The 2009–10 Serie B season is the seventy-eighth edition since its establishment in 1929. Serie B 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 Calcio.
A total of 22 teams contest the league, 15 of which returned from the 2008–09 season, four of which have been promoted from Lega Pro Prima Divisione, and three relegated from Serie A.
Teams
Stadiums and locations Club City Stadium Capacity 2008–09 season AlbinoLeffe Albino and Leffe(playing in Bergamo) Atleti Azzurri d'Italia 26,393 9th in Serie B Ancona Ancona del Conero 26,000 19th in Serie B Ascoli Ascoli Piceno Cino e Lillo Del Duca 20,000 16th in Serie B Brescia Brescia Mario Rigamonti 27,547 4th in Serie B Cesena Cesena Dino Manuzzi 23,860 Lega Pro Prima Divisione – A Champions Cittadella Cittadella Pier Cesare Tombolato 7,623 17th in Serie B Crotone Crotone Ezio Scida 9,631 Lega Pro Prima Divisione – B Playoff Winners Empoli Empoli Carlo Castellani 19,795 5th in Serie B Frosinone Frosinone Matusa 9,680 11th in Serie B Gallipoli Gallipoli(playing in Lecce) Via del Mare 33,876 Lega Pro Prima Divisione – B Champions Grosseto Grosseto Carlo Zecchini 9,909 6th in Serie B Lecce Lecce Via del Mare 33,876 20th in Serie A Mantova Mantua Danilo Martelli 14,844 13th in Serie B Modena Modena Alberto Braglia 20,507 15th in Serie B Padova Padua Euganeo 32,336 Lega Pro Prima Divisione – A Playoff Winners Piacenza Piacenza Leonardo Garilli 21,668 10th in Serie B Reggina Reggio Calabria Oreste Granillo 27,454 19th in Serie A Salernitana Salerno Arechi 37,245 14th in Serie B Sassuolo Sassuolo(playing in Modena) Alberto Braglia 20,507 7th in Serie B Torino Turin Olimpico di Torino 27,994 18th in Serie A Triestina Trieste Nereo Rocco 32,454 8th in Serie B Vicenza Vicenza Romeo Menti 17,163 12th in Serie B
Personnel and kits TeamPresidentManagerKit manufacturerShirt sponsorAlbinoLeffe Gianfranco Andreoletti Emiliano MondonicoAcerbisUBI Assicurazioni, Studio Casa Agenzie ImmobiliariAncona Flavio Mais Sandro SalvioniLegeaKerself (1) / Twice SIM (2, 7-8, 10, 12, 14, 17) / H6 (3, 9) / RSM Italy (4) / Kinexia (5) / University.it (6) / Fisioclub Ancona (11) / Ecoware (13) / Società Italiana Sviluppo & Impresa (15) / Sartoria Paolorossi (16) / Centro Carni Villa Musone (18, 20, 26, 42) / Impero (21) / La Stafferia (22) / Brainspark Investment Group (29-30) / Dentro e Fuori Service (31) / La Cantina di Palazzo Bello (33, 35, 39) / La Gramigna Srl (34) / Radio Tua (38), Maracanà Sport Store (31)Ascoli Roberto Benigni Giuseppe PillonLegeaCarisap, CIAMBrescia Gino Corioni Giuseppe IachiniMassUBI Banco di Brescia, Bresciani Cover AllCesena Igor Campedelli Pierpaolo BisoliLottoPhytum TonCittadella Andrea Gabrielli Claudio FoscariniGarmanSiderurgica GabrielliCrotone Salvatore Gualtieri Franco LerdaZeusCittà di Crotone, Ceramica Gres 2000Empoli Fabrizio Corsi Salvatore CampilongoAsicsLimonta Sport, Computer GrossFrosinone Maurizio Stirpe Guido CarboniLegeaBanca Popolare del Frusinate, Provincia di FrosinoneGallipoli Daniele D'Odorico Ezio RossiGarmanD'Odorico Group/Caroli Hotels, ItalcantieriGrosseto Piero Camilli Maurizio SarriErreàIndustria Lavorazione Carni Ovine, Banca della MaremmaLecce Giovanni Semeraro Luigi De CanioAsicsHAITI - SMS 48541/Better, LachifarmaMantova Fabrizio Lori Michele SerenaJomaNuova PansacModena Alfredo Amadei Luigi ApolloniGivovaCPL Concordia, ImmergasPadova Marcello Cestaro Carlo SabatiniLottoFamila, Cassa di Risparmio del VenetoPiacenza Fabrizio Garilli