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HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROMA

Dancing with Wolves

DancingDancing with with WolvesWolves

Roma won their second Scudetto in 1983 thanks to the midfield performances of Austrian ace Herbert Prohaska

Capital-born Daniele De Rossi is regarded as the future of Roma as they look ahead to the next 80 years

66 Calcio Italia June 2007

As Roma celebrate their 80th birthday this summer, Lara Mezzanotte takes us through the history of the club and highlights their plans to mark the occasion

Roma will have several reasons to celebrate at the end of the current season, as the Giallorossi will close the term in second place behind record-breaking Inter two weeks before the capital city club’s 80th birthday. Roma were founded on June 7, 1927, when the Alba-Audace, Fortitudo-Pro Roma and Roman clubs merged, settling in the working-class streets of Testaccio – where the all-wooden stadium with the same name was built – and making it the second club in town after Lazio. The official colours chosen for the kit were red and yellow, which had already been used by Roman and appear in the city banner as a symbol of ancient Imperial dignity. The Giallorossi won their first Scudetto in 1942, and suffered their one and only relegation to Serie B in 1951, returning to the top flight the following season. The 1960s saw Roma win the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, forerunner to the UEFA Cup, and two Coppa Italia trophies – followed by five more in the following decades – with notable players in this period including Giancarlo De Sisti and Fabio Capello, who would return as the club’s Coach many years later. The 1980s were glorious years for the outfit as the side including Bruno Conti, Agostino Di Bartolomei, Roberto Pruzzo and Falcao was led by Nils Liedholm to the Scudetto in 1983, after narrowly missing out to Juventus two years earlier. The team also reached the European Cup Final in 1984, losing to Liverpool on penalties at the Stadio Olimpico on a night Roma fans will never forget. The death of President Dino Viola in 1991, after 12 years at the helm, signalled the start of a difficult decade, which offered only a UEFA Cup Final defeat to Inter that same year. The fans had to wait until 2001 for glory when Francesco Totti and Capello led the side to their third Scudetto, the first one following Franco Sensi’s ascension to President in 1993. Since then, Roma have finished runners-up every season in either the League or the Coppa, even in 2004-05 when they were close to relegation before salvaging eighth place. Totti has become an icon, beating Pruzzo’s previous tally of 106 goals and playing 23 derbies against rivals Lazio – the same number as Guido Masetti, the goalkeeper of the 1942 Scudettowinning team. Last season Roma were

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8080 handed a Champions League spot following the Calciopoli verdicts, but it had been a great season regardless of the scandal, including an impressive then record run of 11 consecutive wins. For their 80th birthday, Roma have planned a special badge to replace the previous one, which had been a restyled version of the first emblem chosen in 1927. The team symbol has always been the Capitoline Wolf, the traditional emblem of Rome, placed on a yellow and red shield. In 1978, Roma travelled to the United States to play a friendly match with the New York Cosmos and club officials noticed that merchandising was a driving force in American sport. Upon their return to Italy, a new badge was created and used for sales purposes – the Capitoline Wolf however could not be registered as a trademark and the club’s graphic artists created the famous Lupetto wolf head logo, even though President Viola was not impressed with the design. In 1997 the club finally reached an agreement with Rome’s

Roma means passion, warmth and sentiment, a unique and magic team, just like the city they represent

town municipality and was granted special permission to use the Capitoline Wolf, which was welcomed back with enthusiasm by the Giallorossi fans. The 2007 badge, a focal point of the anniversary celebrations, combines two elements, the crest and a heart made up of the team colours, with the Roma logo and 80 in the middle, locking the team and its supporters in a symbolic embrace. The badge will be used in all the celebration activities planned by the club, whose fan-base counts over 1.4m Italians. Two books and an official DVD with the club’s 10 best matches are being prepared in co-operation with Il Corriere dello Sport, while other events are expected to take place during the 12 months following June 7, although no programme has yet been released. “Roma means passion, warmth and sentiment, a unique and magic team, just like the city they represent,” stated the club on their website. No doubt the celebrations will precisely reflect these words – so let the party begin!

Francesco Totti led the Giallorossi celebrations in 2001 as they secured a historic third Scudetto under the tutelage of Fabio Capello

The capital-based newspapers were understandably eager to hail Roma in the aftermath of their three title wins text ITALIA to 83188 June 2007 67