Extreme Football Tourism: ITALY: Bologna SC (1927-1934) / Bologna AGC (1934-1945) / Bologna FC (1945-1993) / Bologna FC 1909 (1993-)

Stadio Renato Dall'Ara "Stadio Littoriale", Bologna (Bologna FC 1909, formerly Bologna SC / Bologna AGC / Bologna FC)

Italy, region: Emilia-Romagna

30 XII 2024 / Bologna FC 1909 - Hellas Verona FC 2-3 / Serie A (= ITA level 1)

Timeline

1905 / Foundation of the oldest football club in Bologna, Società Ginnastica (SG) Fortitudo Bologna – in fact the football branch of the eponymous gymnastics club founded four year previously. The club plays its football on the Campo di Via Vezza, later moving to the Campo Salus at Porta Saragozza (in 1910). SG Fortitudo Bologna is only one of several fledgling football clubs in Bologna in the formative years of Italian football.
1909 / Foundation of a new football club in Bologna, which takes on the name Bologna Football Club (FC). Bologna FC joins the official Italian Football Association, FIGC (Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio) that same year. The club’s first pitch is situated in a public park, the Prati di Caprera – roughly situated on the site of the modern-day Ospedale Maggiore.
1910 / In its first season as a competitive club, Bologna FC wins first place in an aspirant competition of new clubs, the so-called Campionato Emiliano di Terza Categoria, finishing 3 points ahead of closest followers SEF Virtus and Sempre Avanti – two other clubs from Bologna. Following the 1909-10 season, at the behest of the FIGC, Bologna FC is admitted to the Prima Categoria, the regionalised top division of the Italian football pyramid. Due to the pitch in the Prati di Caprera lacking the facilities to host top flight football, the club moves to a newly laid-out pitch, the Campo della Cesoia, with wooden stands, changing rooms, and fences surrounding the ground.
1913 / Being forced out of the Campo della Cesoia after three years, Bologna FC settles at a new ground, the Stadio Sterlino, officially named the Campo di Giuoco di Villa Hercolani, situated at Via Toscani. The initiative to build the new stadium was taken by the club’s chairman, Rodolfo Minelli. A metal grandstand is added to the set-up, with boards surrounding the remainder of the pitch. Total capacity is estimated at 15,000. The most striking element of the ground is its slope of 1 metre between the two goals.
1916 / Bologna FC wins the so-called Coppa Emilia, 2 points ahead of closest rivals Reggio FC. The Coppa Emilia is a makeshift regional tournament, organised to replace regular league football, suspended due to Italy’s entrance in World War I in 1915. All football activities in the country are suspended between 1917 and 1919.
1920 / Finishing in first place in Prima Categoria Emilia, 3 points ahead of closest rivals Modena FC, Bologna FC qualifies for the national title play-offs, being eliminated in the semi-final group stage by FC Internazionale. Also in 1920, Bologna’s midfielder Angelo Badini is called up for the Italian squad for the football tournament of the Summer Olympics in Antwerp. The first-ever Bologna player to win a cap for Italy, Badini would play in both of Italy’s matches, a 2-1 win over Norway (in which he scored the winning goal) and a 2-0 defeat against Spain.
1921 / Champions in Prima Categoria Emilia Group B, 3 points ahead of closest followers AC Mantova, Bologna FC goes on to defeat Group A winner Modena FC in the Emilia title play-offs (albeit only after a third encounter, a tie-breaker, in Ferrara: 1-0 A.E.T.). Following this, the club qualifies for the Lega Nord semis, in which the club goes on to win Group A, 3 points ahead of record champions Genoa CFC. The club stumbles over the next hurdle to the national title, however, losing the Northern championship final against Group B winner US Pro Vercelli (2-1) in Livorno. Also in 1921, Bologna’s Stadio Sterlino, officially named the Campo di Giuoco di Villa Hercolani, is renamed Stadio Angelo Badini in honour of Bologna’s Argentinian midfielder who passed away unexpectedly following a sepsis earlier that year, aged 26. That same year, the ground’s open and covered terraces are completely reconstructed, while the scrap metal elements in the grandstand are replaced by concrete.
1923 / Having suffered from circumstances at the Stadio Angelo Badini, SPAL files a complaint at Italy’s Football Association concerning the one-metre slope of the pitch in Bologna. Following a decree by FIGC authorities, Bologna is ordered to have the pitch levelled by the start of the 1924-25 season.
