U.S. Città di Palermo
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| Full name | Unione Sportiva Città di Palermo |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) |
Rosanero (The Pink-blacks), Aquile (The Eagles) |
| Founded | 1900 (Anglo Palermitan Athletic and Football Club) 1987 (US Città di Palermo) |
| Ground | Stadio Renzo Barbera |
| Capacity | 36,349 |
| President | Paul Baccaglini |
| Manager | Diego López |
| League | Serie A |
| 2015–16 | Serie A, 16th |
| Website | Club home page |
Unione Sportiva Città di Palermo, commonly referred to as Palermo, is an Italian football club from Palermo, Sicily, playing in Serie A. Formed in 1900 as Anglo Palermitan Athletic and Football Club, the club had various names before assuming its final form in 1987 and is the top-ranked football club from the island of Sicily. During its history, Palermo played in all the professional ranks of Italy, and took part in several Serie A seasons during the 1960s and early 1970s, also ending three times as Coppa Italia runners-up during that period.
Following its return to Serie A in 2004, the club has become one of the most prominent in Italy, also providing four players to the Italian team that won the 2006 FIFA World Cup. It gained a UEFA Cup place for three consecutive seasons, narrowly missing UEFA Champions League qualification in 2007 and 2010, and losing its third Coppa Italia final in 2011.
The official team colours are pink and black. The colours give rise to the team's nickname rosanero; another less common nickname is aquile, referring to the eagle on both the official club logo and the city of Palermo's coat of arms.
US Città di Palermo plays its home games at Stadio Renzo Barbera (formerly known as La Favorita), which from 2007 has a capacity of 36,349 people. It was originally built in 1932, but was renovated in the late 1980s and served as a venue for the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
The club was founded in November 1900. It is the oldest football team in Sicily, the second in South Italy after Lazio, which was founded in January 1900.
There is some debate about the exact date the club was founded. Some authorities think it may have been as early as 1898 due to the existence of papers addressed to Joseph Whitaker, English consul in Palermo and originally believed to be first club president, about a Palermitan football team founded in the month of April of that year. Actually, there is a probable misinterpretation of some sources: in April 1897, the future founders of Palemo Calcio founded the association Sport Club. The most common and officially stated foundation date is 1 November 1900, as the Anglo Palermitan Athletic and Football Club. The club is thought to have been founded by Ignazio Majo Pagano, a young Palermitan colleague of Whitaker who had discovered football while at college in London, where the modern game of football originated from. The initial staff comprised three Englishmen and nine natives of Palermo, with Whitaker as honorary chairman, Edward De Garston as inaugural president and with red and blue as the original team colours. The first recorded football match, played by the team on 30 December 1900, ended in a 5–0 defeat to an unidentified amateur English team. The first official match, played on 18 April 1901 against Messina Football Club, ended in a 3–2 win to the Palermitan side.
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