Torino (Italy)

Torino FC is a football club from the northern city of Turin, with the original club being formed on December 3rd 1906 through a merger of several clubs and a group of disenfranchised Juventus members led by Swiss financier Alfred Dick.

Torino Football & Cricket club had been formed in 1887 two years ahead of Nobles Turin. The two clubs merged to form Internazionale Torino who finished as runners-up in the first two Campionato Italiano di Football, the original Italian championship.

In 1900 Internazionale joined forces with Football Club Torinese who had been formed three years previously. Foot-Ball Club Torino were created following a meeting between the former Juventus group and Torinese at the Voigt brewery, now bar Norman, on Via Pietro Micca.

The clubs first home was Velodromo Umberto I in the La Crocetta neighbourhood. In 1926 Torino moved into a new home, Stadio Filadelfia before in the following 1926-27 season 'Il Granata', The Clarets, thought they had won their first Scudetto league title under coach Imre Schoffer, but it was revoked following irregularities in a game against Juventus.

Julio Libonatti, Adolfo Baloncieri and Gino Rossetti were the star players of the day as Tony Cargnelli took over as coach and led the side to the Divisione Nazionale Italian title before finishing as runners-up twelve months later. The team reached the Coppa Italia final of 1937-38 where they were defeated 5-2 on aggregate to city rivals Juventus.

Following the introduction of Serie A, Torino ended in second place in 1938-39 prior to lifting their second league title in 1942-43 before completing the domestic double with a 4-0 Italia Cup triumph against Venezia under coach Antonio Janni before War would curtail football.

The club came back stronger than ever and proceeded to dominate Serie A football with four further consecutive titles between 1945-46 and 1948-49 to earn the nickname of ‘Il Grande Torino’, initially under head coach Luigi Ferrero for the first two Scudetto’s as the club took on the name of Associazione Calcio Torino.

Via Filadelfia pre reconstruction

Mario Sperone took over to oversee the third title in which Valentino Mazzola continued to be the star player before being succeeded by Leslie Lievesley, who hailed from Staveley in Derbyshire.

On Wednesday 4th May 1949 the team were in a plane returning from Lisbon after taking part in a farewell game for Francisco Ferreira against Benfica. The plane flew into a thunderstorm as it approached Turin and in poor visibility crashed into the Basilica on top of Superga, a large hill on the outskirts of the city. 

All thirty-one people aboard were killed, including eighteen players, many of whom were Italian internationals. The disaster devastated the country. The other clubs in Serie A requested that Torino were awarded the championship.

Half a million people took to the streets of Turin to say goodbye to the players on the day of the funerals. At the time the club had four league games to play, in which they fielded their youth team. As a mark of respect so did their opponents. The Torino youngsters won all their remaining games.

The Superga Memorial

The casualties were as follows:

Players

Valerio Bacigalupo 

Aldo Ballarin 

Dino Ballarin

Émile Bongiorni 

Eusebio Castigliano 

Rubens Fadini

Guglielmo Gabetto 

Roger Grava 

Giuseppe Grezar 

Ezio Loik 

Virgilio Maroso 

Danilo Martelli

Valentino Mazzola (captain of Torino and Italy)

Romeo Menti 

Piero Operto

Franco Ossola

Mario Rigamonti

Julius Schubert

Club Officials

Arnaldo Agnisetta (manager)

Ippolito Civalleri (manager)

Ernest Erbstein (trainer)

Leslie Lievesley (coach from Staveley, Derbyshire)

Ottavio Corina (masseur)

Journalists

Renato Casalbore (founder of Tuttosport)

Luigi Cavallero (La Stampa)

Renato Tosatti (Gazzetta del Popolo)

Crew

Pierluigi Meroni (captain)

Antonio Pangrazi

Celestino D'Inca

Cesare Biancardi

Others

Andrea Bonaiuti, organiser 

Club President and former Torino player Ferruccio Novo who had assembled the squad with his signings failed to make the trip owing to suffering from influenza. He was said to be a broken man for the rest of his life.

Via Filadelfia pre reconstruction

Inevitably, the club suffered from this tragedy. After a decade of mediocrity, Torino were relegated to Serie B in 1958-59 while taking on a sponsor to be retitled Associazione Calcio Talmone Torino before reverting to their previous name a year later. However, the side bounced back at the first attempt as Serie B champions with Giacinto Ellena at the helm.

Big signings Joe Baker and then Denis Law had a brief spell at the club while progress continued with a Coppa Italia final appearance in 1962-63 which ended in 3-1 defeat to Atalanta as Benjamín Santos coached the side prior to the club leaving their much loved Filadelfia home in 1963 to move in with Juve at Stadio Comunale.

