Inter's home games are played at San Siro, also known as the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza. The stadium, which is shared with rivals Milan, is the largest in Italian football, with a total capacity of 80,018.[5] Milan are considered one of their biggest rivals, and matches between the two teams are called Derby della Madonnina, which is one of the most followed derbies in football.[6] As of 2010, Inter is the second-most supported team in Italy,[7] and the eighth most supported team in Europe.[nb 1] The current president and owner of Inter is Massimo Moratti. The club is one of the wealthiest and most valuable in Italian and world football.[10] It was a founding member of the now-defunct G-14 group of Europe's leading football clubs as well as its replacement, the European Club Association.[11]
The club was founded on 9 March 1908 as Football Club Internazionale, following a "schism" from the Milan Cricket and Football Club (44 members). A group of Italians and Swiss (Giorgio Muggiani, a painter who also designed the club's logo; Bossard; Lana; Bertoloni; De Olma; Enrico Hintermann; Arturo Hintermann; Carlo Hintermann; Pietro Dell'Oro; Hugo and Hans Rietmann; Voelkel; Maner; Wipf; and Carlo Ardussi) were unhappy about the domination of Italians in the Milan team, and broke away from them, leading to the creation of Internazionale. The name of the club derives from the wish of its founding members to accept foreign players as well as Italians.
The club won its very first Scudetto (championship) in 1910 and its second in 1920. The captain and coach of the first Scudetto was Virgilio Fossati, who was killed in World War I.
After early years (1922–1960)
In 1922 Inter were in Group B of the CCI First Division and came in last place after picking up only 11 points in the season. Inter remained in the top league after winning two salvation play-offs.In 1928, during the Fascist era, the club was forced to merge with the Unione Sportiva Milanese and was renamed Società Sportiva Ambrosiana.[12] They wore white shirts around this time with a red cross emblazoned on it. This shirt design was inspired by the flag and coat of arms of the city of Milan, which in turn derives from the flag of the patron saint of Milan, St. Ambrose and dates back to the 4th century AD. The new upcoming President Oreste Simonotti decided to change name to Associazione Sportiva Ambrosiana in 1929. However, supporters continued to call the team Inter, and in 1931 new president Pozzani caved to shareholder pressure and changed the name to Associazione Sportiva Ambrosiana-Inter.
Their first Coppa Italia (Italian Cup) was won in 1938–39, led by the great legend Giuseppe Meazza, for whom the San Siro stadium is officially named, and a fifth league championship followed in 1940, despite an injury to Meazza. After the end of World War II the club re-emerged under a name close to their original one—FC Internazionale Milano—which they have kept ever since. Following the war, Inter won its sixth championship in 1953 and the seventh in 1954.
Grande Inter (1960–1968)
In 1960, Helenio Herrera joined Internazionale from Barcelona, bringing with him his midfield general Luis Suárez, who would win the European Footballer of the Year in the same year for his role in Barcelona's La Liga/Fairs Cup double. He would transform Internazionale into one of the greatest teams in Europe. He modified a 5–3–2 tactic known as the Verrou (door bolt) to include larger flexibility for counter attacks. The Catenaccio system was invented by an Austrian coach named Karl Rappan. Rappan's original system was implemented with 4 fixed defenders, playing a strict man-to-man marking system, plus a playmaker in the middle of the field who plays the ball together with two midfield wings. Herrera would modify it by adding a fifth defenders, the sweeper or libero behind the two centre backs. The sweeper or libero who acted as the free man would deal with any attackers who went through the two centre backs. Internazionale would finish 3rd in Serie A his first season, 2nd the next year and first in his 3rd season. And then followed a back-to-back European Cup victory in 1964 and 1965. Herrera earned the title ll Mago, which meant the magician. The code of Herrera's team was the fullbacks Tarcisio Burgnich and Giacinto Facchetti, Armando Picchi the sweeper, Luis Suárez the playmaker, Jair the winger, Mario Corso the left midfielder, and Sandro Mazzola who played the inside-right.In 1964, Internazionale reached the Final by beating Borussia Dortmund in the semifinal and FK Partizan in the quarterfinal. In the Final, they met Real Madrid, a team that had reached seven out of the nine finals to date. Real Madrid consisted of the aging stars of the 1950s and a few emerging players that would win the European Cup in 1966. It was Sandro Mazzola who stole the show by scoring two goals in a 3–1 victory.