Massimo FiccadentiMacronUNICEFReggina Pasquale Foti Roberto BredaOnzeStocco&Stocco/Guglielmo Caffè/Ipac/La Gru, Stocco&StoccoSalernitana Antonio Lombardi Ersilio CeroneGivovaLombardi CostruzioniSassuolo Carlo Rossi Stefano PioliSportikaMapeiTorino Urbano Cairo Stefano ColantuonoKappaMG.K VIS/Il Buon Riso/Il Buon Riso Firma/Italporte/Dolmar Makita/Maniva Oligominerale/Škoda Yeti/Be-Total/Stylo Rent a Car, Dahlia TVTriestina Stefano Fantinel Daniele ArrigoniMassFantinel, Testa & MolinaroVicenza Sergio Cassingena Rolando MaranMax SportFIAMM
Managerial changes
Before the start of the season Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Replaced by Date of appointment Ascoli Franco Colomba Contract expired Alessandro Pane Vicenza Angelo Gregucci Contract expired Rolando Maran Piacenza Stefano Pioli Contract expired Fabrizio Castori Sassuolo Andrea Mandorlini Mutual consent Stefano Pioli Reggina Nevio Orlandi Contract expired Walter Novellino Triestina Rolando Maran Mutual consent Luca Gotti Torino Giancarlo Camolese Contract expired Stefano Colantuono Empoli Silvio Baldini Sacked Salvatore Campilongo Gallipoli Giuseppe Giannini Mutual consent Giuseppe Giannini Mantova Mario Somma Contract expired Michele Serena Crotone Francesco Moriero Mutual consent Franco Lerda Frosinone Piero Braglia Contract expired Francesco Moriero
During the season Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Replaced by Date of appointment Salernitana Fabio Brini Sacked Marco Cari AlbinoLeffe Armando Madonna Sacked Emiliano Mondonico Brescia Alberto Cavasin Sacked Giuseppe Iachini Triestina Luca Gotti Sacked Mario Somma Reggina Walter Novellino Sacked Ivo Iaconi Salernitana Marco Cari Sacked Gianluca Grassadonia Piacenza Fabrizio Castori Sacked Massimo Ficcadenti Ascoli Alessandro Pane Sacked Giuseppe Pillon Torino Stefano Colantuono Sacked Mario Beretta Torino Mario Beretta Sacked Stefano Colantuono Reggina Ivo Iaconi Sacked Roberto Breda Padova Carlo Sabatini Sacked Nello Di Costanzo Triestina Mario Somma Sacked Daniele Arrigoni Salernitana Gianluca Grassadonia Removed from managerial duties Ersilio Cerone Gallipoli Giuseppe Giannini Resigned Giovanni Di Pasquale (caretaker) Grosseto Elio Gustinetti Sacked Maurizio Sarri Vicenza Rolando Maran Sacked Nedo Sonetti Gallipoli Giovanni Di Pasquale End of caretaker spell Ezio Rossi Padova Nello Di Costanzo Sacked Carlo Sabatini Vicenza Nedo Sonetti Sacked Rolando Maran Frosinone Francesco Moriero Sacked Guido Carboni Giuseppe Giannini left Gallipoli by mutual consent in June 2009, only three weeks after having won promotion to Serie B with the club, due to uncertainty regarding the club future. He successively agreed to return at Gallipoli two months later, and only ten days before the season kick-off, after Udine-based D'Odorico Group completed the club takeover. During the time Giannini did not act as head coach, no replacement was appointed. Salernitana under-19 coach Gianluca Grassadonia was appointed to replace Marco Cari in November 2009 despite not having the required coaching badges. In December, Ersilio Cerone was appointed "official" head coach to fulfil the requirement for a UEFA A coaching graduate, with Grassadonia appearing as assistant but being usually referred as the "real" manager. Grassadonia was later announced to have been removed from the first team coaching staff on March 14, 2010, whereas Cerone was confirmed as head coach, this time on a real basis.