Nereo Rocco was appointed as head coach, taking Il Toro, The Bull, back to the Coppa Italia final in 1963-64, going down 1-0 after a replay to AS Roma as well as finishing third in the league with skipper Giorgio Ferrini and Gerry Hitchens scoring the goals.

Gigi Meroni arrived to thrill the fans as he was compared with George Best. He was killed at the age of twenty four as he was hot by a car while crossing Corso Re Umberto, The vehicle was driven by Attilio Romero, who idolised Meroni and would later become club president. Click here for further reading about Meroni and the club.

Via Filadelfia pre reconstruction

Torino would go on to lift the group final of the Coppa Italia in 1967-68 with Edmondo Fabbri in charge of the team. The trophy was regained in 1970-71 with a penalty victory against Milan with Sergio Maddè putting away the kicks while keeper Luciano Castellini a hero under coach Beniamino Cancian.

Gustavo Giagnoni coached the team to Serie runners-up in 1971-72 before the Serie A title was claimed in 1975-76 as Luigi Radice led the team. Star players included Patrizio Sala, Claudio Sala, Renato Zaccarelli, Francesco Graziani and Paolo Pulici.

Two runners-up places followed before a third place in 1979-80 which coincided with defeat on penalties to AS Roma in the Coppa Italia final. Torino returned to the final twelve months later where they were defeated again on penalties to the same opponents.

Il Granata were losing Coppa finalists for the third year running in 1981-82 when they lost 2-1 on aggregate to Internazionale as Massimo Giacomini coached the team. Radice returned to take Torino to a Serie A runners-up place in 1984-85 with Aldo Serena and Júnior putting away the goals.

Stadio delle Alpi

Sampdoria proved too strong coming out on top 3-2 on aggregate in the 1987-88 Coppa Italia final. However, Torino were relegated just twelve months later. The team regrouped under Eugenio Fascetti as the goals of Müller helped towards the claiming of the Serie B title in 1988-89.

After Italia 90 Torino moved out to Stadio delle Alpi in the Vallette borough of the city again to share with Juventus. Emiliano Mondonico was coach of the side who finished third in the Serie A season of 1991-92 as Enzo Scifo and Walter Casagrande added goals as Torino also reached the UEFA Cup final where they lost on away goals to Ajax.

The form continued as a fifth Coppa Italia was claimed in 1992-93 as AS Roma were defeated on away goals. Torino were relegated once again in 1995-96. It wasn’t until the 1998-99 season until the club returned to the top flight as Serie B runners-up under returning coach Mondonico.

The club was in a period of turbulence on and off the pitch as the team went straight back down a year later. Luca Bucci’s goals fired Torino to the Serie B title in 2000-01 after Giancarlo Camolese had taken charge of the team.

Il Toro were relegated once again in 2002-03 prior to finishing as runners-up in Serie B in 2004-05. The play-off against AC Perugia was won but the club were denied promotion because of financial irregularities.

A new company, Società Civile Campo Torino was set up with the football club being titled Torino Football Club as a continuation of the old club. In the play-offs of 2005-06 the team defeated Mantova on penalties with Daniele Arrigoni coaching the team and Alessandro Rosina scoring the goals.

Torino returned to Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino in 2006 as Stadio Communale had been renamed after staging the Winter Olympics. The team was relegated once more in 2008-09 before missing out on promotion in the play-offs to Brescia a year later.

Gian Piero Ventura led his team to Serie B runners-up in 2011-12 as Mirco Antenucci put away the goals. Gradually the team consolidated before the goals of Ciro Immobile cheered the Il Granata faithful before Fabio Quagliarella took over the mantle.

May 2017 marked a memorable occasion as the refurbishment of Stadio Filadelfia was completed to host the youth and development sides at the club in the season that Siniša Mihajlović had taken over from the long serving Ventura as coach.

Walter Mazzarri took over in the 2017-18 campaign which ended in a ninth place finish with Iago Falque as top scorer. Andrea Belotti’s goals helped Torino to seventh place in 2018-19 before Moreno Longo was appointed as coach in February 2020 as the team struggled in the Coronavirus hit season.

Torino FC will compete in Serie A in the 2019-20 season.

My visits

Wednesday 3rd July 1990

I was at Italia 90 with my brother Nick and a few other great lads we'd befriended. We were staying on a temporary camp site in Turin which was the Stadio Primo Nebiolo in Parco Ruffini and it was the evening before England's World Cup Semi Final against West Germany.

