Torino back in the big time

Twelve months after their Serie A promotion party was cancelled due to financial problems, sleeping giants Torino FC have regained top-flight status following a memorable play-off win against AC Mantova.

All change
Last year, Torino – as Torino Calcio – triumphed in the play-offs, only to be refused entry to the Italian élite because of money and licensing difficulties, and to subsequently go under as a company. The newly re-formed Torino then had to be grateful to the Lodo Petrucci – the law stating that the direct successor to any club that folds can be admitted to the league, one division below that which its predecessor exited – for their Serie B status in 2005/06.

Big ambitions
Torino FC were set up with entrepreneur Urbano Cairo at the helm as president, and Cairo's ambitions for his team were underlined by the signing of big-name players from Serie A, including Italy Under-21 winger Alessandro Rosina and veteran forward Roberto Muzzi. Both scored on Sunday when the Granata (maroons) were restored to the top tier in front of 59,000 fans at the Stadio Delle Alpi. "We have achieved something special," said coach Giovanni De Biasi. His side overcame a 3-1 first-leg deficit in the play-off final by winning 3-1 at home and prevailing due to their higher regular-season placing of third compared to Mantova's fourth. "We have managed this thanks to our dedication and team spirit. Our heart has taken us this far." Cesena Calcio had been dispatched in the semi-final.

New home
Torino's promotion has come at an opportune moment, coinciding with the club's move from the Delle Alpi back to the Stadio Comunale which they last occupied before the 1990 FIFA World Cup. The Comunale, the Granata's second home after the original Stadio Filadelfia, was rebuilt for this year's Winter Olympics in Turin and has been renamed the Stadio Grande Torino after the great Torino team of the 1940s.

Tragedy strikes
It was that Torino side that claimed an indelible place in Italian hearts. The club had been founded by Juventus dissidents in 1906 and won the Scudetto in 1927/28 and the Coppa Italia eight years later. However, the real glory days started in 1939 when president Ferruccio Novo put together a stellar lineup. Bacigalupo, Ballarin, Maroso, Castigliano, Rigamonti, Grezar, Menti, Loik, Gabetto, Valentino Mazzola, Ossola: this XI claimed the first of five straight titles in 1942/43, but their story ended in tragedy on 4 May 1949. The squad were flying back from a testimonial in Lisbon when their aircraft crashed into the Basilica di Superga near Turin. All on board were killed, including 16 of Torino's 18 players.

Change of luck
The club had to wait until 1975/76 for their next Scudetto, when Luigi Radice's men, fired by 'I gemelli del gol' (the goal twins) of Paolo Pulici and Francesco Graziani, defeated Juventus in a close-run title race. Two decades later, the Granata also reached the UEFA Cup final. Typical, perhaps, of Torino's luck, the 1991/92 ensemble of Luca Marchegiani, Enzo Scifo, Gianluigi Lentini, Martín Vázquez and Walter Casagrande lost on away goals to AFC Ajax, following a 2-2 home draw and 0-0 Amsterdam stalemate. Their fortunes might just be about to change, though. Torino are back where they belong.