity to free in front of the opposing keeper. Two years ago, the club had relegated from Serie A – whether and how it will survive in third parties is open.
The race for relegation or at least the relegation in series B was open until the end. Sampdoria is only two points missing on the saved Brescia and one on the US Salernitana, which receives another probation chance against the 16th Frosinone. However, these teams all won on the 34th matchday, which was postponed for the death of Pope Francis this week.
Sampdoria 2024/25: three coaches and 27 newcomers
Sampdoria won only eight games this season and played a whopping 17 times. At the beginning of the season, Andrea Pirlo coach, who had previously led the club into the promotion playoffs, was also the beginning of the BluCerchiati. After three games without a win at the beginning of the season, however, the club tour quickly lost patience and switched to Andrea Sottil. The ex-NURBINESE coach had 14 games from which he won an average of 1.36 points and in the 2nd round of Coppa Italia a acclaimed derby victory against the city rival Genoa CFC. After a 1: 5 against Master Us Sassuolo in December, he also had to go again.
In winter, reacted again on the transfer market to counteract the impending descent. In addition to the players who were committed in summer 17, ten more around strikers Niang and ex-national goalkeeper Alessio Cragno were added. 13 professionals left the club. The great fluctuation in the squad and on the coaching bench should have contributed to the fatal season of Sampdoria. Finally, Sottil successor Leonardo Semplici won only two of his 17 games and was replaced in April by Alberico Evani and Klublegende Attilio Lombardo. The upward trend accompanied by many actions of the fan curve under the duo with just one defeat from six games was ultimately too late.
At a glance: All sampdoria trainers / all sampdoria transfers
© Imago – The Fankurve Sampdorias in the Marassi Stadium on the penultimate matchday of series B 2024/25
From Ferrero to Singapore: Chaos to Sampdori’s top
Sampdoria had always played in one of the first two leagues since 1946, most recently the former European Cup winner in 2011 had moved to series B, but then rose again directly. The case in the Lower House 2023 was the result of a long development of fatal financial policy by the former president Massimo Ferrero (for the background in the archive). The eccentric film producer resigned from the club tour before relegation to series B, after he himself had problems with the judiciary about suspicion of fraudulent bankruptcy and falsification in other companies under his control. However, he wanted to make a financial profit with Sampdoria and therefore refused many offers for the purchase of the club, including one of the deceased club icons Vialli and local donors.
Sampdoria’s debts are said to have increased by more than 100 million to a total of almost 175 million euros in the 2023/24 season under Ferrero. The fact that the club did not go bankrupt immediately after relegation was due to debt collection measures and because Ferrero ultimately found a buyer: The Gestio Capital Ltd. by ex-Leeds boss Andrea Radrizzani and today’s President Matteo Manfredi.
In fact, according to research by the investigative magazine, Sampdoria is located “Josimar“In the meantime, however, in the hands of three business people from Singapore with close relationships with the illegal betting provider Fun88. The investments were made through business interdependencies in the tax havens Luxembourg and Isle of Man. However, the intention remains unclear, since in Italy it cannot be advertised with illegal gambling and the club in series B had no prospect of profitability – and in the 3rd. Not league anyway.
Radrizzani officially gave up its shares at Sampdoria in early 2024, but no longer played a role in public from October 2023. At that time, after a bad start to the season, there was a protests in series B fan protests against the new club tour. Around this period, the ownership of Kickoff Ventures from Singapore also passed. Manfredi stayed as president.
“The fans can ask themselves who their club really belongs, where the money comes from and whether there are any conditions,” concludes author Chris McMenamy in the blog “The Square Ball“. And how it goes on, since the club has been removed from a return to Serie A than in the past 24 months. The owners invest in the recurrence or will they resign again or try again and thus try the fourth change of ownership in two years?
Sampdoria won the Cup winner’s European Cup in 1990, the Scudetto in 1991 and in 1992 reached the final in the state champions Cup, which was narrowly lost against FC Barcelona (0: 1 NV). Even after that, stars such as Ruud Gullit, Walter Zenga, Clarence Seedorf, Juan Sebastián Verón, Jürgen Klinsmann, Ariel Ortega, Christian Vieri or Fabio Quagliarella for the Ligurier. Today the proud club, in which the U19 and women’s teams have also relegated to the 2nd league this year, possibly even before the complete.