Simone Bentivoglio had to leave after just a few hours.

Three coaches in one day: a curiosity in Serie D

It must have been one of the most turbulent days in the history of the Italian fourth division club Piacenza Calcio. In just one day, the Serie D football club had three different coaches.

21 November 2024

From: dpa/dl

On Tuesday, the club's management fired coach Carmine Parlato and hired Simone Bentivoglio as his successor. However, he was only able to stay in the coaching position for a few hours - he left after the first training session.

The signing of Bentivoglio was so poorly received by Piacenza fans that the club's management had to react quickly. The fans protested violently during Bentivoglio's first training session, stormed the pitch and threatened to boycott the upcoming games, as Italian media unanimously reported. Bentivoglio was involved in a major betting scandal in 2011 and was subsequently banned for 13 months.

The old coach returns

After the two dismissals in the morning and afternoon, Piacenza appointed Stefano Rossini to replace the 39-year-old Bentivoglio that same evening. Rossini had only been dismissed from his post at Piacenza on October 7 to make way for Parlato.

Stefano Rossini returns after one and a half months.

Quick coaching changes are not unusual in Italy, but the farce at Piacenza is likely to be a record-breaking one. Italian newspapers speculated that Bentivoglio's tenure as coach at Piacenza could even have been the shortest in history. Journal of Sport mocked: "Didn't even have time to unpack the suitcases." Piacenza is currently in 11th place in Group D of the fourth division. The club from Emilia-Romagna played continuously in Serie A from 1992 to 2003.