A year later, Inter repeated the feat by beating two-time winner SL Benfica in the final held at home. Jair was the lone scorer in 1–0 win.
By 1967, Jair was gone. Luis Suárez was injured and missed the Final. Sandro Mazzola's penalty was not enough to stop Celtic FC from winning the title.
After Helenio Herrera era (1968–1990)
Following the golden era of the 1960s, Inter managed to win their eleventh league title in 1971 and their twelfth in 1980. Inter were defeated for the second time in five years in the final of the European Cup, going down 0–2 to Johan Cruijff's Ajax Amsterdam in 1972. During the 1970s and the 1980s, Inter also added two to its Coppa Italia tally, in 1977–78 and 1981–82.Led by the German duo of Andreas Brehme and Lothar Matthäus, and Argentine Ramón Díaz, Inter captured the 1989 Serie A championship. Fellow German Jürgen Klinsmann and the Italian Supercup were added the following season but to little avail as Inter were unable to defend their title.
Dark times (1990–2004)
With Massimo Moratti's takeover from Ernesto Pellegrini in 1995 Inter were promised more success with many high profile signings like Ronaldo and Christian Vieri, with Inter twice breaking the world record transfer fee in this period (£19.5 million for Ronaldo from Barcelona in summer 1997 and £31 million for Christian Vieri from Lazio in summer 1999). However, the 1990s remained a decade of disappointment, and is the only decade in Inter's history in which they did not win a single Italian Serie A championship. For Inter fans it was difficult to find who in particular was to blame for the troubled times and this led to some icy relations between them and the president, the managers and even some individual players.
Inter chairman Massimo Moratti later became a target of the fans, especially when he sacked the much-loved coach Luigi Simoni after only a few games into the 1998/99 season, after having just received Italian manager of the year award 1998 the day before Massimo Moratti decided to end his contract. In the 1998–99 season Inter failed to qualify for any European competition for the first time in almost 10 years, finishing in a poor eighth place.
In the 1999–00 season, Massimo Moratti made some major changes, marking once again some high-profile signings. A major coup for Inter was the appointment of former Juventus manager Marcello Lippi. Moreover, Inter were seen by the majority of the fans and press to have finally put together a winning formula. Other signings included Italian and French legends Angelo Peruzzi and Laurent Blanc together with other former Juventus players Christian Vieri and Vladimir Jugović. Inter were also seen to have an advantage in this season as they had no European "distraction". Once again they failed to win the elusive Scudetto. However they did manage to come close to their first domestic success since 1989 when they reached the Coppa Italia final only to be defeated by Lazio, allowing them to win the Scudetto and domestic cup double.
The following season another disaster struck. Inter impressed in the Supercoppa Italia match against Lazio and took the lead through new signing Robbie Keane and Hakan Şükür—however, they lost 4–3. Overall, though, they were looking good for the season that was about to start. What followed was another embarrassment, as they were eliminated in the preliminary round of the Champions League by Swedish club Helsingborgs IF. Alvaro Recoba was given the opportunity to equal the tie with a last-minute penalty, but Helsingborg goalkeeper Sven Andersson made the save. Inter found themselves back at square one as Marcello Lippi, the manager at the time, was sacked after only a single game of the new season following Inter's first ever Serie A defeat to Reggina. Throughout this period, Inter suffered the mocking of their neighbours Milan; Milan were having success both domestically and in Europe. Also throughout this period suffered endless defeats to Milan including a 6–0 defeat in 2000–01 season. Marco Tardelli, chosen to replace Lippi, failed to improve results, and is remembered by Inter fans as the manager that lost 6–0 the city derby to Milan in the 2000–01 season. Other members of the Inter "family" during this period that suffered were the likes of Christian Vieri and Fabio Cannavaro, both of whom had their restaurants in Milan vandalised after defeats against Milan.