1924 / Finishing in first place in Group B of the so-called Prima Divisione, as the regionalised top division of Italian football was renamed in 1921, 1 point ahead of runners-up FBC Torino, Bologna FC qualifies for the Northern championship final, in which it is eliminated for the national title final by Genoa CFC, losing the away tie 1-0 and being punished with a reglementary 0-2 home defeat following riots breaking out during the second leg, following which the match was abandoned in the 84th minute (1-1).
1925 / Under the aegis of Austrian coach Hermann Felsner, who had joined the club in 1920, Bologna FC wins its first-ever national title. First, the club wins Lega Nord Group B of the Prima Divisione, 2 points ahead of closest rivals US Pro Vercelli, going on to clinch the Lega Nord title against Group A winners Genoa CFC – albeit only after a fourth tie-breaker (2-0 in Milan). Subsequently, the club has a relatively easy time against Lega Sud champions SS Alba (Rome), winning both legs of the final (6-0 aggr.). Also in 1925, in view of the club’s recent successes, the size of the Stadio Sterlino ‘Angelo Badini’ is deemed too modest – and designs are made for a new, much larger stadium in the vicinity of the Certosa cemetery, some 3,5km west of the city-centre, by architect Giulio Ulisse Arata (1881-1962) and Bologna’s city-engineer Umberto Costanzini (1897-1968). The first stone for the new ground, the Stadio Littoriale, is laid by the initiator of the project, fascist party official Leandro Arpinati, deemed to become mayor of Bologna in 1926.
1926 / Winning first place in Lega Nord Group A, 2 points ahead of closest followers FBC Torino, Bologna FC qualifies for the Lega Nord final, in which it is bested by FBC Juventus after a third encounter, a tie-break match in Milan (2-1). Also in 1926, on October 29th, works are completed on the construction of the Stadio Littoriale, erected in red brick, with a covered grandstand and open terraces merging into one another in the way of a Roman amphitheatre; total capacity is 50,100. Two days later, on October 31st, the stadium is inaugurated by fascist leader Benito Mussolini, who makes his entrance in the ground seated on a horse. Later that day, an attempt on the Duce’s life is made by anarchist Anteo Zamboni. Although the construction itself and the athletics track have been completed, no football can be played in the stadium as yet – with a proper pitch still having to be laid out.
1927 / At the behest of fascist authorities, Bologna FC does away with the English epithet Football Club, continuing life as Bologna Sezione Calcio (SC). Finally, on May 29th, 1927, with the football pitch at the Stadio Littoriale being fit for use, an inaugural match is held at the ground, an international friendly between Italy and Spain attended by King Victor Emanuel III as well as Alfonso de Bourbon-Parma, one of the sons of the Spanish king; the encounter, played for (more than) a sell-out crowd (55,000), was won by Italy, 2-0, with Adolfo Baloncieri being the first-ever goalscorer in the stadium. Several days later, on June 5th, Bologna received Genoa CFC for its first league match at the new ground, winning the encounter 1-0 (goal by Giuseppe Martelli). Following Bologna’s departure, the Stadio Sterlino ‘Angelo Badini’ remains in use as a training ground, while the facilities are also made use of for matches by Rugby Bologna from the 1930s onwards.
1928 / Winning Divisione Nazionale Group B, 3 points ahead of runners-up FBC Juventus, Bologna SC qualifies for the national title play-offs, in which it finishes in a meagre fifth place, 4 points behind champions FBC Torino.
1929 / Still coached by Hermann Felsner, Bologna FC wins its second national title, first winning first place in Divisione Nazionale Group B, an impressive 8 points ahead of closest rivals FBC Juventus and FC Brescia – going on to edge past Group A winner FBC Torino in the final, but only after a third encounter, a tie-break match played at Rome’s Stadio PNF (Stadio Nazionale). The only goal in this decisive match is scored by Giuseppe Muzzioli. Also in 1929, on October 29th, the so-called Torre di Maratona is inaugurated, a 42-metre high tower in the centre of the East Stand of the Stadio Littoriale. The construction with six floors is a design by the architect of the stadium, Giulio Ulisse Arata, erected by Ugo Bassi’s construction company. On top of the tower, a statue of the Goddess Victory in fascist style is added, while the arch on the stadium side of the construction is adorned with an equestrian statue of Benito Mussolini, cast in bronze taken from three Austrian cannons from a battle in the First Italian War of Independence (1848). This statue is a work by sculptor Giuseppe Graziosi. Also around this time, with arcades being built around part of the ground, the stadium’s construction is merged into the so-called Portico di San Luca, an eighteenth-century colonnade leading to the Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca on Guardia Hill.
