Salernitana Football Club: The Complete Guide

Salernitana has gone by many names throughout its history, all of which center around Salerno, the port city in the southeast of Naples, Italy.

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They have been called US Salernitana, SS Salernitana Audaz, USF Salernitana, then back to US Salernitana, then to Salernitana Sport and lastly to its current name US Salernitana Calcio 1919.

The “1919” is a nod towards Salernitana’s date of creation.

Basic Facts

The “US” part of Salernitana’s names have no connection to the United States like our American friend thinks. Instead, it is an acronym for “Unione Sportiva,” which translates to “Sports Union.”

Salernitana has been a solid Serie B club for 23 seasons until 2021 when they have finally returned to Serie A.

For some more simple facts, check out this list:

Full Name: Unione Sportiva Salernitana 1919 S.r.l.
Nickname(s): I Granata (The Garnets)
Founded: 1919
Ground: Stadio Arechi
CapacitY: 37,800
Chairman: Andrea Radrizzani
Manager: Fabrizio Castori
League: Serie A
2020–21: Serie B, 2nd of 20 (Promoted)
Website: Club Website

Home Grounds

Stadio Arechi is Salernitana’s home studium. It is a multi-purpose building which mostly caters to football matches. The Italian national football team has played at this stadium three times. Stadio Arechi can hold 37,800 people after its renovation in 1998.

Main Trophies

Salernitana has won 6 trophies for their team. 3 of these trophies are for Serie B, and the other 3 are for Serie C.

They won the Italian Serie B Championship in the 1946 – 1947 season and the 1997 – 1998 season. Salernitana also won the Italian Lega Pro Champion (B) in the 2007-2008 season.

This 1919 football club has won fantastic trophies in their respective divisions, including the Italian Lega Pro Champion (C). Here they took the title in the 1965 – 1966 season and the 2014 – 2015 season.

Salernitana also earned the Italienischer Pokalsieger (Serie C) trophy in the 2013 – 2014 season.

Club History

Unione Sportiva Salernitana was founded in June 1919 by Adaligiso Onesti. He merged four local clubs into this larger group to encompass the skill of Salernitana. At this point in time, the club was known as Società Sportiva Salernitanaudax.

In 1978 the club was renamed Salernitana Sport, and it was one of the club’s best times in terms of performance.

They topped the Serie B tournaments and gained a promotion to Serie A, which they hadn’t done since 1947 – 1948. You could almost say that the new name gave them luck! Salernitana hasn’t managed to get back into Serie A since.

In 2005, the club was given a new name again, this time Salernitana Calcio 1919, and they started the year in Serie C. Everything was going well as they climbed into Serie B, but after 4 – 5 years, the team experienced issues again.

In 2009 – 2010 the club was relegated to Lega Pro Prima Division with a 6 point deduction; this wasn’t because of a lack of skills. Instead, this relegated move was due to an economic default.

Club Timeline

Season	League	League Level	Win	Draw	Lose	Goals	Points	Rank	Manager
20/21	Serie B	Second Tier	19	12	7	46:34	69	2	Fabrizio Castori
19/20	Serie B	Second Tier	14	10	14	53:50	52	10	Gian Piero Ventura
18/19	Serie B	Second Tier	10	8	18	41:57	38	16	Leonardo Menichini
17/18	Serie B	Second Tier	11	18	13	51:58	51	12	Stefano Colantuono
16/17	Serie B	Second Tier	13	15	14	44:44	54	11	Alberto Bollini
15/16	Serie B	Second Tier	9	18	15	48:62	45	18	Leonardo Menichini
14/15	Lega Pro – Girone C	Third Tier	24	8	6	56:31	80	1	Leonardo Menichini
13/14	Lega Pro Prima Divisione – Girone B	Third Tier	12	10	10	44:33	46	9	Angelo Gregucci
10/11	Lega Pro Prima Divisione – Girone A	Third Tier	17	8	9	49:39	54	4	Roberto Breda
09/10	Serie B	Second Tier	5	8	29	40:80	17	22	Ersilio Cerone
08/09	Serie B	Second Tier	14	9	19	46:56	51	15	Fabio Brini
04/05	Serie B	Second Tier	12	15	15	50:57	51	14	Angelo Gregucci
03/04	Serie B	Second Tier	14	13	19	36:53	55	17	Stefano Pioli
02/03	Serie B	Second Tier	4	11	23	28:63	23	20	Franco Varrella
01/02	Serie B	Second Tier	14	11	13	57:59	53	6	Zdenek Zeman
00/01	Serie B	Second Tier	11	10	17	37:42	43	15	Francesco Oddo
99/00	Serie B	Second Tier	14	10	14	55:61	52	7	Luigi Cagni
98/99	Serie A	First Tier	10	8	16	37:51	38	15	Francesco Oddo
96/97	Serie B	Second Tier	10	14	14	31:44	44	15	Franco Varrella
51/52	Serie B	Second Tier	13	13	12	44:43	39:37	8	Rodolphe Hiden
47/48	Serie A	First Tier	13	8	19	46:63	34:46	19	Giuseppe Viani

Club Net Worth

US Salernitana 1919’s current market value is £20.84m, which translates to $28.64m and €24.45m, respectively.