In 2002, not only did Inter manage to make it to the UEFA Cup semi-finals, they were also only 45 minutes away from capturing the Scudetto, when they needed to maintain a one-goal advantage over Lazio at Rome's Stadio Olimpico. This was the last match of the season, and Inter were top of the Serie A table at kick-off. However, a defeat would see Juventus, who were second, or even Roma, in third place, take the title from them. As a result, some Lazio fans were actually openly supporting Inter during this match, as an Inter victory would prevent Lazio's bitter rivals Roma from winning the championship. Inter were 2–1 up after only 24 minutes. Lazio equalised during first half injury time and then scored two more goals in the second half to clinch victory that eventually saw Juventus win the championship after their 2–0 victory away to Udinese.
2002–03 saw Inter take a respectable second place and also managed to make it to the 2002–03 Champions League semi-finals against their bitter rivals Milan. Being tied 1–1 with Milan, Inter lost on the away goals rule. It was another disappointment but they were finally on the right track.
However, once again Massimo Moratti's impatience got the better of him, Hernán Crespo was sold after just one season, and Hector Cuper was fired after only a few games. Alberto Zaccheroni stepped in, a lifelong Inter fan but also the man who was in charge of Lazio's 4–2 victory over Inter in 2002, the fans were sceptical. Zaccheroni brought nothing new to the side, apart from two fantastic wins over Juventus 3–1 in Turin and 3–2 at the San Siro the season was again nothing special. They were embarrassingly eliminated from the UEFA Champions League in the first round finishing 3rd in their group. Furthermore, they only managed to scrape back into the Champions League by finishing in 4th place by only a point over Parma. Inter's only saving grace in 2003–04 was the arrival of Dejan Stanković and Adriano in January 2004 both solid players that filled the gap that was left by the departures of Hernán Crespo and Clarence Seedorf.
Resurrection & back to back titles (2004–present)
Revival (2004–2008)
On 1 July 2004, Inter announced on their official website that they had appointed former Lazio boss Roberto Mancini as new head coach. In his first season Inter and Mancini collected 72 points from 18 win, 18 draw and only 2 loses. On 15 June 2005, Inter won the Coppa Italia, defeating Roma in the two-legged final 3–0 on aggregate (1–0 win in Milan and 2–0 win in Rome) and followed that up on 20 August 2005, by winning the Supercoppa Italiana after an extra-time 1–0 victory against original 2004–05 Serie A champions Juventus (before being stripped of this title). This Super Cup win was Inter's first since 1989, coincidentally the same year since Inter last won the Scudetto before 2006. On 11 May 2006, Inter retained their Coppa Italia trophy by once again, defeating Roma with a 4–1 aggregate victory (a 1–1 scoreline in Rome and a 3–1 win at the Giuseppe Meazza, San Siro).Inter were awarded the 2005–06 Serie A championship as they were the highest placed side in the season's final league table after points were stripped from Juventus and Milan—both sides involved in the match fixing scandal that year. On 14 July 2006, The Italian Federal Appeal Commission found Serie A clubs Juventus, Lazio, Fiorentina, Reggina and Milan guilty of match-fixing and charged the 5 clubs with their respective punishments, (although all charges were later reduced in some capacity). So with the confirmed relegation of Juventus to Serie B (for the first ever time in their history) and the eight-point deduction for city rivals Milan, Inter became favorites to retain their Serie A title for the 2006–07 Serie A season.
During the season, Inter went on a record-breaking run of 17 consecutive victories in Serie A, starting on 25 September 2006 with a 4-1 home victory over Livorno, and ending on 28 February 2007, after a 1-1 draw at home to Udinese. The 5–2 away win at Catania on 25 February 2007 broke the original record of 15 matches held by both Bayern Munich and Real Madrid from the "Big 5" (the top flight leagues in Italy, England, Spain, France and Germany). The run lasted for almost five months and stands among the best in European league football, with just Benfica (29 wins), Celtic (25 wins) and PSV Eindhoven (22 wins) bettering the run. Inter's form dipped a little as they scored 0–0 and 2–2 draws against relegation-battlers Reggina and slumping Palermo (respectively), the latter game featuring a second-half comeback after Palermo went up 2–0 at half-time. They could not keep their invincible form near the end of the season as well, as they lost their first game of the domestic season to Roma in the San Siro 3–1 thanks to two late Roma goals. Inter had enjoyed an unbeaten Serie A run for just under a year.
