Sampdoria dropped down to the third tier of Italian football for the first time on Tuesday after a goalless draw with Juve Stabia consigned them to the lowest point in their history.
Italian champion in 1991 and European Cup finalist the following year, Samp finished 18th and in the direct relegation zone for Serie C after collecting 41 points from 38 games.
UD Sampdoria’s major achievements in top flight
Serie A: 1990-91
Coppa Italia: 1984–85, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1993–94
Supercoppa Italiana: 1991
UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup: 1989-90
“I’m so sorry, I understand that it’s a moment where especially Dorians (Samp fans)are bitter, sad, angry . . . the wounds slowly heal and if it starts again, it will give a new opportunity to believe and dream,” Juan Sebastian Veron, former Argentina international, who played at the club between 1996 to 1998, wrote on Instagram.
“Today is sadness, tomorrow a new story because Samp is full of history.. let’s go Boyz! A hug!
Tuesday’s draw allowed Salernitana to leapfrog Samp into one of two relegation play-off places with a 2-0 win at Cittadella.
Samp, which posted a loss of 40.7 million euros in its 2024 accounts, has spent the last few seasons dealing with serious financial problems and has spent this season sinking towards the drop after making the Serie B play-offs last season.
Samp was close to going bust after relegation to Serie B in 2023, but was saved that summer by current president Matteo Manfredi and former Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani, who has since exited the club.
Fall of Sampdoria
2022-23: Finished bottom of Serie A standings, relegated to Serie B
2024-25: Finished third from bottom in Serie B, relegated to Serie C
Years spent across divisions
Serie A: 65 years
Serie B: 12 years
The club’s majority shareholder is Singaporean businessman Joseph Tey.
Club icons Alberico Evani and Attilio Lombardo were hired as coaches in April in an attempt to save Samp from the drop after significant transfer market activity both last summer and in January.
Evani is Samp’s fourth head coach of the season after Andrea Pirlo, Andrea Sottil and Leonardo Semplice.
(with inputs from AFP)
