Trivia and Facts-Part 14

1-Marcello Lippi was fired as Internazionale FC Milano manager after the very first match of the 2000/01 season.

After a poor display, he criticized his players and said that each should get a kick in the backside by Club President Massimo Moratti.

Lippi was dismissed after this outburst.

Lippi’s resignation as Juventus manager in February 1999 marked the first time since 1970/71 season that a Juventus manager had not finished an entire season.

Photo From: Calcio 2000, December 1998

(Marcello Lippi)

2- Arsenal’s Northern Ireland midfielder Stephen Morrow was injured in a bizarre incident following the 1993 League Cup Final Between Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday on April 18, 1993 at Wembley.

He had been the goalscoring hero of the match. Arsenal captain Tony Adams lifted and put him on his shoulders to celebrate. However, he accidentally dropped Morrow and injured him.

Photo From: World Soccer, June 1993

(Tony Adams accidentally dropping Stephen Morrow)

3-Dutch midfielder Frank Rijkaard sparked a dispute by signing two valid contracts in 1987.

One was with his club Ajax Amsterdam and the other with archrivals PSV Eindhoven.

The Federation Tribunal decided that Rijkaard should remain with his club Ajax, but they would have to pay PSV a sum.

In any case, Rijkaard angrily left Ajax a few months later after a dispute with coach Johann Cruyff and signed for Sporting Lisbon.

Since he was signed after a deadline, Sporting were forced to loan him to Real Zaragoza for the remainder of that season.

At the conclusion of the season he signed for AC Milan.

Similarly his Dutch teammate Gerald Vanenburg of PSV Eindhoven, also signed two valid contracts in 1989.

One was with his club PSV and the other with AS Roma. He remained with PSV but was fined.

Photo From: Guerin Sportivo, February 6, 1991

(Frank Rijkaard on the right with Ruud Gullit and Henrik Larsen, January 23, 1991 AC Milan 1-Pisa 0)

Photo From: World Soccer, August 1989

(Gerald Vanenburg in action for PSV vs. Benfica during the 1988 Champions Cup Final)

4- After the 1982 World Cup Final match between Italy and West Germany, West German goalkeeper Harald Schumacher left the field and the trophy presentation.

Italian President Alessandro Pertini complained that Schumacher did not shake his hand.

Schuamcher claimed that he was in a hurry to leave and did not see the President as a result.

Months later the Italians lodged a complaint to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the incident.

German Politicians and the German Federation intervened and a letter of apology was written along a trip to Rome by Schumacher and DFB President Hermann Neuberger to apologize in peron.

Photo From: Onze, July 1982

(Harald Schumacher unable to stop Altobelli from scoring Italy’s third goal, July 11, 1982, World Cup, Italy 3-West Germany 1)

5-AC Milan’s France Baresi and Internazionale FC Milano’s Giuseppe Bergomi who spent their entire careers at their respective clubs could have actually played for the opposite teams.

France Baresi was rejected after he tried out for Inter, while his older brother Giuseppe was accepted.

Similarly, AC Milan rejected Giuseppe Bergomi when he tried out.

Photo From: Onze-Mondial, June 1989

(Franco Baresi, May 24, 1989, Champions Cup Final, AC Milan 4-Steaua Bucharest 0)

Photo From: Guerin Sportivo, February 6, 1991

(Inter Captain Giuseppe Bergomi trying to stop Torino’s Gianluigi Lentini, Coppa Italia, January 23, 1991 Torino 1-Inter 0)