On 22 April 2007 Inter won their second consecutive scudetto--and first on the field since 1989--when they defeated Siena 2–1 at Stadio Artemio Franchi. Italian World Cup winning defender Marco Materazzi scored both goals in the 18th and 60th minute, with the latter being a penalty.
Inter started the 2007–08 season with the goal of winning both Serie A and UEFA Champions League. The team started well in the league, topping the table from the first round of matches, and also managed to qualify for the Champions League knockout stage; however, a late collapse leading to a 2–0 defeat with 10 men away to Liverpool on 19 February in the Champions League threw into question manager Roberto Mancini's future at Inter, and domestic form took a sharp turn of fortune with the team failing to win in the three following Serie A games (drawing with Sampdoria and major league opponents Roma, before losing away to Napoli, their first domestic defeat of the season). After being eliminated by Liverpool in the Champions League, Mancini then announced his intention to leave his job, only to change his mind the following day.
Following their late collapse leading to a 2–0 loss with 10 men away to Liverpool on 19 February in the Champions League and questions over Mancini's future Inter's domestic form took a sharp turn of fortune with the team failing to win in the three following Serie A games (drawing with Sampdoria and Roma, before losing away to Napoli). Inter had a second run of this kind between 19 and 29 March in which they again went winless through three games (against Genoa, Juventus and Lazio). Like weeks previously, on 4 May 2008 Inter once again had a chance to wrap up their scudetto race; this time against city rivals Milan, but suffered a 2–1 defeat. The following week Inter again had the chance to wrap up their scudetto against Siena in a home match, complete with a festive atmosphere and an expectant crowd. However, Inter again failed to win the Scudetto, losing their lead twice and ultimately earning a 2–2 draw, with Marco Materazzi failing to convert a penalty in the dying embers of the match. The same week Roma scored a 2–1 victory away to Atalanta, thus catapulting the Romans to within just one point of Inter going into the final round of the Championship, despite trailing their Milanese rivals by 11 points earlier on in the season.
On Day 38, the final day of the 2007–08 Serie A season, Inter played Parma away, while Roma travelled to Catania. This week offered an interesting juxtaposition, as both Roma and Inter looked to take the title, whereas Parma and Catania were both fighting for survival. Many scenarios could have played out, however Inter were still favourites due to their superior head to head record with Roma, all Inter needed to do was match Roma's result. The day started with Roma taking an early lead against Catania and for 60 minutes of the final day Roma were top of the league; however, the lead would not hold. Inter, seemingly rejuvenated due to the introduction of Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, began to take control of the game. Amidst the pouring rain at the Ennio Tardini stadium in Parma, Ibrahimvoic fired a low shot making it 1–0 in the 62nd minute. Another Ibrahimovic blast sealed the victory, and with it the hope of winning the championship faded away for Roma. Elsewhere, Catania managed to score a late equaliser that granted them the stay in Serie A for the upcoming 2009 season and left Roma three points behind Inter. Inter sealed their 3rd championship in a row and had a late night celebration at the San Siro stadium upon their return to Milan, where they were presented with the Serie A trophy.
Following this win, the club however decided to sack Mancini on 29 May, citing his declarations following the Champions League defeat to Liverpool as the reason.[13]
Modern history (2008–present)
Inter enjoyed more luck in the 2009–10 Champions League, managing to progress to the quarter-finals by eliminating Mourinho's former team, Chelsea, in a 3–1 aggregate win; this was the first time in three years that the Nerazzurri had passed the first knockout round. Inter then progressed to the semi-finals of the tournament by beating CSKA Moscow 2–0 on aggregate, winning both legs. Inter managed to achieve a 3–1 win over incumbent champions Barcelona in the first leg of the semi-final. In the second leg, a resolute Inter lost 1–0 but progressed 3–2 on aggregate to their fifth European Cup/Champions League Final, with Bayern Munich as opponents. They won the match 2–0 thanks to two goals from Diego Milito, and were crowned champions of Europe.[18]
Inter also won the 2009–10 Serie A title by two points over Roma, and the 2010 Coppa Italia by defeating the same side 1–0 in the final.[19]
By winning the Scudetto, the Coppa Italia and the Champions League in a single season, Internazionale completed The Treble, becoming the first ever Italian team to achieve the feat. However, their attempt to defend these honours are without José Mourinho, as he agreed a deal to take charge of Spanish club Real Madrid on 28 May 2010.[20] Inter appointed Rafael Benítez as new coach after signing a two-year contract on June 2010.
