Castel di Sangro, the rise and fall of a small town Italian team

[Piethagoram]

 

[True Magpie]

There are many rolling hills and stunning picturesque scenery, even for the smallest Italian football teams. Their achievement to reach Serie B is nothing short of a miracle, and the book Joe McGinniss wrote is very interesting. If you like football stories, I would recommend it to PON members.

Italian football has been plagued with match-fixing. Throwing their final game of the 96-97 season ultimately led to them folding.

[Blake]

Did they fold in 2005 because they threw a game while playing at their peak in '96? Was it because fans were unhappy and stayed away, or a combination of factors related to that poor decision?

[Chris]

I remember watching the Serie A and B season review, which Channel 4 used to do as part of their live coverage. I do recall hearing about them, but the rest I haven't. I wasn't aware there was a book on their downfall, but it seems a bit daft to throw a game. Their decline was probably a mixtured of everything coming together. Like when you get back-to-back promotions, you go the opposite way when the clubs not ran with care.

[KingMaynard]

This is the first I have heard of it. It’s very interesting. I took a look on Google Maps. The area seems much larger than the population would suggest. There is some nice scenery, and the town has some good facilities for football training.

[NiftyNick]

How annoying would it be to see your club throw the last game of the season? I would lose hope in Notts if they did it and would only forgive once changes were made.

[liampie]

i am not familiar with any of this but it sounds like the town has suffered. losing a club can be big as it impacts the community. i hope they reformed or another team took over.