Latest news with #MassimoCellino
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Salernitana food poisoning forces rescheduling of Samp play-off
A severe bout of food poisoning has forced Sampdoria's relegation decider with Salernitana to be rescheduled for this coming Sunday, Serie B said on Tuesday. Eight Salernitana players were hospitalised in the early hours of Monday morning after 21 people from the club's playing and training staff fell ill during the return flight to Salerno following their 2-0 loss at Sampdoria in the first leg of the two-sides' relegation play-off. Salernitana asked for the second leg in Salerno, originally scheduled for Friday night, to be pushed back to help players recover. And Italy's second division said in a statement that the game would now kick off at 2030 local time on Sunday. Italian media report police had visited the hotel where Salernitana players stayed ahead of the first leg and which prepared the team's in-flight meal for the journey to Salerno. Sampdoria were relegated to the third tier for the first time in their history last month, only to be saved by a points deduction for Brescia which bumped the 1991 Italian champions into one of the division's two relegation play-off positions. Brescia, who replaced Sampdoria in the last of three automatic relegation places, did not appeal the deduction and are set to go out of existence after 114 years following owner Massimo Cellino's decision not to honour a debt of three million euros . One of seven Italian clubs who have played all their football in the top two divisions, Sampdoria were relegated to Serie B in 2023. They were close to going bust before being saved by current president Matteo Manfredi and former Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani, who has since exited the club. The club's current majority shareholder is Singaporean businessman Joseph Tey. Club icons Alberico Evani and Attilio Lombardo were hired as coaches in April in an attempt to save Sampdoria from the drop after significant transfer market activity both last summer and in January. Evani is Sampdoria's fourth head coach of the season after Andrea Pirlo, Andrea Sottil and Leonardo Semplice. td/pi
Hindustan Times
11-06-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Sampdoria's relegation lifeline confirmed with Salernitana play-off
Sampdoria will have a chance to avoid their first ever relegation to Italy's third division after a play-off with Salernitana was confirmed by Serie B. The former Italian champions fell to a historic low last month when a goalless draw at Juve Stabia on the final day of the regular season led to an 18th-placed finish in the 20-team division. The bottom three in Serie B are directly relegated to the third tier, while the teams in 16th and 17th place face off in a two-legged play-off. But Brescia dropped down to 18th after being deducted eight points for accounting and administrative infractions, four of which were applied to this past season and the remaining points to their next league campaign. Brescia did not appeal the ruling and are set to go out of existence after 114 years following owner Massimo Cellino's decision not to honour a debt of three million euros . Cellino had until Friday to pay part of Brescia's eight million euros in tax arrears and other overdue tax, and failure to do so has resulted in the club losing the right to take part in the Italian league system. That has given Sampdoria a lifeline, with a showdown with Salernitana deciding the final team to be relegated to Serie C alongside Brescia, Cittadella and Cosenza. One of seven Italian clubs who have played all their football in the top two divisions, Sampdoria will host Salernitana on Sunday, with the second leg in Salerno in southern Italy the following Friday. Sampdoria were relegated to Serie B in 2023 and close to going bust before being saved by current president Matteo Manfredi and former Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani, who has since exited the club. The club's majority shareholder is Singaporean businessman Joseph Tey. Club icons Alberico Evani and Attilio Lombardo were hired as coaches in April in an attempt to save Sampdoria from the drop after significant transfer market activity both last summer and in January. Evani is Sampdoria's fourth head coach of the season after Andrea Pirlo, Andrea Sottil and Leonardo Semplice. td/pi
Daily Mail
10-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Controversial ex-Leeds owner accused of 'killing' historic Italian club where Andrea Pirlo and Sandro Tonali came through as they face being kicked out of pro football