1930 / Bologna SC takes part in an international club tournament in Geneva, the so-called Coupe des Nations, in which it defeats DVV Go-Ahead in R1 (4-0), being eliminated in the quarter finals by host club Servette FC (4-1).
1931 / Bologna striker Giuseppe Della Valle hangs up his boots after fifteen years with the club – the last eleven of which he also was the team’s skipper. Moreover, Della Valle won 17 caps for Italy between 1923 and 1929.
1932 / Finishing 4 points behind champions FBC Juventus, Bologna SC manages a second place in Serie A, as Italy’s nationwide top division is called since 1929. More importantly, though, the club manages to win the Mitropa Cup following wins over AC Sparta (Prague) (quarter-finals: 5-3 aggr.) and First Vienna FC (semi-finals: 2-1 aggr.). Due to both other semi-finalists, FBC Juventus and SK Slavia Praha, being eliminated from the competition following riots during the second leg of their encounter in Turin, Bologna obtains the trophy unopposed. The successful coach is Hungaria’s Gyula Lelovics.
1934 / Bologna Sezione Calcio (SC) takes on the new name Bologna Associazione Giuoco del Calcio (AGC). Adorned with this new name, the club clinches its second Mitropa Cup, successively defeating Bocskai SC (3-2 aggr.), SK Rapid (7-5 aggr.), Ferencvárosi FC (6-2 aggr.), and SK Admira (7-4 aggr.). The goals against the Viennese side in the final are marked by Carlo Reguzzoni (4 goals), Aldo Spivach, Bruno Maini, and Francisco Fedullo. The successful coach is Lajos Nemes Kovács from Hungary. In the 1934 World Cup, held in Italy, the group game Sweden-Argentina (3-2) as well as the quarter-final Austria-Hungary (2-1) are held at the Stadio Littoriale. Italy goes on to win the tournament itself, with two Bologna players being part of its squad: defender Eraldo Monzeglio and striker Angelo Schiavio. Schiavio is still Bologna’s all-time top scorer with 242 goals between 1922 and 1939.
1936 / Bologna AGC clinches its third Italian title, finishing 1 point ahead of runners-up AS Roma in Serie A. The successful coach is yet another Hungarian, Árpád Weisz. The club is less successful in the Mitropa Cup this year, being knocked out in R1 by FK Austria Wien (5-2 aggr.).
1937 / Still coached by Árpád Weisz, Bologna AGC wins its fourth Italian title, finishing 3 points ahead of closest rivals SS Lazio. Yet again, though, the club is eliminated by FK Austria Wien in R1 of the Mitropa Cup (7-2 aggr.). Bologna is markedly more successful in another international tournament that same year, the Tournoi International de l’Exposition Universelle, held at the Stade de Paris (later renamed Stade Bauer) in Saint-Ouen as part of the World Expo in Paris. Knocking out FC Sochaux (4-1) and SK Slavia Praha (2-0) in the preliminary rounds, the club also has the better of Chelsea FC in the final, winning the encounter handsomely (4-1, three goals by Carlo Reguzzoni & one more by Giovanni Busoni).
1938 / Due to the racial laws proclaimed by Mussolini’s fascist regime, ever more influenced by Nazi race theories, Bologna AGC’s Jewish trainer Árpád Weisz loses his work permit in Italy. Weisz leaves for neutral Holland, becoming the coach of Dutch side DFC in Dordrecht. In Bologna, Weisz is succeeded by Hermann Felsner, who had also trained the club between 1920 and 1931. In the summer of 1938, the Italian national team wins its second consecutive World Cup with a squad containing three Bologna players: midfielder Michele Andreolo, reserve goalkeeper Carlo Ceresoli, and forward player Amedeo Biavati. Biavati, who is one of the players credited for inventing the stepover (one of the others being Law Adam of HVV in the Netherlands), won 18 caps for Italy between 1938 and 1947, in which he scored 8 goals; no other Bologna player ever managed to score more goals for the Azzurri.
1939 / Coached by Hermann Felsner, Bologna AGC clinches its fifth Italian title, finishing 4 points ahead of closest followers AC Torino in the Serie A table. That summer, the club knocks out ASC Venus Bucureşti in the Mitropa Cup quarter-finals, only to be eliminated in the semis by Ferencvárosi FC (5-4 aggr.).
1940 / Bologna AGC finishes as runners-up in Serie A, 3 points behind champions AS Ambrosiana-Inter.