This was accurate from August 2021 when the squad size was 29 with an average age of 26.4 and a transfer record of £-750,000. That translates to €-879,558 and $-1,030,350

Stadium

Stadio Arechi is the main sporting arena in Salerno. It has hosted home matches for Unione Sportiva Salernitana 1919 since 1990, opening the experience with a 0 – 0 draw.

In its history, Arechi has been the host of three Italian national football matches. These were Italy vs. Hungary in 1991, Italy vs. Estonia in 1995, and Italy vs. Spain in 1998.

Owners

Salernitana is currently owned by two companies that are linked to Lazio’s president Claudio Lotito. Lazio is another Italian football team that is often found in Serie A.

One of these companies is owned by Enrico Lotito, Claudio’s brother. The other is owned by Marco Mezzaroma, Claudio’s brother in law.

The rules forbid selling a club to relatives up to the fourth degree. Enrico and Marco are first and second degree relatives and so should not have been allowed to own Salernitana.

As a result, Salernitana has until July 2021 to present an amendment to this error which could otherwise lead to fixed games.

Best Players

Salernitana’s Top three players are Tiago Casasola, Cristiano Lombardi, and Andre Anderson.

Tiago Casasola has only recently joined Salernitana, making the transfer in 2020. He has been playing senior football since 2014, and since then, he hasn’t stayed with one team for longer than two years. His longest stay was between 2015 and 2017 for Roma.

However, he didn’t make any appearances during that time. Casasola has played for Salernitana 3 times and is currently only with the team due to Lazio’s loan.

Cristiano Lombardi was brought into the football world by the S.S Lazio youth academy. After 3 years of playing his youth career with his original team, he was brought into the senior category in 2013.

He is still owned by Lazio, but he is currently on loan to Salernitana, where his 24 appearances have landed him 5 goals.

All Time Top Scorer

US Salernitana 1919’s all time top scorer was Giovanni Pisano. He made 128 appearances for the team and scored 61 times.

The second all time top scorer was David Di Michele, who made 102 appearances for Salernitana and scored 48 times.

Captain

US Salernitana 1919’s captain is Francesco Di Tacchio

Di Tacchio joined Salernitana in 2018, and since then, he has made 99 appearances and scored 6 goals. He had also played for Italy U20 in 2008

Goalkeepers

Salernitana has 5 goalkeepers. They are Vid Belec, Vincenzo Fiorillo, Antonio Russo, Guido Guerrieri and Jacopo De Matteis.

Vid Belec’s contract end date is in June 2023, and his market value is £720,000, which translates to €879,197 and $1,029,761.

Vincenzo Fiorillo’s contract ends in June 2025, and his market value is £270,000, which translates to $343,253 and €293,106.

Antonio Russo doesn’t have a current end date for his time with Salernitana, however, his market value is £135,000. This translates to €158,277 and $185,317.

Guido Guerrieri’s contract end date is in June 2022, and his market value is £90,000. This translates to $123,545 and €105,490.

Jacopo De Matteis is too new to Salernitana for us to gather accurate facts about.

Defenders

Salernitana has 9 defenders. They are Luka Bogdan, Ramzi Aya, Norbert Gyomber, Pawel Kamil, Matteo Ruggeri, Ken Remi Stefan Strandberg, Sanasi Sy, Frederic Veseli, and Nadir Zortea.

Strikers

Salernitana has 5 strikers. They are Federico Bonazzoli, Niccolo Giannetti, Carmine Iannone, Julian Kristoffersen and Milan Druic.

Managers

Salernitana’s current manager is Fabrizio Castori. He has been managing teams since 1980 where his first team to look after was Belfortese.

He has changed his teams every year, raising them up before moving on. This method changed in 2000 when Castroi settled for 3 years with Lanciano.

Since then, he has spent more time with his teams and building a tight knit network. This new approach didn’t last long, as Castori was back to flip-flopping his way through the Italian clubs.

He has led Salernitana 3 times, in 2008, 2009, and from 2020 to the present day. Under his management, Salernitana has reached Serie A for the first time in decades.

Coach

Salenitana’s head coach is Fabrizio Castori.

The Goalkeeper Coach is Paolo Foti. Foti has been managing since 1999, where he coached Ternana Youth. He stuck with them and gradually started coaching the first team, too. He did this until 2011 where Foti made the choice to change clubs.

Foti spent two years with Catanzaro, one year with Ternana, and two years with Carpi. In 2020 Foti joined Salernitana, and his contract is expected to end in June 2021.