A controversial former owner of Leeds United has been accused of killing a historical Italian club after it went bankrupt. Brescia, who finished 15th in Serie B last season, have been set to compete in Serie C next term due to financial issues that have seen them, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, fail to register the club. It is suggested that there are £2.5million of unpaid debts at the club, putting the future of the 114-year-old club in serious doubt. The club is currently owned by former Leeds chief Massimo Cellino, who owned Leeds between 2014 and 2017 and was a controversial figure during his time in charge. He bought Brescia after selling Leeds, with La Gazzetta dello Sport writing that the 68-year-old has 'deliberately killed' the club. The side, which are the former club of a number of legendary players in the game, have been unable to register in Serie C due to the debt not being paid, meaning they are set to play amateur football next season. Brescia are the former side of the likes of Andrea Pirlo and Sandro Tonali - with the former Newcastle midfielder plying his trade there between 2012 and 2021. Other names to have played for the club include Pep Guardiola, Luca Toni, Mario Balotelli and Roberto De Zerbi. In their history, Brescia have played 23 seasons in Serie A - most recently in the 2019-20 campaign. But their financial situation has nosedived under Cellino, who continues to make enemies in the football world. While at Leeds, the Italian seemingly accidentally sacked manager Brian McDermott, later claiming he had asked for the couch to be replaced, not the coach. In 2014, the Football League said Cellino had failed the owner's test required to acquire a football club, before the decision was overturned on appeal. He would later clash with McDermott again when the coach took a holiday, claiming the club had 'no manager' before he made a number of coaching changes. He went through managers quickly, before being disqualified by the Football League in 2014 having been found guilty of tax evasion by an Italian court. He returned to the club in May 2015. That month, he branded manager Neil Redfearn 'weak' and 'a baby', before again changing bosses. He was later disqualified again, before clashing with fans over the sale of the club. He also tried to ban Sky Sports from entering the ground, had his ban lifted again after being acquitted of tax evasion, and eventually sold the club to Andrea Radrizzani in May 2017. Away from football, he was arrested in February 2013 for attempted embezzlement and fraudulent misrepresentation after an investigation into the construction of the Stadio Is Arenas. he was held in custody for two weeks with no further action taken. He had two prior criminal convictions from 1996 and 2001.
The Sun
08-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Iconic Italian football club where Pep Guardiola and Mario Balotelli played goes bankrupt and faces boot from league
AN ITALIAN club over 100 YEARS OLD is set to go extinct after being declared bankrupt. Brescia - in the second-division Serie B - was left in debts over £2.5million and have been unable to pay them. 3 3 3 As a result, they have been gone bankrupt and look set to go extinct after 114 years of history. Recognisable names such as Roberto Baggio, Pep Guardiola, Andrea Pirlo, Luca Toni Marek Hamsík, Mario Balotelli and Roberto De Zerbi all played for the club. Balotelli spent a year with Brescia after signing in 2019 - scoring five in 19 games but he left after the club's relegation. Brescia is owned by Massimo Cellino - who was in chagrge of Leeds between 2014 and 2017 - before buying the Italian side. But he had a troubled tenure in Yorkshire and left amid fan protests and much discontent. Brescia were promoted to Serie A in 2019 but were relegated in the very next season. Things went from bad to worse this campaign after they were deducted four points amid their financial woes. It saw them relegated to Serie C - but owner Cellino has not registered them in the wake of failing to pay off his debts. Brescia are now the only Italian side facing bankruptcy and expulsion from the league. Spal, once of the Serie A, said in a statement: 'With great regret, the owners of Spal announce that the club will not participate in the 2025-26 Serie C campaign. 'It is a painful epilogue that arrived after numerous attempts to find concrete solutions that could guarantee the continuation of the project. 'Unfortunately, the current conditions do not make that possible. "In the last four years, the owners made significant financial efforts, investing €50m in liquidity, with €12m alone in the last season, in an attempt to relaunch Spal and give the city of Ferrara a team suited to its history and passion. 'However, the results were not satisfactory, nor proportional to the level of investment.'
Local Italy
08-06-2025
- Business
- Local Italy
Historic Italian football club Brescia goes bankrupt
Italian businessman Massimo Cellino has owned the Lombardy club since 2017. Cellino was previously the owner of English side Leeds, where he was known for his managerial swinging door policy and his problems with the courts. The 68-year-old had until Friday to pay part of €8 million in tax arrears. Brescia's failure to pay the sum has resulted in the club losing the right to take part in the Italian league system. The club were deducted four points by the tribunal of the Italian football federation (FIGC) for their financial woes. As a result of the sanction, Brescia, which finished the Serie B season in 15th place with 43 points, dropped to 18th place with 39 points, resulting in relegation to the third-tier Serie C. Brescia spent 23 seasons in Serie A, with their best performance being an eighth-place finish in the 2000-2001 season. Famous past players of the club include Italian internationals Roberto Baggio, Alessandro Altobelli, Andrea Pirlo and Luca Toni, as well as current Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, who played there between 2001 and 2003.
