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Vicenza Calcio
Full name	Vicenza Calcio SpA
Nickname(s)	Biancorossi (white-reds),; Berici,; Lanerossi
Founded	March 9, 1902
Ground	Stadio Romeo Menti,; Vicenza, Italy; (Capacity: 17,163)
Chairman	Sergio Cassingena
Manager	Rolando Maran
League	Serie B
2008–09	Serie B, 12th
Home colours	Away colours

Vicenza Calcio is an Italian football club based in Vicenza, Veneto. The club was formed in 1902 and currently plays in Italy's Serie B, having spent the entire 1960s and a large part of the 1990s in Serie A. The team's colors are red and white.

[edit] History

Vicenza took place for the first time in the Italian Championship in 1911, reaching the finals for the title, but they were defeated by Pro Vercelli, one of the best Italian team in that period. During the 20s and the 30s, the team played in lower divisions, reaching the first division for the first time in 1942. In the last round of the season, a 6-2 win versus Juventus, in Turin, meant a final relegation escape.

In 1947, Vicenza finished fifth in Serie A, but the following year was relegated. The early 1950s were quite troublesome, due to economic problems, but in 1953 it was bought by Lanerossi, a woolen firm from Schio, with the side being renamed Lanerossi Vicenza.

Between 1955 and 1975 Vicenza never left the top level, always putting a hard fight against more established clubs. In this period the side was also known as Nobile Provinciale (Noble Provincial). In 1964 and 1966 it finished 6th, with the Brazilian Luis Vinicio finishing league's top-scorer in in the former, with 25 goals.

In 1975 it was relegated but, after winning the 1976-77 second division, would eventually finish runner-up in the following season, as a young Paolo Rossi led the scoring charts, at 24 goals. In that year the side was nicknamed Real Vicenza. Club chairman Giuseppe Farina had just bought the striker from Juventus for a then record fee of 2,6 bilion lire, but the team would eventually drop two levels in just three seasons.

In the mid-1980s, Roberto Baggio started his career at the club, leading it to a Serie B. In 1986 Vicenza achieved a top flight promotion that was subsequently denied due to its involvement in the second Totonero match-fixing scandal. The club was soon relegated back to Serie C1.

In 1990 Vicenza took back its current name and was promoted to Serie B in 1993, thanks to coach Renzo Ulivieri. His successor, Francesco Guidolin, took the team back to Serie A in 1995, and led it through successive positive seasons: after finishing ninth in the league, the club won the 1997 Italian Cup after a 3-1 aggregate win over S.S.C. Napoli, eventually reaching next year's Cup Winners' Cup semifinals, being defeated by Chelsea F.C..

In 1999 the team was relegated to Serie B and, after a return to the top flight in 2000-01, were relegated to the third division in 2005, after losing the relegation playoffs against U.S. Triestina Calcio, only being readmitted to Serie B after Genoa C.F.C. and Perugia Calcio were relegated by the Italian Football Federation.

[edit] Current squad

As of 20 September 2009^[1]^[2]

No.	Position	Player
1	GK	Alberto Frison
2	DF	Michele Ferri
3	DF	Ronald Huth
4	DF	Marco Zanchi
5	DF	Valerio Di Cesare
6	DF	Michelangelo Minieri
7	MF	Nicola Rigoni (on loan from Palermo)
8	MF	Antonino Bernardini
9	FW	Alexis Carra
10	FW	Alessandro Sgrigna
11	FW	Saša Bjelanović
13	DF	Nicholas Giani
14	GK	Marco Fortin
15	MF	Cirilo Mora (on loan from Tacuary)
16	MF	Edoardo Braiati
17	DF	Antonio Giosa
18	MF	Gabriele Paonessa (on loan from Bologna)

No.	Position	Player
19	DF	Daniele Martinelli
20	MF	Gianluca Litteri (on loan from Internazionale)
22	MF	Filippo Forò
24	FW	Alessio Sestu
25	DF	Chalegre
27	DF	Fabiano (on loan from Genoa)
28	DF	Davide Brivio
29	FW	Massimo Margiotta
30	FW	Mattia Minesso
44	MF	Giampietro Perrulli
66	DF	Orlando Urbano
72	GK	Cristian Cicioni
77	MF	Stefano Botta
79	FW	Davide Gavazzi
88	MF	Francesco Signori (on loan from Sampdoria)
90	FW	Gianvito Misuraca
99	GK	José Rocchi