1963–64 Bologna F.C. 1909 season

During 1963–64 season Bologna F.C. competed in Serie A, Coppa Italia and Mitropa Cup.

Bologna Football Club
1963-64 season
ChairmanRenato Dall'Ara
(until 4 June).[1]
Luigi Goldoni
ManagerFulvio Bernardini
Serie A1º (in European Cup[2]
Coppa ItaliaQuarterfinals
Mitropa CupSemifinals
Top goalscorerLeague: Nielsen (21)
All: Nielsen (25)

Summary

After World War II, the club was less successful. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the club generally floated between fourth, fifth and sixth position in the league, Things started to turn around when new manager and former 1928 Italy national team Olympian Fulvio Bernardini took his place on the Bologna touchline. On his resume, was Fiorentina's 1956 Serie A championship. On his arrival at the club, the side was already well stocked with talented players, but a few crucial ingredients were missing that would make Bologna true title contenders once again. Bernardini made several quality acquisition, such as the purchase of Harald Nielsen, a Denmark Olympic squad member who caught Bologna's eye at the Rome 1960 Games. Helmut Haller, the German international, also came on board. Like Nielsen, Haller was an amateur player who divided his time between football and driving a truck for a living. The club's owner, Renato Dall’Ara, personally went to Germany to sign the player. However, on his way back to Italy, Dall’Ara's car skidded off the road and crashed into a ditch. Without missing a beat, the old man emerged from the wreck waving Haller's contract and shouting, “Don’t worry about the accident, what matters is that we got this piece of paper signed!”

The next season, Haller and teammates like Ezio Pascutti with his spectacular diving headers delighted the Bologna faithful. However, they still only managed a fourth place finish and the finger was pointed at goalkeeper Santarelli, who at times was guity of poor mistakes. The finishing touch came with the purchase of former Italy national team goalkeeper William Negri. Three wins a row launched the 1963/64 season, and despite a stuttering start after that, it was a win over Genoa that got Bologna's season back on track. The team regrouped and travelled to the San Siro for a difficult test against Inter. They played excellently, and Negri put in a top performance between the sticks, and the game ended in a goalless draw. From here, Bologna gained confidence and marched to ten successive victories, progressively making their way up the table. Nobody could believe what they were seeing. Even Helenio Herrera was shocked when his Inter lost in their second meeting. The Rossoblu kept moving towards their 7th Scudetto with a 2–1 win over AC Milan after which they found themselves leading both Milan clubs in the standings by three points. But three days after the Milan victory, everything came crashing down.

In March, the Italian Football Federation issued a statement that 5 Bologna players had tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. They were immediately suspended and the club was docked 3 points. Everyone associated with Bologna FC was shocked, and nobody doubted the innocence of the players implicated for a moment. The notoriously tough and emotionless Fulvio Bernardini was in tears. So close to finally winning another title after a 23-year wait, it was about to be ripped away from them. Well, Bologna were having none of it. Protest marches exploded in the streets, the local media cried foul in the newspapers, and a team of Bolognese lawyers took on the case. While all this was happening, Renato Dall’Ara, by now an elderly man, was on the way out with a failing heart. The Bolognese prosecutor discovered that the tubes containing the urine samples from the players were not adequately sealed – therefore, anyone could have tampered with the specimens. In addition, the methamphetamine the samples contained was enough to kill a man. Meanwhile, other samples from the players, taken at the same time, were found perfectly sealed, in a double-locked refrigerator, with no traces of drugs whatsoever. The plot thickened. In the end, the players were acquitted of any wrongdoing. It was determined that the entire affair was an act of sabotage on behalf of the northern clubs to derail Bologna's season.

However, Bologna still lost 3 points while investigations continued and because of that, they struggled to keep up with Inter in the race for the Scudetto. The two teams matched each other win for win while Bologna anxiously awaited for the final investigation results. Finally it came – an established lack of evidence of any wrongdoing meant that the crucial three points would be returned to Bologna, bringing them level with Inter, with just three games to go. At the end of the season, both teams were still on equal points, which meant that for the first and only time in the history of the Serie A, a playoff would decide the ultimate champions. Four days before this penultimate match however, Bologna's emblematic president of 30 years, Renato Dall’Ara, died from a heart attack in the middle of a meeting in the offices of the Federation. The players were in tears, as Dall’Ara was not only their employer, he was like their father. Bologna's season from hell continued.:[3] In his honour, Bologna took to the pitch against an Inter side who had just become European champions. Finally, the play-off kicked off.