1941 / Coached by Hermann Felsner, Bologna AGC clinches its sixth Italian title, finishing 4 points ahead of runners-up AS Ambrosiana-Inter in the Serie A table.
1943 / On July 26th, 1943, one day after General Badoglio’s coup which saw Mussolini removed from power, a crowd removes the Duce’s statue from the horse in the Stadio Littoriale, smashing it to pieces. The bronze horse itself is left untouched for the moment.
1944 / Former Bologna coach Árpád Weisz, who had been arrested by the Germans in the occupied territory of the Netherlands, is murdered in the extermination camp of Auschwitz. Weisz was 47 years old.
1945 / Following one year of inactivity due to the chaos reigning in Italy in the closing stages of World War II, Bologna AGC takes on its old name Bologna FC – which had been done away with in 1927 due to the fascist regime frowning upon non-Italian-language club names. In the following decade, the club is little more than an also-ran in Serie A. Also in 1945, the Stadio Littoriale is renamed to simply Stadio Comunale (‘Municipal Stadium’).
1947 / The bronze horse in the Torre di Maratona, left unscathed in the 1943 riots following the fall of the fascist regime, in which the Mussolini part of the equestrian statue was smashed, is removed and re-used in a new work of art by sculptor Luciano Minguzzi, a group of two statues of young partisans in the Battle of Porta Lame in Bologna (1944). The two statues have been on display at the Porta Lame until the present day.
1955 / In its best post-war season up until that point, Bologna FC finishes in fourth place in Serie A, while also taking part in the Mitropa Cup for the first time since 1939, suffering a painful 7-2 aggregate defeat at the hands of UDA Praha in the quarter-finals.
1960 / Bologna FC has a disappointing Mitropa Cup participation, suffering a 4-1 aggregate defeat at the hands of HNK Hajduk Split.
1961 / In the Mitropa Cup, Bologna FC wins the group stage ahead of FK Austria Wien, UC Sampdoria, and Spartak Praha Stalingrad, qualifying for the final subsequently by eliminating SK Kladno (3-1 aggr.). In the final, the club has the better of Czechoslovakia’s TJ Slovan Nitra, defeating that club 5-2 (aggr., two goals by Harald Nielsen & one each by Marino Perani, Héctor Demarco, and Ezio Pascutti). The successful coach is Federico Allasio. Danish striker Harald Nielsen had only just joined Bologna from Frederikshavn fI. Nielsen, who had made a good impression when representing his country in the football tournament of the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, would stay with Bologna for six seasons, scoring a staggering 81 goals in 157 matches before moving on to FC Internazionale in 1967.
1962 / Yet again, Bologna FC enjoys success in the Mitropa Cup, winning the group stage ahead of FK Crvena Zvezda (Red Star Belgrade), Slovan CHZJD Bratislava, and Budapesti Honvéd Sportegyesület. In the semi-final, Bologna knocks out GNK Dinamo Zagreb (3-2 aggr.), but this time, the club has to settle for second place following a 6-3 (aggr.) defeat in the final against Vasas SC.
1963 / Bologna FC is eliminated in the Mitropa Cup quarter-final by MTK (Budapest) (2-1 aggr.).
1964 / After two consecutive fourth places in Serie in the previous seasons, Bologna FC now wins its first (and only) post-war Italian title, finishing with an equal number of points as FC Internazionale and going on to defeat the Milanese club in a tie-break match, played at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico (2-0) with one goal being scored by Harald Nielsen and the second being an own goal by Inter’s Giacinto Facchetti. The successful coach is Fulvio Bernardini. Bolgona overcame a serious hiccup in the course of the season, as five players were caught using doping, with each of them being punished with an eighteen-month ban. The festive atmosphere surrounding the title is gravely tempered due to the unexpected passing of Bologna’s long-time chairman, Renato dall’Ara, only three days before the tie-break match in Rome; Dall’Ara, president of the club since 1934, was 81 years old. Qualifying for the main European tournament, the European Cup, for the first time following the league title, Bologna FC does not manage to reach the second round, stumbling over the first hurdle, Belgian champions RSC Anderlechtois (2-2 aggr., 0-0 in tie-break match & losing toss of a coin). Meanwhile, in the Mitropa Cup, Bologna has the better of OFK Beograd in the quarter-finals (3-2 aggr.), but is knocked out in the semis by Spartak Sokolovo Praha (5-2 aggr.).