The atmosphere was electric around the place and the police were extremely nervous as they were well aware of possible attacks from locals, particularly Juventus fans who were seeking revenge for their fellow fans in the light of the Heysel Disaster a few years previously. 

We were wary even going to the local shop, and a night in a bar was definitely not on the radar. There was a real siege mentality amongst us, and many of the lads who'd done the full tournament were extremely resentful of how they'd been treated.

We were going stir crazy and decided that we had to get out for a while. We agreed that the time to do it was while Italy were playing in their semi final against Argentina as the streets would be deserted. 

Stadio Comunale at the time of my visit

We were proved right and found ourselves outside Stadio Communale within around thirty minutes. The main gates were open but the old caretaker came out to see what we wanted. We made signals that we just wamted to take some photos and have a look. The kind man let us enter and watched from the entrance.

The stadium was showing signs of its age, but it had a real gladitorial feel about it. I knew lads who went there ten years previously with England in the European Championships and they said it was as rough as any experience they'd had at a game. 

The Comunale had three layers around the running track. The lowest was a very small paddock. This is where my pals had been squashed with the nice locals throwing missiles from the tiers above. Both sides had seated areas, with only one with a roof over the top seats.

We could only imagine what it must have been like there at a big match with the hostilaty of the locals and the flares being thrown onto the track. Bloody frightening was the general concensus! Anyway, we had our own welfare to protect, so we left the stadium with a "grazie" to the caretaker as we weaved our way back to the camp site.

On the edge of the park we heard noises in English coming out of the bicycle rental shop. It was packed with members of 'Bobby's Army' who were watching the Italy game on a black and white TV. The custodians of the hire shop were fine with us, as they turned out to be Torino fans. Well that, and the fact that they were probably petrified! 

They had nothing to worry about. Our supporters at the tournament were superb on the whole. They wanted to mix and be friendly with our hosts, but the Caribinieri and local authorities had painted a picture of marauding hooligans. The work of Mrs Thatcher and her little puppet Colin Moynihan hardly helped matters.

The match went to extra time and then penalties. Argentina played with more freedom and the hero of Napoli, Diego Maradona had scored their equaliser. It was now down to who could hold their nerve. The Argies did, while the Italians crumbled. We were jubilant and someone suggested we all went out riding the small kids bikes ringing the bells. 

Our base inside Stadio Primo Nebiolo, Parco Ruffini 

Instead we headed back the hundred or so metres to the camp. I never thought I'd hear it if I wasn't there, but the chant was Argentina Argentina, such was the delight of seeing our hosts fail in the event they felt they were destined to win.

The inevitable happened an hour later. The locals came looking to invade our site and take revenge. The police were out in force and held them back as some on our camp gathered arms and went to the perimeter in case of confrontation. The kind Caribinieri decided the best way to calm us down was to tear gas us. It was pretty terrifying stuff. It also hurt our eyes and throats.

When the excellent film One Night in Turin was released, it was revealed that there were more Italians arrested that evening in the city than English throughout the whole tournament. What a shame our authorities back home failed to recognise that fact!

Having said all of that, I would love to return to see both Turin clubs in action, as long as it isn't against English opposition.

Torino 5 Sampdoria 1 (Sunday 1^st February 2015) Serie A (Att: 14,401)

The previous day had been spent at Hull for the City home game against Newcastle United in remembrance of our much missed mate Nick Groombridge. It had been a good day in tremendous company. 

Many laughed at my plans for the following day but in a nice way while questioning my sanity. My response was we needed to remember why we were all gathered and that we have to grab each and every opportunity while we could.

Although both Dave Cammish and I were comatose most of the ride back I got just a few hours in bed before the 2.30am alarm call to make my way to Victoria by night bus and taxi. I caught the 4am train to Gatwick in readiness for the 6.15 flight to Turin.

The plane was full of the Rugby Special meets Ski Sunday gang on the Thomas Cook Holidays flight. Any hope that I had of any proper shut eye were annulled by the tightness of the seats and the two lads determined to start their adventure early. Good for them, but I could have screamed at the time!

The easy to find bus transfer took around fifty minutes down to Porta Nuova station for the price of €6.50. I got a fleeting glimpse of the reconstructed Juventus Stadium in the distance along the route.

Once I’d deposited my bag I set out on a lovely walk down via Roma before finding the bus tour terminus at Piazza Castello. The nearby Torino club shot was closed, which was a bit of a blow as I wanted to buy my match ticket and then have a relaxing pre match beer or two in the city centre.

The circular city tour for €16 took me to several familiar places thanks to The Italian Job movie. Sadly there were no shows from Michael Caine, Fred Emney, Benny Hill and Camp Freddie. Turin really was a stunning city. 

