Massimo Ficcadenti
Encyclopedia
Massimo Ficcadenti is an Italian
football manager
and former midfielder
.
, where he played from 1985 to 1989. He then signed for Messina
, playing for the Sicilian
side for a total of three seasons before to join Verona
in 1992. At Verona, he also had the opportunity to make his Serie A
debut; he stayed with the gialloblu for a total of five seasons before moving at Torino
in 1997. He left Torino for Ravenna
in 2000, and retired from active football one year later to become a coach.
team Fiorenzuola
. Ficcadenti, at the helm of a club under serious financial struggles, ended the regular season in 17th place, but later lost the relegation playoffs to Trento. Despite the Serie D
relegation, his work at Fiorenzuola was praised by a number of pundits, given the circumstances, and he was successively appointed by Avellino
of Serie C1
, being however fired before the beginning of the season due to poor performances in the Coppa Italia Serie C
and a number of friendly matches. On June 2003, he was then appointed as head coach of Pistoiese
, another Serie C1 team. As well as in Fiorenzuola, Ficcadenti found a club under financial troubles, and a squad mainly composed by young and loaned players, the one with the lowest age in all the professional leagues that year; despite that, Pistoiese narrowly missed a spot in the Serie B
promotion playoffs, and ended in a good 11th place.
Pistoiese's performances convinced Serie B club Verona
to offer him their head coaching position in 2004. In his first year with Verona, Ficcadenti ended in a mid-table place, after having been involved in the promotion fight for the first half of the season. The 2005-06 season
, with a weaker team that lost some of their more notable players, saw Verona struggling in the relegation battle, but saving themselves from a Serie C1 fall in the end. The following season
proved to be much harder for Ficcadenti, as the club lost several key players such as Mattia Cassani
and striker Adaílton
. Ficcadenti was then sacked on December 2006 because of poor results, being replaced by Giampiero Ventura
who however did not manage to save the club from relegation.
On June 23, 2007 several news announced Reggina
's appointment of Ficcadenti as new head coach, despite the fact he was still contracted with his previous club Verona. However Verona did not give Ficcadenti permission to make the move, and on June 27, the club announced on their website to have reappointed him as their head coach for the upcoming 2007-08 Serie C1 campaign
. The issue finally came to an end on July 1, when Ficcadenti rescinded his contract with Verona and Reggina announced on their website to have appointed him as coach. He however made a very poor start with Reggina, failing to achieve a single win in the first ten matchdays; a shock 3–1 home loss to Livorno
, who was three points behind the amaranto before the match kick-off, convinced Reggina chairman Lillo Foti to sack Ficcadenti on November 1, 2007.
On February 2009, Ficcadenti returned to Hellas Verona, serving as transfer market consultant to new club owner and chairman Giovanni Martinelli.
On November 2009 he returned into management, being appointed head coach of Serie B
side Piacenza
as a replacement for dismissed trainer Fabrizio Castori
.
On June 2010, Ficcadenti signed for newly-promoted Serie A
club Cesena
. After a hugely successful season which culminated with Cesena achieving 15th place in Serie A, 7 points clear of relegation, it was decided by mutual consent not to renew Ficcadenti's contract, thereby making him a free agent as of May 2011.
On 16 August 2011 he was introduced as new head coach of Serie A club Cagliari
, taking over from dismissed predecessor Roberto Donadoni
. On 8 November 2011 he was sacked following a winless run in their past five matches in the season.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
football manager
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
and former midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
.
Playing
Ficcadenti started his playing career with SambenedetteseS.S. Sambenedettese Calcio
Unione Sportiva Sambenedettese is an Italian association football club, based in San Benedetto del Tronto, Marche. The club was founded in 1923. Sambenedettese currently plays in Serie D, having last been in Serie B in 1989. The team's colors are red and blue....
, where he played from 1985 to 1989. He then signed for Messina
F.C. Messina Peloro
Associazione Calcio Rinascita Messina is an Italian football club based in Messina, Sicily. It currently plays in Serie D.- Brief history :The origins of the team go back to 1900 when Messina F.C was founded in the city. The club has spent most of its history in the lower Italian football leagues...
, playing for the Sicilian
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
side for a total of three seasons before to join Verona
Hellas Verona F.C.