1966 / Bologna FC finishes as runners-up in Serie A, 4 points behind champions FC Internazionale. In the summer of 1966, during the World Cup tournament in England, Bologna midfielder Helmut Haller reaches the final with West Germany, eventually having to settle for the silver medal in the final against the home side. Haller, who had joined Bologna from FC Augsburg 1907 after the 1962 World Cup, in which he also took part, would stay with the Italian side for six seasons, wearing the red-and-black jersey on 180 occasions (48 goals).
1967 / Taking part in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, the precursor of the UEFA Cup, for the first time, Bologna FC manages successive wins over Göztepe SK (5-2 aggr.), AC Sparta Praha (4-3 aggr.), and West Bromwich Albion FC (6-1 aggr.), eventually suffering elimination in the quarter-final against Leeds United FC (1-1 aggr. & toss of a coin).
1968 / In the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, Bologna FC manages successive wins over FK Lyn Oslo (2-0 aggr.), GNK Dinamo Zagreb (2-1 aggr.), FK Vojvodina (2-0 aggr.), eventually suffering elimination in the semi-final at the hands of eventual cup winners Ferencvárosi TC (5-4 aggr.). Also in 1968, two Bologna players are part of the Italian squad which conquers the European Championship title, Aristide Guarneri and Giacomo Bulgarelli. Bulgarelli, who had also been part of Italy’s 1962 and 1966 World Cup squads, defended Bologna’s colours for sixteen seasons (1959-75), in the course of which he played 391 matches – making him the club’s all-time recordholder.
1969 / In the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, Bologna FC has the better of FC Basel in R1 (6-2 aggr.), suffering elimination at the hands of OFK Beograd in R2 (2-1 aggr.). The club has more luck in a summer tournament in Switzerland, the so-called Cup of the Alps, winning the group stage against Alemannia Aachen, FC Lausanne Sports, SV Bayern Hof, FC Zürich, and AC Hellas Verona, thus qualifying for the final against FC Basel in Basle’s Sankt-Jakob-Park – losing this encounter 3-1. Also in 1969, the Stadio Sterlino ‘Angelo Badini’, Bologna’s home ground between 1913 and 1927, is knocked down. As the pitch had remained in use for training purposes, the club has to look out for a new training ground.
1970 / Never having been particularly successful in Italy’s main cup tournament, the Coppa Italia, in previous decades, Bologna FC now wins this trophy for the first time by winning the final group stage ahead of AC Torino, US Cagliari, and Varese FC. The successful coach is Edmondo Fabbri. As such, Bologna qualifies for the 1970-71 Cup Winners Cup, in which it suffers elimination in R1 at the hands of FC Vorwärts Berlin (1-1 aggr. & away goals). However, that same year, Bologna manages to lay its hands on another piece of silverware, the so-called Anglo-Italian League Cup against English League Cup winners Manchester City FC (3-2 aggr.).
1971 / Finishing in fifth place in Serie A, Bologna FC qualifies for the UEFA Cup, in which the club knocks out RSC Anderlechtois in R1 (3-1 aggr.), only to be eliminated in R2 by FK Železničar (3-3 aggr. & away goals). Also in 1971, taking part in the second edition of the Anglo-Italian Cup, a cup competition between English and Italian clubs, Bologna FC wins the Italian group stage, 1 point ahead of Cagliari Calcio, thus qualifying for the final, played at its own Stadio Comunale, in which the club suffers a 2-1 (A.E.T.) defeat at the hands of Blackpool FC. Also in 1971, two years after the closure of the Stadio Sterlino ‘Angelo Badini’, works get underway on a new training ground for Bologna FC in Casteldebole, on the far western outskirts of the city.
1972 / In the 1972-73 Mitropa Cup, Bologna FC is eliminated in the group stage, finishing in third and last place behind Tatabányai Bányász and GNK Dinamo Zagreb.
1973 / In the Anglo-Italian Cup, Bologna FC finishes in first place in Italy’s Group B, suffering elimination in the semis subsequently at the hands of AC Fiorentina (3-2 aggr.). Also in 1973, an Elton John open-air concert is staged at the Stadio Comunale; subsequently, the stadium also sees performances of the likes of Lou Reed, Renato Zero, Vasco Rossi, Eros Ramazzotti, and Eric Clapton. For concerts, the estimated capacity of the ground is 55,000.
1974 / Bologna FC manages its second Coppa Italia win, defeating SSC Palermo (1-1 A.E.T. & penalty shoot-out) in the final, hosted at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico. Bologna’s goal was scored in the last minute of regular time by Giuseppe Savoldi. The successful coach is Argentinian Bruno Pesaola. Thus qualifying for the 1974-75 Cup Winners Cup, Bologna FC is eliminated in R1 by WNK Gwardia Warszawa (3-3 aggr. & penalty shoot-out). The club does not qualify for European football in the remainder of the 1970s.
