Factfile
Founded: 1909
President: Marcello Totera
Manager: Davide Tentoni
Colours: Blue and White
Stadio: Omobono Tenni
The 2005/2006 Season in Italian football is one that shall never be forgotten. The emergence of the Calciopoli scandal, that still wrangles to this day, and the national team’s victory at the World Cup such a short time later.
These historical events sandwiched so close together has lead us to forget a remarkable fairy tale that took place in that Serie A season. The fairy tale of the forgotten club.
The city of Treviso is situated roughly 43 minutes from Venice. It is the birthplace of Luciano Benetton of the famous Benetton fashions, sports manufacturing giants Pinarello and Diadora also call it home.
Sports wise the city is more a rugby kind of place. The aptly named Benetton Treviso club have 15 Scudetti to their name. However calcio has its place, since 1909 Treviso fc have been ploughing the lonely furrow.
For the first 80 or so years the club achieved little as they bounced around the lower levels of the Italian game. There one period of slight success came in the early 1950’s, when the late great Nereo Rocco guided them to a sixth place finish in Serie B.
Come 1993 though a seismic event was about to occur that would change the course Biancocelesti history forever. Over the next 20 years a chain of events would happen that would even had made Roy of the Rovers laugh in derision.
In 1993 the club went bankrupt and was forced to close up shop. A new club was quickly brought together under a slightly different moniker to the old and entered into the semi-professional Serie D for the forthcoming season.
A year later the club trusted the management job to Giuseppe Pillon, a man born in the province of Treviso. It was only Pillon’s second job in management after a short spell at Bassano. Yet it proved to be a master stroke of an appointment as not only did Pillon lead them out of obscurity, he guided the club to three consecutive promotions.
The club were back in Serie B for the first time in 40 years, but there talismanic manager would not be there to guide them as he’d soon left to take over Padova. It wasn’t to matter as the club managed to survive nonetheless.
The reprieve was somewhat temporary as in 2001 Treviso were relegated, but bounced back at the first time of asking. In 2004 the great Pillon returned having found out that the grass was not always greener on the other side.
Sometimes with a manager and a club, you just find that they fit perfectly hand in hand and that seemed to be the case with Pillon. In the one season that he returned for Pillon lead them to a fantastic fifth place, only losing to Perugia in the promotion play-offs.
Although the best was yet to come. Over the summer months an unlikely chain of events took place that would be of unforeseen benefit to Treviso. Two of the promoted clubs, Genoa and Torino had been refused entrance to Serie A for the coming season.
Genoa had been denied because of sporting fraud (aka Match fixing) and Torino because of financial irregularities (they were completely skint). All of this meant that along with Ascoli, little old Treviso were plucked from the second division and handed a place in Serie A.
It had taken 96 years but Treviso had finally done it, they were in the big time. Inter Milan at the San Siro would prove to be there opening fixture, what a way to begin your first ever campaign in Serie A. The Nerazzurri ran out convincing 3-0 winners on the day.
As the season progressed Treviso battled hard, but found the going tough as they hovered around or on the bottom of the table. Despite giving all they got, a draw with Juventus being a notable high point, it proved not to be enough as the club finished bottom with only three wins all season and relegation awaited.
Not long after the calciopoli scandal broke, devastating the reputation of calcio at home and abroad. Initially alongside Juventus, Lazio and Fiorentina were demoted to Serie B for their part. Treviso looked like they had earned an unlikely reprieve.
The dream of a second season in the top tier now looked a possibility. Lazio and Fiorentina however appealed against their punishments. Devastatingly for the Veneto based club the appeals were successful. The dream of a second season had been dashed. Relegation to Serie B beckoned.
With relegation it soon became apparent that all was not right at the club. Financially speaking the club was in disarray, they had spent too much on trying to sustain there Serie A dream. At the end of the 2009 season things finally came to a head both on and off the pitch.
The club had been relegated once more, this time to Lega pro and the already creaking financial strains were pushed over the edge. For the second time the club had gone bust and been forced out of business.
That summer the club was again brought back to life, with another slight name change. Entered into the Eccellenza Veneto, Treviso set off in pursuit of the Promised Land yet again. Promotion after promotion soon followed as they rose from the Eccellenza to Serie D to Lega pro seconda division and the prima division.
As is the case with Treviso though things are never simple and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what happened next. The club suffered relegation at the end of the 2012/13 campaign and you guessed it went belly up for the third time.
That post season the fourth incarnation of Treviso calcio was brought to life. A.C.D Treviso 2013 were placed in the Promozione Veneto, the sixth and second highest amateur level of the Italian game. Putting that into perspective there are only nine tiers in total. The 2013/14 season did see them win promotion from the Promozione, as they began their climb back up the ladder.
The sights, smells and sounds of Serie A are a long way away, a Serie A they graced only ten years before, for this proud club. Yet every Sunday afternoon a small band of locals along with the remaining Ultras make their way to the Stadio Omobono Tenni to watch and cheer there team on.
They do it all in the hope that there forgotten club will one day rise like a Phoenix from the flames and do battle on the big stage once again. Who knows stranger things have happened.
Notable players to have worn the Blue and White
- Samir Handanovic
- Christian Maggio
- Marco Borriello
- Robert Acquafresca
- Andrea Dossena
Finally why not take a few moments to view this video commemorating the clubs 100 anniversary, Click HERE
Next week sees the turn of the mighty San Marino Calcio
The post The Calcio nerd’s guide: Treviso appeared first on Italian Football Daily.
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