After a goalless first half, the Bolognese side outclassed team from Milan and won 2–0. The Scudetto, to this day their last, was finally theirs, despite everything that had taken place. Bologna never gave up. Time and again, just when it seemed like it couldn't get any worse, it did – but they just kept on going and the reward for their perseverance was the Scudetto.[4] [5]

Squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
GK William Negri
GK Rino Rado
DF Carlo Furlanis
DF Mirko Pavinato (Captain)
DF Paride Tumburus
DF Francesco Janich
DF Bruno Capra
DF Edmondo Lorenzini
DF Tazio Roversi
MF Helmut Haller
No. Position Player
MF Héctor Demarco
MF Romano Fogli
MF Giacomo Bulgarelli
MF Marino Perani
MF Bruno Franzini
MF Sidio Corradi
FW Harald Nielsen
FW Ezio Pascutti
FW Antonio Renna

Transfers

[6]

In
Pos. Name from Type
GKWilliam NegriMantova
Out
Pos. Name To Type
MFRenzo RagonesiCatanzaro

Competitions

Serie A

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Bologna (C.T.) (C) 34 22 10 2 54 18 +36 54 Qualification to European Cup preliminary round
2 Internazionale (C.T.)[lower-alpha 1] 34 23 8 3 54 21 +33 54 Qualification to European Cup first round[lower-alpha 2]
3 Milan 34 21 9 4 58 28 +30 51 Qualification to Inter-Cities Fairs Cup first round
4 Fiorentina 34 14 10 10 43 27 +16 38
4 Juventus 34 14 10 10 49 37 +12 38
Source: Panini
(C) Champion.
Notes:
  1. After the title play-off with Bologna (2–0).
  2. Qualified as defending champions.

Matches

15 September 1963 1Bologna1-1GenoaBologna
Pascutti  61'  79' Piaceri Stadium: Comunale
Referee: Ettore Carminati
22 September 1963 2Torino0-0BolognaTorino
Stadium: Comunale
Referee: Antonio Sbardella
25 September 1963 3Bologna2-0AtalantaBologna
Bulgarelli  31', 68' Stadium: Comunale
Referee: Giuseppe Cirone
29 September 1963 4Bologna2-0FiorentinaBologna
Nielsen  20'
Bulgarelli  30'
Stadium: Comunale
Referee: Concetto Lo Bello
6 October 1963 5Modena1-4BolognaModena
Toro  66'  11', 43', 50' Nielsen
 72' Pascutti
Stadium: Stadio Alberto Braglia
Referee: Giulio Campanati
20 October 1963 6Bologna2-2MilanBologna
Haller  48'
Bulgarelli  53'
 73' Mora
 90' (aut.) Capra
Stadium: Comunale
Referee: Giuseppe Adami
23 October 1963 7Sampdoria2-0BolognaGenova
Frustalupi  17'
Wisnieski  20'
Stadium: Stadio Luigi Ferraris
Referee: Bruno De Marchi
27 October 1963 8SPAL0-0BolognaFerrara
Stadium: Comunale
Referee: Cesare Jonni
3 November 1963 9[7]Bologna4-0RomaBologna
Nielsen  36', 62', 80'
Perani  84'
Stadium: Comunale
Referee: Gennaro Marchese
17 November 1963 10Inter0-0BolognaMilano
Stadium: Stadio San Siro
Referee: Bruno De Marchi
24 November 1963 11Bologna3-0LanerossiBologna
Nielsen  14'
Haller  75'
Bulgarelli  81'
Stadium: Comunale
Referee: Concetto Lo Bello
1 December 1963 12Bari0-1BolognaBari
 1' Nielsen Stadium: Stadio della Vittoria
Referee: Iginio Rigato
8 December 1963 13Catania Calcio1-3BolognaCatania
Fanello  63'  46', 49', 75' Nielsen Stadium: Stadio Cibali
Referee: Antonio Sbardella
22 December 1963 14Bologna2-1MantovaBologna
Nielsen  7'
Pascutti  18'
 89' Mazzero Stadium: Comunale
Referee: Alessandro D'Agostini
29 December 1963 15Bologna2-1JuventusBologna
Nielsen  37'
Bulgarelli  50'
 76' Sívori Stadium: Comunale
Referee: Francesco Francescon
5 January 1964 16Messina0-2BolognaMessina
 64' Perani
 80' Pascutti
Stadium: Stadio Giovanni Celeste
Referee: Antonio Sbardella
12 January 1964 17Lazio1-2BolognaRoma
Morrone  76'  39' Tumburus
 81' Demarco
Stadium: Stadio Olimpico
Referee: Concetto Lo Bello
26 January 1964 18Genoa0-2BolognaGenova
 52' (pen) Haller
 76' Pascutti
Stadium: Stadio Luigi Ferraris
Referee: Cesare Jonni
2 February 1964 19Bologna4-1TorinoBologna
Nielsen  16'
Pascutti  52'
Bulgarelli  60', 82'
 83' Hitchens Stadium: Comunale
Referee: Antonio Sbardella
9 February 1964 20Atalanta1-1BolognaBergamo
Magistrelli  36'  28' Fogli Stadium: Comunale
Referee: Alessandro D'Agostini
16 February 1964 21Fiorentina0-0BolognaFirenze
Stadium: Comunale
Referee: Concetto Lo Bello
23 February 1964 22Bologna0-0ModenaBologna
Stadium: Comunale
Referee: Antonio Sbardella
1 March 1964 23Milan1-2BolognaMilano
Amarildo  6'  10' Nielsen
 36' Pascutti
Stadium: Stadio San Siro
Referee: Bruno De Marchi
8 March 1964 24Bologna1-0SampdoriaBologna
Haller  30' (pen) Stadium: Comunale
Referee: Iginio Rigato
22 March 1964 26Roma0-1BolognaRoma
 17' (pen) Haller Stadium: Stadio Olimpico
Referee: Francesco Francescon
29 March 1964 27Bologna1-2InterBologna
Furlanis  76'  19' Corso
 49' Jair
Stadium: Comunale
Referee: Bruno De Marchi
5 April 1964 28Lanerossi1-3BolognaVicenza
Vinício  22'  47' Pascutti
 51' Nielsen
 87' Haller
Stadium: Stadio Romeo Menti
Referee: Cesare Jonni
14 April 1964 25Bologna2-1SPALBologna
Nielsen  26'
Perani  73'
 88' Muccini Stadium: Comunale
Referee: Gennaro Marchese
19 April 1964 29Bologna3-1BariBologna
Nielsen  28', 87'
Perani  43'
 79' Rossi Stadium: Comunale
Referee: Antonio Sbardella
26 April 1964 30Bologna1-0Catania CalcioBologna
Nielsen  18' Stadium: Comunale
Referee: Giorgio Genel
3 May 1964 31Mantova0-0BolognaMantova
Stadium: Stadio Danilo Martelli
Referee: Francesco Francescon
17 May 1964 32Juventus0-0BolognaTorino
Stadium: Comunale
Referee: Cesare Jonni
24 May 1964 33Bologna2-0MessinaBologna
Perani  7', 16' Stadium: Comunale
Referee: Bruno De Marchi
31 May 1964 34Bologna1-0LazioBologna
Haller  17' (rig.) Stadium: Comunale
Referee: Marchese