1976 / Works on the new training ground for Bologna FC in Casteldebole are completed. The new complex, rented by the club from a private owner, is given the simple and straightforward name Centro Tecnico Casteldebole.
1977 / Former Bologna trainer Hermann Felsner, who had guided the club to four league titles between 1925 and 1941, passes away in Graz, Austria, at the age of 87.
1982 / Coached by Francesco Liguori, who had replaced Tarcisio Burgnich in the course of the season, Bologna FC finishes in second-last place in Serie A, thus suffering its first-ever relegation, dropping back into Serie B along with Milan AC and bottom club Como Calcio.
1983 / As club results go from bad to worse, Bologna FC finishes in eighteenth place in Serie B, thus suffering its second relegation in a row, being retrograded to Serie C1 along with AC Reggiana, US Foggia, and bottom club AS Bari. In the course of the season, the club sacked two coaches, with the trainer in the closing stages of the season being Cesarino Cervellati. Also in 1983, the Stadio Comunale is renamed Stadio Renato dall’Ara in honour of Bologna’s legendary president in the years 1934-64.
1984 / Finishing as runners-up in Serie C1 Group A, with an equal number of points as champions Parma AC, Bologna FC manages an immediate return to Serie B. The successful coach is Giancarlo Cadè.
1986 / The Italian Super Bowl final, an American football event, is held at the Stadio Renato dall’Ara – with a second edition being staged on the same location in 2002.
1988 / Champions in Serie B, Bologna FC wins promotion to Serie A along with US Lecce, SS Lazio, and Atalanta BC. This heralds a return to the top flight of Italian football after an absence of six years. The successful coach is Luigi Manfredi. Bologna also takes part in the Mitropa Cup, eliminating Ferencvárosi SC in the semis (8-5 aggr.), going on to suffer defeat in the final at the hands of TJ Baník Ostrava OKD (4-2 aggr.).
1989 / In reconstruction works at the Stadio dall’Ara, undertaken in view of the 1990 World Cup in Italy, for which the stadium has been selected as one of the venues, new security gates are constructed, while the athletics track surrounding the pitch is restored and a new roof is built onto the grandstand. The main works at the ground, however, are carried out on the open stands on the three other sides, with extra rows being added, raising total capacity to 34,520.
1990 / In the 1990 World Cup, three group D matches are hosted at the Stadio Renato dall’Ara: United Arab Emirates-Colombia (0-2); Yugoslavia-Colombia (1-0); and Yugoslavia-United Arab Emirates (4-1). The last match of the tournament to be played in Bologna is the R2 encounter between England and Belgium, decided by a David Platt goal in the last minute of extra time.
1991 / Qualifying for European football for the first time in more than fifteen years following an eighth place in the 1989-90 Serie A season, Bologna FC qualifies for the UEFA Cup, in which the club manages successive defeats of Zagłębie Lubin (2-0 aggr.), Heart of Midlothian FC (4-3 aggr.), FC Admira/Wacker (3-3 aggr. & penalty shoot-out), eventually bowing out in the quarter-finals against Sporting CP (Lisbon) (3-1 aggr.). In spite of this decent run, the club has a disastrous Serie A season, finishing bottom of the table and thus dropping back into Serie B along with US Lecce, Pisa SC, and AC Cesena. The coach in the closing stages of the season, following the dismissal of Franco Scoglio, is Luigi Radice.
1993 / Pressed down by grave financial problems, Bologna FC finishes in eighteenth place in Serie B, thus descending into Serie C1 along with SPAL, Taranto FC, and bottom club PC Ternana. In the course of the season, the club had three different coaches, the last of whom is Francesco Jurich. Following the 1992-93 season, the club goes into liquidation, taking on a new name, Bologna FC 1909, to avoid being dissolved altogether. Also in 1993, San Marino plays its World Cup qualifying matches against the Netherlands (0-7) and England (1-7) at the Stadio Renato dall’Ara for security reasons, due to the Stadio Olimpico di Serravalle in San Marino proper being deemed unfit for security reasons. The encounter with England is memorable, as San Marino’s Davide Gualtieri scored his country’s only goal in the match after only 8 seconds.
