Thirteen years since last playing in the top tier of Italian football, Perugia have been as low as Serie D since. Now, they are fighting for a return to Serie A
The Serie B playoffs can seem convoluted, not least for a league that has 42 games already, but the spread of teams involved means that there are always one or two big names in there.
This season has Carpi and Frosinone involved, with both looking for an immediate return to Serie A, but perhaps a bigger name than both of those, and seeking a spot in the top flight for the first time since 2004 – Perugia. Having avoided the first round of games, Cristian Bucci’s side will face Benevento in the semi-final, looking to make the final step up after a difficult decade out of the limelight.
During that time, the Grifone have been through the financial mill in the same way that a number of clubs that have fallen from Serie A have done and have climbed from Serie D as recently as 2010/11 to get to their current spot.
Perugia’s previous stints in Serie A can divided into two fairly distinct sections. During the first period, they were an unspectacular side who fulfilled the stereotype of two points for a win football so well that they completed an unbeaten season only to finish second in Serie A.
While that was their best finish, the Umbrian side were stable in the top ten, with the goalscoring of a certain Paolo Rossi helping them through. The clubs involvement in the Totonero scandal saw them deducted five points for the 1980/81 season, a deficit they were unable to overcome. Relegation inevitably followed.
Their second appearance was somewhat different and while they impressed again, that time Perugia were seldom far from the headlines. Everything that happened during the tenure of controversial chairman Luciano Gaucchi could fill a book on its own, but suffice it to say there were both good and bad sides to his role.
While he might have guided Perugia to the UEFA Cup (they got past Dundee and Aris Salonika before losing to PSV Eindhoven) in 2003/04, he also fired South Korean striker Ahn Jung-Hwan after he scored the winning goal against Italy in the 2002 World Cup.
His hirings were no less peculiar than his firings; Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s third son Al-Saadi Gaddafi was contracted to the club in 2003, though he made just one appearance as a substitute, coming on for Jay Bothroyd, himself a relatively unexpected signing, against Juventus.
During this time, Gaucchi also attempted to bring some of the top female players into his Perugia squad. German striker Birgit Prinz and Sweden’s Hannah Ljungberg were both approached, but neither made it anywhere near the first team.
It is notable that most of the peculiarities of Gaucchi’s tenure came towards the end of it. Perugia had a respectable history in Serie A before their finances came crashing down around them, problems that saw the club liquidated twice in the last twelve years.
Gaucchi took over the club in 1991, and while he might have left the club in disgrace, he oversaw some of the most successful seasons Perugia have ever enjoyed.
During that time, a number of impressive players passed through the Stadio Renato Curi; not just Fabrizio Ravanelli, who bookended his career with stints at the Grifone, but Hidetoshi Nakata, Fabrizio Miccoli and Fabio Grosso, all of whom turned out in the red shirt and saw their careers progress as a result of doing so.
Indeed, Miccoli was signed by Juventus as one of Italy’s hottest prospects along with Manuele Blasi after his breakthrough season under Serse Cosmi in 2002/03.
The last Perugia side that earned promotion to Serie A back in 1998 did so through a playoff, beating Torino to ensure that players such as Marco Materazzi, Alessandro Melli and Milan Rapaic got a taste of the big time. The playoff itself went to a penalty shootout – both Materazzi and Rapaic converted their kicks.
There are no such star names in the current Perugia squad, though Matteo Brighi is a face well-accustomed to the top flight. He has found himself at a Perugia who have been well supported throughout their campaign, and have paid back their 10,000 crowds with some fine performances.
Having lost just twice at the Stadio Renato Curi all season, it is clear where Bucci’s side’s strength lies. Indeed, the regular season game between Perugia and Benevento ended in a comfortable 3-1 home win after Francesco Nicastro opened the scoring for the hosts in the first minute; the two sides drew 0-0 in Campania.
There is no guarantees with playoffs, and no team is more welcome in Serie A than any other. For Perugia, though, there is hope of getting back what once they had. They have three games left to do so.