On 21 August 2010, Inter defeated Roma 3–1 and won the 2010 Supercoppa Italiana, the fourth trophy of the year. In December 2010, they claimed the FIFA Club World Cup for the first time after a 3–0 win against TP Mazembe in the final.[21] Internazionale completed the Quintuple, becoming the fourth team in the world after Liverpool in 2001, Al-Ahly in 2006 and Barcelona in 2009.
However, after this win, on 23 December, due to his poor performance in Serie A and separated by 13 points from the leader Milan (although Inter played two games less, because of the FIFA Club World Cup appointment), the team announced Rafael Benítez's departure on their website.[22] He was replaced by Leonardo the following day.[23] During the winter transfer window, Andrea Ranocchia,[24] Giampaolo Pazzini,[25] Houssine Kharja,[26] and Yuto Nagatomo[27] joined the squad.
Leonardo has huge impact on the team even with the absent of Samuel Eto'o due to suspension, and Wesley Sneijder and Júlio César due to injury. Inter won their match against Napoli with two goals from Thiago Motta and another one form Esteban Cambiasso. Inter continues their good start with Leonardo with five wins in raw in all competitions, until they lost against Udinese, but Inter got in their feet quickly by qualified to the semifinal of Coppa Italia and win against Palermo after great comeback from 0–2 to win with 3–2 and two goals from new signing Giampaolo Pazzini.
As the start of 2011–12 Serie A, Inter sold its flagship striker Samuel Eto'o. On 8 September, Moratti concluded the transfer deals were aimed for UEFA Financial Fair Play.[28]
Colours and badge
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| Ambrosiana Inter kit |
Since its founding in 1908, Inter have worn black and blue stripes. It is rumored that black was chosen to represent night and blue was chosen to represent the sky.[29] Aside from a short period during World War II, Inter continued to wear the black and blue stripes, earning them the nickname Nerazzurri.[30] For a period of time, however, Inter was forced to abandon their black and blue uniforms. In 1928, Inter's name and philosophy made the ruling Fascist Party uneasy. As a result, during the same year the 20-year-old club was merged with Unione Sportiva Milanese. The new club was named Società Sportiva Ambrosiana after the patron saint of Milan.[31] The flag of Milan (the red cross on white background) replaced the traditional black and blue.[32] After World War II when the Fascists had fallen from power the club reverted to their original name and colors. In 2008, Inter celebrated their centenary with a red cross on their away shirt. The cross is reminiscent of the flag of their city, and they continue to use the pattern on their third kit.
Animals are often used to represent football clubs in Italy, the grass snake, called Il biscione or Serpente representing Inter. The snake is an important symbol for the city of Milan, appearing often in Milanese heraldry as a coiled viper with a man in its jaws. The symbol is famous for its presence on the coat of arms of the House of Sforza (who ruled over Italy from Milan during the Renaissance period), the city of Milan, the historical Duchy of Milan (a 400 year state of the Holy Roman Empire), and Insubria (a historical region the city of Milan falls within). For the 2010–11 season Inter's away kit featured the serpent.
Stadium
| Stadio Giuseppe Meazza | |
|---|---|
| San Siro | |
 |
|
| Location | Via Piccolomini 5, 20151 Milan, Italy |
| Broke ground | 1925 |
| Opened | 19 September 1926 |
| Renovated | 1939, 1955, 1989 |
| Owner | Municipality of Milan |
| Operator | Milan and Internazionale |
| Construction cost | £5 million (1926), £5.1 million (1939), $60 million (1989) |
| Architect | Ulisse Stacchini (1925), Giancarlo Ragazzi (1989), Enrico Hoffer (1989) |
| Capacity | 80,018 seated |
| Tenants | |
| Milan (1926–present), Internazionale (1947–present) | |
For more details on this topic, see San Siro.