1995 / Runaway champions in Serie C1 Group A, 22 points ahead of closest followers AC Pistoiese, Bologna FC 1909 wins promotion to Serie B. The successful coach is Renzo Ulivieri. Also in 1995, a rugby international is hosted at the Stadio Renato dall’Ara for the first time, with Italy suffering a resounding 6-70 defeat at the hands of New Zealand.
1996 / Still coached by Renzo Ulivieri, Bologna FC 1909 goes from strength to strength, winning its second title in a row, finishing 2 points ahead of Verona FC in Serie B. As such, Bologna wins promotion to Serie A along with the aforementioned club as well as AC Perugia and AC Reggiana. In the summer of 1996, Bologna signs Swedish international striker Kennet Andersson, one of the revelations of the 1994 World Cup in the USA, from AS Bari. Andersson would spend nearly four seasons (subdivided in two spells, 1996-99 & 1999-00, interrupted by a short loan spell at SS Lazio) in Bologna, in the course of which he scored 33 goals. Also in 1996, Bosnia & Herzegovina plays its World Cup qualifying match against Croatia at the Stadio Renato dall’Ara due to the Koševo City Stadium in Sarajevo being under reconstruction following the Siege of Sarajevo by the Serbs in the preceding years; the match in Bologna, ending in a 4-1 win for Croatia, was attended by only 1,500 spectators.
1997 / In a sensational move, Bologna FC 1909 signs Italy’s international star midfielder Roberto Baggio from Milan AC. After representing his country in the 1998 World Cup in France, Baggio would move away to FC Internazionale, having worn the Bologna shirt on 30 occasions in the course of the 1997-98 season, scoring an impressive total of 22 goals.
1998 / Former Italian international striker Giuseppe Signori signs for Bologna from UC Sampdoria. Signori would stay with the club for six seasons, scoring 67 goals in 143 matches.
1999 / Finishing in eighth place in the 1997-98 Serie A season, Bologna FC 1909 qualifies for the 1998-99 UEFA Cup, in which the club enjoys a good run, successively eliminating Sporting CP (Lisbon) (4-1 aggr.), SK Slavia Praha (4-1 aggr.), Real Betis Balompié (4-2 aggr.), and Olympique Lyonnais (3-2 aggr.) before bowing out in the semi-final against Olympique Marseille (1-1 aggr. & away goals). In the summer of 1999, Bologna is joined by FC Internazionale goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca. Pagliuca, who had spent the majority of his youth academy years in Bologna before moving to UC Sampdoria in 1986, had been Italy’s main international goalkeeper for much of the 1990s. Pagliuca would spend seven seasons at the Stadio Renato dall’Ara, eventually moving to Ascoli Calcio 1898 in 2006 after defending Bologna’s goal on 248 occasions.
2000 / Finishing in ninth place in the 1998-99 Serie A season, Bologna FC 1909 qualifies for the UEFA Cup, in which the club manages wins over FK Zenit Sankt-Peterburg (5-2 aggr.) and RSC Anderlecht (4-2 aggr.) before being knocked out in R3 by Galatasaray SK (3-2 aggr.). Also in 2000, Bologna’s Cameroonian defender Pierre Womé wins gold medals with his country in the Olympic Games in Sydney as well as the Africa Cup – winning the last-mentioned tournament one more time in 2002, the year when he left Bologna after a three-year spell for Fulham FC.
2001 / Young Bologna defender Niccolò Galli, the son of former Italian international goalkeeper Giovanni Galli, loses his life in a traffic incident. Galli had just played his first match in the main team. To honour his memory, Bologna’s training ground in Casteldebole is renamed Centre Tecnico Niccolò Galli.
2005 / Coached by Carlo Mazzone, Bologna FC 1909 has a disastrous Serie A season, finishing in joint seventeenth place and losing the relegation play-off against Parma FC (2-1 aggr.). As such, the club descends into Serie B along with Brescia Calcio and bottom club Atalanta BC. Also in 2005, Bologna midfielder Carlo Nervo leaves the club for US Catanzaro after an eleven-year spell, in the course of which he wore the red-and-black jersey on 311 occasions. Moreover, Nervo also won 6 caps for Italy between 2002 and 2004.
2007 / The Stadio Renato dall’Ara hosts the Calcio Catania’s last two home match of the season after the Sicilian club was punished with having to play these two matches away from home due to heavy riots in the derby against Palermo FC at Stadio Angelo Massimino, in which a police official, Filippo Raciti, was killed.