The list does not include Giuseppe Giannini's resignation from Gallipoli, who were announced on February 8, 2010 and withdrawn two days later following a meeting with club chairman Daniele D'Odorico.
Events The 2009–10 Serie B season will feature the return of seven-times Italian champions Torino, who were relegated from Serie A. Other teams relegated from the top flight include Reggina (after seven consecutive seasons in the Serie A) and Lecce (after only one season in the highest tier).
Four teams were promoted from Lega Pro Prima Divisione: Cesena, Crotone, Padova and newcomers Gallipoli. As of 10 August, Gallipoli did not manage to organize a squad for the league and were even without a head coach due to club issues (the club chairman being in talks with several third parties regarding a possible takeover); this also forced the club to play the Under-19 team for the second round of the Coppa Italia tournament, lost 6–1 to lower league outfit Lumezzane. The following day, Giuseppe Giannini returned to coach Gallipoli after a company from Udine took over the club.
On 23 September 2009, the Football League committee point deductions of respectively two and one points for clubs Crotone and Gallipoli due to administrative and financial breaches. The one point deduction for Gallipoli was later canceled by the Federal Court of Justice on October 22, with the two-point penalty regarding Crotone being instead confirmed.
An analogous one-point penalty involving Ancona was ratified by the National Disciplinary Committee on 18 February 2010 due to not having paid a number of salaries in June and July 2009; such deduction was extended to two points by the Federal Court of Justice later on 12 March.
The season also experienced a suspension for the 3 March match between Cesena and Sassuolo, which was not completed due to heavy snow at the 73rd minute, with the result being 0–0. As per Italian league rules, only the remaining 17 minutes were played, and an unusual mini-game was therefore rescheduled on 16 March during which Sassuolo managed to score a goal (at the second minute of the match replay) to record a 1–0 win.
Later, on 19 March, Salernitana were docked six points due to matchfixing regarding a Serie C1 league game held in April 2008 against Potenza. Salernitana were also the first team to get mathematically relegated, after a 5–2 loss to Empoli left the Campanian club with a 23-point gap between them and 19th-placed Padova with seven games to the end of the season.
League table
Results
Play-off
Promotion Semi-finals First legs played 2 June 2010; return legs played 6 June 2010
In case of an aggregate tie, the higher seed advances.
Finals First leg played 9 June 2010; return leg played 13 June 2010
Brescia promoted to Serie A.
Relegation First leg played 4 June 2010; return leg played 12 June 2010
Top goalscorers Updated as of May 23, 2010
26 goals Éder (Empoli) 24 goals Mirko Antenucci (Ascoli) Rolando Bianchi (Torino) Mauricio Pinilla (Grosseto) 23 goals Andrea Caracciolo (Brescia) 22 goals Matteo Ardemagni (Cittadella) Salvatore Mastronunzio (Ancona) 18 goals Alessandro Noselli (Sassuolo) 17 goals Daniele Corvia (Lecce) 16 goals Claudio Coralli (Empoli)
Attendances
Source:
# Football club Average attendance 1 Torino 13,584 2 Cesena 11,272 3 Lecce 7,842 4 Vicenza 7,322 5 Padova 6,987 6 Triestina 6,472 7 Reggina 6,327 8 Salernitana 5,904 9 Modena 5,785 10 Ancona 5,721 11 Mantova 5,377 12 Ascoli 4,942 13 Crotone 4,167 14 Frosinone 4,098 15 Brescia 3,937 16 Sassuolo 3,245 17 Piacenza 3,193 18 AlbinoLeffe 3,192 19 Empoli 3,063 20 Cittadella 2,944 21 Grosseto 2,798 22 Gallipoli 1,293
References