Hellas Verona Football Club is a professional Italian association football team, based in Verona, Veneto. The team's colours are yellow and blue and gialloblu is the team's most widely used nickname...
in 1992. At Verona, he also had the opportunity to make his Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
debut; he stayed with the gialloblu for a total of five seasons before moving at Torino
Torino F.C.
Torino Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Torino, is a professional Italian football club based in Turin, Piedmont, that was founded in 1906. The club has spent most of its history in the top tier in Italian football....
in 1997. He left Torino for Ravenna
Ravenna Calcio
Ravenna Calcio is an Italian association football club, based in Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna. The club was founded in 1913 and refounded in 2001....
in 2000, and retired from active football one year later to become a coach.
Coaching
Ficcadenti's first coaching experience came in 2001 as boss of Serie C2Serie C2
Lega Pro Seconda Divisione is the name of the fourth highest football league in Italy, the lowest with a professional status. Usually it consists of 54 teams, but in the season 2010–11 the teams are only 49 divided geographically into three divisions of 17, 16 and 16 teams each...
team Fiorenzuola
U.S. Fiorenzuola 1922
Unione Sportiva Fiorenzuola 1922 is an Italian association football club from Fiorenzuola d'Arda, Emilia-Romagna. It was founded in 1922 and its official and colours are red and black....
. Ficcadenti, at the helm of a club under serious financial struggles, ended the regular season in 17th place, but later lost the relegation playoffs to Trento. Despite the Serie D
Serie D
Serie D is the top level of the Italian non-professional football association called Lega Nazionale Dilettanti. The association represents over a million football players and thousands of football teams across Italy. Serie D ranks just below Lega Pro Seconda Divisione , and is thus considered the...
relegation, his work at Fiorenzuola was praised by a number of pundits, given the circumstances, and he was successively appointed by Avellino
U.S. Avellino
Associazione Sportiva Avellino 1912 , since summer 2010, is the new name of the Italian football club, based in Avellino, Campania. The club was founded in 1912 and its traditional colours are green and white...
of Serie C1
Serie C1
Lega Pro Prima Divisione is the name of the third highest football league in Italy. It consists of 36 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 18 teams each. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1....
, being however fired before the beginning of the season due to poor performances in the Coppa Italia Serie C
Coppa Italia Serie C
Coppa Italia Lega Pro , formerly named Coppa Italia Serie C, is a straight knock-out based competition involving teams from Lega Pro in Italian football. All games, including the final, are on a home/away basis....
and a number of friendly matches. On June 2003, he was then appointed as head coach of Pistoiese
A.C. Pistoiese
Unione Sportiva Pistoiese 1921 is an Italian association football club, based in Pistoia, Tuscany.At the end of the 2010-11 Eccellenza season, Pistoiese was promoted to Serie D....
, another Serie C1 team. As well as in Fiorenzuola, Ficcadenti found a club under financial troubles, and a squad mainly composed by young and loaned players, the one with the lowest age in all the professional leagues that year; despite that, Pistoiese narrowly missed a spot in the Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
promotion playoffs, and ended in a good 11th place.
Pistoiese's performances convinced Serie B club Verona
Hellas Verona F.C.
Hellas Verona Football Club is a professional Italian association football team, based in Verona, Veneto. The team's colours are yellow and blue and gialloblu is the team's most widely used nickname...
to offer him their head coaching position in 2004. In his first year with Verona, Ficcadenti ended in a mid-table place, after having been involved in the promotion fight for the first half of the season. The 2005-06 season
Serie B 2005-06
This article contains information on the 2005-2006 season of Serie B, the second highest football league in Italy.-Final classification:-Results:...
, with a weaker team that lost some of their more notable players, saw Verona struggling in the relegation battle, but saving themselves from a Serie C1 fall in the end. The following season
Serie B 2006-07
The 2006-07 Serie B season started on September 9, 2006 and ended on June 10, 2007. The 22 clubs in Serie B each played 42 matches during the regular season....
proved to be much harder for Ficcadenti, as the club lost several key players such as Mattia Cassani
Mattia Cassani
Mattia Cassani is an Italian footballer who plays as a defender for Serie A club Fiorentina and the Italian national team.-Club career:Cassani started his career at Juventus and then left for Sampdoria on loan in January 2003...
and striker Adaílton
Adaílton Martins Bolzan
Adaílton Martins Bolzan, best known as Adaílton is a left footed Brazilian footballer who currently plays as striker for FC Vaslui in Romania.-Career:...