2008 / Runners-up in Serie B, 1 point behind champions AC Chievo Verona, Bologna FC 1909 wins promotion to Serie A along with the aforementioned club and US Lecce. The successful coach is Daniele Arrigoni. In the following three seasons, Bologna only just manages to stave off relegation.
2009 / The Curva Nord is renamed Curva Nord Giacomo Bulgarelli in honour of Bologna’s legendary skipper in the 1960s.
2010 / Following the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, in which he reached the semi-final with Uruguay, 30-year-old midfielder Diego Pérez joins Bologna FC 1909 from AS Monaco. Pérez would spend the last five seasons of his career in Bologna, hanging up his boots in 2015 after also having represented his country in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
2012 / Former Italian international striker Marco di Vaio, who had joined Bologna from Genoa CFC in 2008, leaves the club after four seasons, signing a contract with Impact de Montréal in Canada. Di Vaio would return to Bologna in 2015, working as the club’s technical manager for four seasons. Also in 2012, in the European Championship tournament in Poland and Ukraine, Bologna’s midfielder Alessandro Diamanti is part of the Italian squad which wins the silver medal.
2013 / After spending one season with Bologna on loan from Genoa CFC, Italian international striker Alberto Gilardino – part of the Italian side which won the 2006 World Cup – returns to the Genoese club, having worn Bologna’s red-and-black shirt on 36 occasions (13 goals).
2014 / Coached by Davide Ballardini, who replaced Stefano Pioli in the course of the season, Bologna FC 1909 finishes in second-last place in Serie A, thus dropping back into Serie B along with Calcio Catania and bottom club AS Livorno Calcio.
2015 / Finishing in fourth place in Serie B, Bologna FC 1909 qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Successively edging past AS Avellino 1912 (3-3 aggr. & away goals) and Delfino Pescara 1936 (1-1 & away goals), the club joins the two best-placed Serie B teams, Carpi FC 1909 and Frosinone Calcio, in Serie A for the new season. The successful coach is Delio Rossi, who had succeeded Diego Luis López shortly before the start of the play-offs. In the early stages of the 2015-16 season, Delio Rossi is sacked and replaced by former Italian international Roberto Donadoni.
2016 / Bologna’s training ground, the Centro Tecnico Niccolò Galli in Casteldebole, is purchased by the club after forty years of renting the complex from a private owner. Also in 2016, Bologna’s defensive midfielder Erick Pulgar is part of the Chilean squad which wins the Coppa America tournament. Pulgar, who had joined Bologna from CD Universidad Católica in 2015, would stay with the club for four seasons, signing a contract with ACF Fiorentina in 2019. In the summer of 2016, Bologna signs 30-year-old Swiss international midfielder Blerim Džemaili from Galatasaray SK. Džemaili, who had just taken part in the 2016 European Championships with his country, would spend four seasons in Bologna, in the course of which he played 88 matches for the club as well as representing Switzerland in one more international tournament, the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
2018 / Following two years of renovation works at Stadio Renato dall’Ara, the number of seats in the Curva Sud is reduced, as a result of which total capacity is down to 38,279. In a touching gesture, the Curva Sud is renamed Curva Sud Árpád Weisz in honour of the club’s Hungarian coach in the 1930s, who perished in the German extermination camp Auschwitz in 1944. Also in 2018, Succeeding Roberto Donadoni after a tenure of three years, Filippo Inzaghi becomes Bologna’s trainer. However, getting the sack in the course of the 2018-19 season, he is replaced by former UC Sampdoria and SS Lazio midfielder Siniša Mihajlović. This is in fact Mihajlović’s second spell at the club, as he had already been in charge as manager for the 2008-09 season.
2021 / Bologna midfielder Nicolás Dominguez, who had joined the club in 2020 from CA Vélez Sarsfield, is part of the Argentinian squad which wins the Coppa America. That same year, Bologna player Ibrahima Mbaye wins the African Cup with his native country Senegal. Mbaye, a defender who joined Bologna from FC Internazionale in 2015, wore the red-and-black shirt for seven seasons, eventually signing a contract with CFR Cluj in 2022. Dominguez would stay with Bologna until 2023, when he was lured away by Nottingham Forest FC.
2022 / Due to a serious illness, Siniša Mihajlović has to relinquish his post as Bologna’s trainer. The former Yugoslavian international midfielder passed away in December 2022 at the age of 53.
2024 / Coached by former Brazilian and Italian international Thiago Motta, Bologna FC 1909 finishes in fifth place in Serie A, sufficient to qualify for the Champions League – incidentally the first time the club has the opportunity to take part in Europe’s main club tournament since 1964.