Championship tie-breaker

7 June 1964 Bologna2-0InterRoma
17:00 Facchetti  75' (aut.)
Nielsen  84'
Report Stadium: Stadio Olimpico
Referee: Concetto Lo Bello

Coppa Italia

First round

8 September 1963 Udinese0-2BolognaUdine
 10' Haller
 40' Nielsen
Stadium: Stadio Moretti
Referee: Sergio Ferrari

Second round

13 November 1963 Hellas Verona0-1BolognaVerona
 93' (o.g.) Peretta Stadium: Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi

Third round

13 May 1964 Bologna4-2SPALBologna
Nielsen  9'
Perani  12'
Bulgarelli  17'
Renna  53'
 39' Crippa
 71' Matassini
Stadium: Comunale
Referee: Alfeo Grignani

Quarterfinals

10 June 1964 Juventus4-1BolognaTorino
Bercellino II  11'
Sívori  32'
Menichelli  40', 46'
 42' Renna Stadium: Comunale
Referee: Aurelio Angonese

Mitropa Cup

Quarterfinals

18 June 1964 Bologna1-0OFK BelgradoBologna
Pantani  69' Stadium: Comunale
Referee: Wlachojanis
20 June 1964 OFK Belgrado2-2BolognaBelgrado
Milosev  52'
Cebinac  78'
 61' Vinicio
 84' Corradi
Stadium: Omladinski Stadium
Referee: Fehervari

Semifinals

1 July 1964 Bologna2-2Sparta PragueBologna
Corradi  9'
Pantani  39'
 10' (aut.)  59' (aut.) Tentorio Stadium: Comunale
Referee: Mayer
9 July 1964 Sparta Prague3-0BolognaPrague
Mráz  69'
Mašek  77'
Dyba  85'
Stadium: Stadion Letná
Referee: Schiller

Statistics

Competition Points Home Away Total DR
G W D L Gs Ga G W D L Gs Ga G W D L Gs Ga
Serie A5417133133101797121834221025418+36
Spareggio------110020110020+2
Coppa Italia110042320144430186+2
Mitropa Cup211032201125412157−2
Totals2015414014231283291743271246931+38

Players statistics

[8]

Appearances

Goalscorers

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References

  1. "L'uomo che costruì il grande Bologna degli anni '30". www.enciclopediadelcalcio.it. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  2. After spareggio against Inter competing of Scudetto.
  3. "Cinque calciatori del Bologna accusati di "doping, La capolista rischia la penalizzazione di tre punti". La Stampa. 5 March 1964.
  4. Giuseppe Bagnati (19 February 2009). "Quando Bologna-Inter decideva lo scudetto". Gazzetta.it.
  5. "Il Bologna di Bernardini e lo storico spareggio". gazzetta.it.
  6. C.F. Chiesa
    p. 291
    .
  7. Round rescheduled to 19 January 1964 due to match of Italian National football Team.
  8. Panini. p. 147..
  • C.F. Chiesa. calcio serie a. ISBN 978-88-3324-184-5.
  • Almanacco illustrato del calcio - La storia 1898-2004,Modena. Panini,2004.
  • Gli scudetti dimenticati: Bologna 1963-64 - Giallo a lieto fine,Manaresi Filippo, 1999.
  • Il grande romanzo dello scudetto, Chiesa Carlo F.
  • Federico Monti. calcio serie a. ISBN 978-88-7381-866-3.
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