. Ficcadenti was then sacked on December 2006 because of poor results, being replaced by Giampiero Ventura
Giampiero Ventura
Giampiero Ventura is an Italian football manager and the current manager of Torino.-Career:After a short playing career started with Sampdoria, Ventura was forced to retire from active football at the age of 25 because of a serious back injury...
who however did not manage to save the club from relegation.
On June 23, 2007 several news announced Reggina
Reggina Calcio
Reggina Calcio are an Italian association football club, the main club of the city of Reggio Calabria. Founded in 1914, they currently play in the Italian Serie B, and play their home matches at the 27,763 seater Stadio Oreste Granillo...
's appointment of Ficcadenti as new head coach, despite the fact he was still contracted with his previous club Verona. However Verona did not give Ficcadenti permission to make the move, and on June 27, the club announced on their website to have reappointed him as their head coach for the upcoming 2007-08 Serie C1 campaign
Serie C1 2007-08
The 2007-08 Serie C1 season will be the thirtieth football league season of Italian Serie C1 since its establishment in 1978 . It will be divided into two phases: the regular season, played from September 2007 to May 2008, and the playoff phase from May to June 2008.The league will be composed of...
. The issue finally came to an end on July 1, when Ficcadenti rescinded his contract with Verona and Reggina announced on their website to have appointed him as coach. He however made a very poor start with Reggina, failing to achieve a single win in the first ten matchdays; a shock 3–1 home loss to Livorno
A.S. Livorno Calcio
Associazione Sportiva Livorno Calcio is an Italian football club based in Livorno, Tuscany. The club was formed in 1915 and currently plays in Italian Serie B. The team's colors are dark red or maroon...
, who was three points behind the amaranto before the match kick-off, convinced Reggina chairman Lillo Foti to sack Ficcadenti on November 1, 2007.
On February 2009, Ficcadenti returned to Hellas Verona, serving as transfer market consultant to new club owner and chairman Giovanni Martinelli.
On November 2009 he returned into management, being appointed head coach of Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
side Piacenza
Piacenza Calcio
Piacenza Calcio is an Italian association football club based in Piacenza. The club was formed in 1919 and currently plays in Italian Lega Pro Prima Divisione B. The team's colors are red and white, prompting one of the team's nicknames, the Biancorossi. They are also known as the Papaveri , and...
as a replacement for dismissed trainer Fabrizio Castori
Fabrizio Castori
Fabrizio Castori is an Italian football coach.- Coach :Castori was born in San Severino Marche, but grew up in Tolentino. He started his coaching career in 1980 at the age of 26 as head coach of Seconda Categoria team Belfortese from Belforte del Chienti...
.
On June 2010, Ficcadenti signed for newly-promoted Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
club Cesena
A.C. Cesena
Associazione Calcio Cesena is an Italian football club based in Cesena, Romagna. The club was formed in 1940 and won the first promotion to Serie A in 1973. Since then, the club have been in the Italian Premier League for a total of in 11 seasons, reaching the best achievement in 1976 with the 6th...
. After a hugely successful season which culminated with Cesena achieving 15th place in Serie A, 7 points clear of relegation, it was decided by mutual consent not to renew Ficcadenti's contract, thereby making him a free agent as of May 2011.
On 16 August 2011 he was introduced as new head coach of Serie A club Cagliari
Cagliari Calcio
Cagliari Calcio is an Italian football club based in Cagliari, Sardinia. The club was formed in 1920 and currently plays in Italian Serie A, having spent a large part of recent years mainly in Serie A and Serie B....
, taking over from dismissed predecessor Roberto Donadoni
Roberto Donadoni
Roberto Donadoni is an Italian football manager and former player, last in charge of Serie A club Cagliari.An attacking midfielder or winger known for pace and technique, he was a pillar of the powerhouse AC Milan teams of the late 1980s and early 1990s and one of the pioneers of Major League...
. On 8 November 2011 he was sacked following a winless run in their past five matches in the season.