The team's stadium is the 80,018 seat San Siro, officially known as Stadio Giuseppe Meazza after the former player who represented both Milan and Inter. The more commonly used name, San Siro,
is the name of the district where it's located. San Siro has been the
home of Milan since 1926, when it was privately built by funding from
Milan's president at the time, Piero Pirelli. Construction was performed
by 120 workers, and took 13 and a half months to complete. The stadium
was owned by the club until it was sold to the city council in 1935, and
since 1947 it has been shared with Internazionale, when they were
accepted as joint tenant.The first game played at the stadium was on 19 September 1926, when Inter beat Milan 6–3 in a friendly match. Milan played its first league game in San Siro on 19 September 1926, losing 1–2 to Sampierdarenese. From an initial capacity of 35,000 spectators, the stadium has undergone several major renovations, most recently in preparation for the 1990 FIFA World Cup when its capacity was set to 85,700, all covered with a polycarbonate roof. In the summer of 2008, its capacity was reduced to 80,018 to meet the new standards set by UEFA.
Based on the English model for stadiums, San Siro is specifically designed for football matches, as opposed to many multi-purpose stadiums used in Serie A. It is therefore renowned in Italy for its fantastic atmosphere during matches, thanks to the closeness of the stands to the pitch. The frequent use of flares by supporters contributes to the atmosphere but the practice has occasionally caused problems.
On 19 December 2005, Milan's vice-president and executive director Adriano Galliani announced that the club is seriously working towards a relocation. He said that Milan's new stadium is largely based on the Veltins-Arena and follows the standards of football stadiums in the United States, Germany and Spain. As opposed to many other stadiums in Italy, Milan's new stadium will likely be used for football only, having no athletics track. The new stadium's naming rights will be probably sold to a sponsor, similarly to Arsenal's Emirates Stadium.[33] It remains to be seen if this plan will proceed or if this is just a ploy to force the owners (Comune di Milano) to sell the stadium to Milan for a nominal fee so as to proceed with extensive renovations. The possibility of Internazionale vacating San Siro may affect proceedings.
Supporters and rivalries
The traditional ultras group of Inter is Boys San; they hold a significant place in the history of the ultras scene in general due to the fact that they are one of the oldest, being founded in 1969. Politically, the ultras of Inter are usually considered right-wing and they have good relationships with the Lazio ultras. As well as the main group of Boys San, there are four more significant groups: Viking, Irriducibili, Ultras, and Brianza Alcoolica.
Inter's most vocal fans are known to gather in the Curva Nord, or north curve of the Giuseppe Meazza stadium. This longstanding tradition has led to the Curva Nord being synonymous with the club's most die-hard supporters, who unfurl banners and wave flags in support of their team.
Inter have several rivalries, two of which are highly significant in Italian football; firstly, they participate in the inter-city Derby della Madonnina with Milan; the rivalry has existed ever since Inter splintered off from Milan in 1908.[30] The name of the derby refers to the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose statue atop the Milan Cathedral is one of the city's main attractions. The match usually creates a lively atmosphere, with numerous (often humorous or offensive) banners unfolded before the match. Flares are commonly present, but they also led to the abandonment of the second leg of the 2004–05 Champions League quarter-final matchup between Milan and Inter on 12 April after a flare thrown from the crowd by an Inter supporter struck Milan keeper Dida on the shoulder.[35]
The other most significant rivalry is with Juventus; the two participate in the Derby d'Italia. Up until the 2006 Italian football scandal, which saw Juventus relegated, the two were the only Italian clubs to have never played below Serie A. In recent years, post-Calciopoli, Inter have developed a rivalry with Roma, having finished runners-up to Inter in all but one of Inter's five Scudetto winning seasons between 2005 and 2010. The two sides have also contested in 5 Coppa Italia finals and four Supercoppa Italiana finals since 2006. Other clubs, such as Atalanta and Napoli, are also considered amongst their rivals.[36]
Current squad
For further information, see 2012–13 F.C. Internazionale Milano season.
Players
As of 31 January 2013[37]Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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