Assistant Coach

Salernitana’s assistant coach is Riccardo Bocchini. Boochini was playing football from 1991 – 2008. Every team he played for was Italian, and he retired with a market value of £90,000. This translates to $123,545 and €105,490.

As an assistant coach, Bocchini’s career is expected to last much longer. He has been the assistant coach to Cesena from 2007 – 2008 and then again between 2017 -2018. He managed Piacenza in 2009. In 2010- 2011 Bocchini coached Asoli.

At this point, Riccardo became the head coach of Martina Franca, but that only lasted a year (2013 – 2014). The other two teams he has managed are Carpi (2018 – 2019) and Trapani (2019 – 2020).

The last team for us to mention is Salernitana. His current assistant coach title was given in August 2020 and is expected to end in June 2021, however, he has been a part of the Salernitana’s staff before. His original coaching with the team was between 2008 – 2009.

Home Kit

Salernitana’s kit is a maroon red with army stripes through the lower middle and chest area, which stops in the midriff. These stripes are made of the same maroon red but also with blacks and darker blood stain reds. The shoulders are without a pattern.

The neckline is white, yellow, and blue. These colors are in small blocks which circle the cuffs.

Away Kit

Salernitana’s away kit has the same colors as the home, however, the stripes are more dominant. The stripes are an ombre of black to red to white, and they climb up the shirt diagonally in an off-center pattern. This pattern only takes up the main front area. The remaining sides and shoulders are plain white.

The neck band and sleeves are black with a light under-color of maroon red.

Logo

US Salernitana 1919’s logo is a shield. The border of the shield is yellow, and the body is maroon red. In the center of the logo is a seahorse with stripes that suggest the fast moving pace of the team. Dotted above the sea horse’s nose is a coin that looks like a star. The coin is called Follaro, and it stems from the ancient region of Salerno.

Club Academy

Salernitana doesn’t currently have a club academy.

League Titles

Serie B:

Winner – 1946 – 1947
Winner – 1997 – 1998
Runners-Up – 2020 – 2021

Serie C / Serie C1:

Winner – 1937 – 1938
Winner – 1965 – 1966
Runner-Up – 1989 – 1990
Runner-Up – 1993 – 1994
Winner – 2007 – 2008
Winner – 2014 – 2015

Coppa Italia Serie C:

Runner-Up – 1980
Winner – 2013 – 2014

Lega Pro Seconda Divisione:

Winner – 2012 – 2013

Supercoppa di Lega di Seconda Divisione:

Winner – 2012 – 2013

Serie D:

Winner – 2011 – 2012

Other Title

No other titles.

Fun Facts

Fun Fact number #1 – Salerno Italy is known as a jet setters paradise. It has become a popular destination for travelers hoping to find a tranquil yet fascinating journey. This is due to their quiet and sparkling beaches, their ancient historical signs, and the authentic southern Italian cuisine.
Fun Fact number #2 – Salerno is an ancient city and comune in Campania. Campania is in the southwestern part of Italy. Salerno is a province and a city.
Fun Fact number #3 – Did you know that Salerno held the first medical school in medieval Europe?
Fun Fact number #4 – Did you know that Salerno’s beach is both big and central to Salerno, geographically?
Fun Fact number #5 – Did you know that Salerno is also a common name. The most famous Salerno was Anthony Salerno, who was an Italian American Mobster. He lived from 1911 to 1992.
Fun Fact number #6 – Did you know that most stadiums in Italy are owned by the local government? This is why multiple clubs used the same stadium.

Salernitana’s fans often sing the Bella Ciao to spur on their players. The Italian lyrics and English translations are below:

Italian:

Alla mattina appena alzata

o bella ciao bella ciao bella ciao, ciao, ciao

alla mattina appena alzata

in risaia mi tocca andar.

E fra gli insetti e le zanzare

o bella ciao bella ciao bella ciao ciao ciao

e fra gli insetti e le zanzare

un dur lavoro mi tocca far.

Il capo in piedi col suo bastone

o bella ciao bella ciao bella ciao ciao ciao

il capo in piedi col suo bastone

e noi curve a lavorar.

O mamma mia o che tormento

o bella ciao bella ciao bella ciao ciao ciao

o mamma mia o che tormento

io t’invoco ogni doman.

Ed ogni ora che qui passiamo

o bella ciao bella ciao bella ciao ciao ciao

ed ogni ora che qui passiamo

noi perdiam la gioventù.

Ma verrà un giorno che tutte quante

o bella ciao bella ciao bella ciao ciao ciao

ma verrà un giorno che tutte quante

lavoreremo in libertà.

English:

In the morning I got up

oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao (Goodbye beautiful)

In the morning I got up

To the paddy rice fields, I have to go.

And between insects and mosquitoes