Sampdoria have suffered a historic relegation to Serie C for the first time in their 78-year existence, a consequence of a fraught Serie B season plagued by consistent managerial upheaval. The club’s fate was sealed following a goalless draw away to Juve Stabia in their final match of the campaign.
The result left the Genoa-based side in 18th place, a single point behind Salernitana, who secured a relegation play-off berth with a 2-0 victory over Cittadella. Sampdoria, who famously won their only Serie A title in 1991 with a star-studded squad, had been competing in Italy’s second tier since their relegation from the top flight at the conclusion of the 2022-23 season.
The 2024-25 season was marked by a revolving door of managers. Andrea Pirlo, the Italian World Cup winner hired in June 2023, was dismissed just three games into the current campaign after failing to secure an immediate return to Serie A the previous season (losing in the play-offs). Despite being termed “a key part of the project” by club owners prior to his play-off exit, two defeats and a draw at the start of this season led to his departure.
Andrea Sottil replaced Pirlo and briefly oversaw a Coppa Italia penalty-shootout victory against local rivals Genoa. However, his tenure was also short-lived, ending in October 2024 after just four wins in 14 games. Leonardo Semplici was then appointed but faced intense pressure as the club remained in the relegation zone. A 3-0 home defeat by Frosinone at the end of March proved a critical point, with angry supporters reportedly pelting the team bus carrying Semplici and his players with stones and flares.
Semplici was subsequently relieved of his duties in April. Alberico Evani became the club’s fourth coach of the season, assisted by club legend Attilio Lombardo and with unofficial support from another Sampdoria icon, Roberto Mancini. While Evani’s tenure began with a promising 1-0 win over Cittadella, subsequent results, including three draws and a defeat against only one more win, were insufficient to prevent the historic drop.
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