My previous visit had been restricted to the camp site and a return tram ride, apart from a quick walk to the old Stadio Comunale as was. I’d seen nothing of the staggering architecture on offer or the hills over the other side of the Po.

After grabbing some food following a further walk I caught the metro to Carducci. I always liked a go on the tube in different cities to compare with London’s system. The Turin Metro had been built for the city’s hosting of the Winter Olympics of 2006. 

It was unmanned but efficient. It was then a twenty minute walk over the railway to via Filadelfia which ran behind the Stadio Olimpico down to the junction with via Giordano Bruno where Torino’s home stadium until the early 1960’s stood.

The old home of Il Grande Torino was heavily fenced, but someone was smiling down on me as an open backed pick up truck had been parked outside near on the half way line. I clambered on board, nervously looking around and trying not to fall and have an embarrassing accident.

I could see right in and take pictures. There were still goals on the tardy looking pitch with oddments of the old stands in place on the far side. I was so glad that I made the effort. Torino were looking to build a smaller stadium on the site for their under age sides so that it would come back to life. The plans were posted by the old main gates.

As I walked up via Filadelfia, several likely looking lads were heading up the other side of the road and gathering at a cafe on the corner. I considered going in and maybe striking up a conversation until realising that it was the nearest establishment to the away fans corner. The Caribinieri over the road in their armoured trucks were taking a keen interest.

Instead I carried on to the far end to buy my match ticket from the friendly girl behind the counter on production of my passport. All tickets must have the name of the passport or ID card holder on it to gain entry in an attempt to curtail crowd trouble. My ticket for the far end Curva Primavera cost me €15. The near home Curva Maratona was sold out.

There were lots of snack bars and souvenir stalls at the rear of the Maratona with the superb art deco tower looking over the scene. Bottles of Becks in plastic glasses were €2.50. Fans mingled on the piazza and in the adjoining park. It was definitely easier as a home fan in Turin than on my last visit for the World Cup semi-final at Del Alpi.

I ventured round the stadium to my entrance after what I thought would be a last beer for a couple of hours. However, beer was surprisingly available inside. There was no pressure to stick to seat numbers so I went up on the second level. The stewarding was extremely passive. The visiting fans from Genoa were just along from us with plenty of locals alongside offering a 'warm welcome'.

Stadio Olimpico was the same shape and structure as when it was Stadio Comunale, only tidied up with new fences and seating. The bottom well which must have offered horrible views had gone and a roof had been added all the way around.

I'd sneaked inside in 1990 with my brother and friends while the Italy v Argentina semi-final was going on as it was the only safe time to venture the streets. Fortunately this time I would not be tear gassed at full time while trying to take in the riot going on nearby as it was twenty five years previously.

It turned out that I’d caught ‘I Granata’ on a really good day. They were excellent from minute one, with popular Polish skipper Kamil Glik leading by example. Emiliano Moretti crossed for Fabio Quagliarella to smash home at the back post on sixteen minutes. He made it two on the half hour from the penalty spot despite the best efforts of Emiliano Viviano in the Samp net.

At half time I went out the back to take in the warm sun and sit while reading the Sunday paper I'd taken with me. Some of the Torino female fans were a most delightful distraction.

Quagliarella completed a fine hat trick with a quality shot across Viviano on sixty five minutes before departing ten minutes later. The home fans were in decent voice and I was also really enjoying the entertainment. 

The Brazilian/Italian substitute Amauri finished off a fine move to make it 4-0 with fifteen minutes left on the clock before Sampdoria collected a consolation shortly after through a smart Pedro Obiang flicked finish.

Samuel Eto'o had come on for his Sampdoria debut. Maybe he was having second thoughts and should have remained at Goodison Park? I was going to leave when the fourth official put up his board, but I hung on, and I was glad that I did as in the third minute of stoppage time Bruno Peres made it 5-1.

I headed off, hearing the cheers at full time as I walked past the heavily fortified away section towards the tram stop. I was slightly naughty. I couldn't see anywhere to buy a €1.50 ticket so I got on without one. The no.4 service dropped me right by the station by 5.15.

After collecting my bag at left luggage I still had time for a large glass of beer in The Huntsman pub nearby and to collect some take away food for my train ride. I was in amongst a seemingly middle class group of elder Italians who didn’t seem impressed with my presence. Not that I remembered to much of the ride as I nodded off.

My advanced ticket on a highly comfortable service to Milan cost just €15 for the hour journey to my evening match.

Turin had been brilliant. I could not fault it in any way. It definitely needed another visit. I would definitely be looking for my next chance.

The image of Superga, has been taken from the internet.