Francesco "Franco" Scoglio (Italian pronunciation: [ˈfraŋko ˈskɔʎʎo]; 2 May 1941 – 3 October 2005[1]) was an Italian football manager who coached at both national and international level.

Franco Scoglio
Personal information
Birth name Francesco Scoglio
Date of birth (1941-05-02)2 May 1941
Place of birth Lipari, Italy
Date of death 3 October 2005(2005-10-03) (aged 64)
Place of death Genoa, Italy
Position(s) Defender, midfielder
Managerial career
Years Team
1972–1973 Reggina (youth team)
1973–1974 Gioiese
1974–1975 Messina
1975–1976 Gioiese
1976–1977 Acireale
1977–1978 Spezia (technical manager)
1978–1979 Reggina
1980–1981 Messina
1981–1982 Gioiese
1982–1983 Reggina
1983–1984 Akragas
1984–1988 Messina
1988–1990 Genoa
1990–1991 Bologna
1991–1992 Udinese
1992–1993 Lucchese
1993 Pescara
1993–1995 Genoa
1995–1996 Torino
1996–1997 Cosenza
1997–1998 Ancona
1998–2001 Tunisia
2001–2002 Genoa
2002 Libya
2002–2003 Napoli

Playing career edit

Francesco Scoglio was born in Lipari, in the province of Messina, Italy. He played as a defender or midfielder.[2][3]

Managerial career edit

Nicknamed il Professore (the Professor) because of his past teaching activity (he was a pedagogy graduate), Scoglio never actually had a playing career. He started a managing career in 1972 in one of the Reggina youth teams. He then went on coaching at amateur and Serie C levels in Sicily and Calabria (Gioiese, Messina, Acireale, Akragas). It was Scoglio who discovered the great potential of Salvatore Schillaci, one of his players during Scoglio's second stint in Messina.

However, Scoglio is most remembered for his time in Genoa CFC, which was also the team for which he first coached. He achieved great success with his next clubs, being often fired before the end of the season. He is also known for having coached the national teams of Tunisia and Libya. Under his management, Tunisia reached the semi-finals of the 2000 African Cup of Nations. His last coaching (and unsuccessful) experience was on 2002–2003 for SSC Napoli.

After retirement edit

Scoglio then became a very popular TV commentator on football shows in Italy, and even worked for Al Jazeera as the technical expert reporting on the Italian league.

Death edit

On 3 October 2005, Scoglio was appearing on a regional television station in Genoa,[1] having a rather heated and passionate, yet civil, discussion with Genoa president Enrico Preziosi. While Preziosi was answering one of Scoglio's charges, Scoglio lost consciousness and slumped in his chair. He died of an apparent heart attack shortly thereafter. This dramatic event fulfilled his own prophecy "I'll die talking about Genoa CFC" (Morirò parlando del Genoa).[4]

Legacy edit

Following his death, in 2016 the city of Messina, the provincial capital of his birthplace as well as the home of ACR Messina, a club he coached for many years, honoured his memory by renaming the local stadium after him.[5]

References edit

  1. ^ a b Brian Trusdell (5 October 2005). "Johnston takes over as manager of MetroStars". The Scotsman. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  2. ^ Camedda, Paolo (27 October 2021). "Franco Scoglio, 'Il Professore' della panchina che amava il Genoa". goal.com (in Italian). Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  3. ^ Latini, Matteo (3 October 2021). "Franco Scoglio, Professore di calcio e di vita". Gioco Pulito (in Italian). Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  4. ^ Franco Scoglio dies live on YouTube
  5. ^ "MESSINA, E' UFFICIALE: Il San Filippo intitolato a FRANCO SCOGLIO. Patti: "Pronti a ricordare anche Ciccio Currò"" (in Italian). Stampa Libera.it. 21 January 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2018.