new Modesto+Di Gennaro; Borriello to Milan

Francesco Modesto left midfielderDavide di Gennaro playmaker

After weeks of speculation in the newspapers, on radio, tv and internet tonight Genoa’s President Enrico Preziosi spoke the words we all don’t want to hear: Marco Borriello goes back to A.C. Milan. To have their 50% of Super Marco back Milan has to pay € 9 million and 50% of young very talented playmaker Davide di Gennaro. The young midfielder celebrates on the 16th of June his 20th birthday and he already played 1 match in Serie A with Milan in the season 2006-2007 and 21 matches with 2 goals this year in Serie B with Bologna. Davide also plays for many years with the Italian national youth-teams.

To see the great qualities of Davide di Gennaro watch the highlights of the Primavera-match Udinese-Milan (1-3) with 2 goals of number 10 of Milan: Davide di Gennaro: 

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Genoa today also bought Francesco (Cicco) Modesto of Reggina. The 26 years old left midfielder this season played 32 matches with 1 goal in Serie A, while he also was a line-up player in the highest league in Italy with the team of Reggio Calabria in the seasons 2006-2007 (35 matches with 2 goals) and 2005-2006 (37 matches, no goals). Because of the arrival of Modesto probably 1 of the Brazilians: Fabiano or Danilo leaves Genoa.

On the internet circulates the news that tommorow there will be the other long expected meeting with Juventus to talk about Criscito, Paro and several players of Juventus that Mr. Gasperini wants to have in our team next year. Last Monday Genoa’s president Enrico Preziosi told that after the € 17 million of last year he wants to spend € 30 – € 35 million this summer to have an even better team as last season with the hope to reach Uefa-cup football at the end. Let’s hope his wish will be true.

Season over, but transferperiod starts

Konko, new born star in the hands of Gasperini (foto Genoa C.F.C.)

For a lot of people the transferperiod is just as interesting as the football itselves. Especially in Italy there is always a lot of news about transfers and not more than 5% of the news is really true, but which 5% ? With Genoa Marco Borriello and Abdoulay Konko have a lot of interest from other (big) clubs, so it will be very difficult to keep these players in Genova. On the other hand Mr. Preziosi and Mr. Gasperini promised the Genoa-fans a more better team then last year.

Domenico Criscito in the shirt he loves the most

Just like every team in Italy also Genoa has a lot of players which are only for 50% owned by the club. Before 6th of June the clubs that own the players has to make a deal about the player. Some clubs already fixed the price of the player at the moment they sold 50%, for instance with Criscito the price of the 50% of Juventus is € 6,5 million which Genoa has to pay if they want to keep the young talented defender. With other players there is no amount in the contract and the clubs have to talk about the price of the other half. For instance 50% of Marco Borriello was bought by Genoa last summer when Preziosi payed  € 2 million to A.C. Milan. Now being an Italian national player and 19 goals in Serie A later the value of Marco Borriello is raised till around € 20 million, which means that if you want to have Marco Borriello completely you have to pay around € 10 million to the other owner. Probably Genoa finds this too much, so Borriello goes back to A.C. Milan that pays Genoa the large sum of money to have the other 50% of Super Marco. In that case Mr. Preziosi made a benefit of € 8 million in 1 year which he can use to buy new players or for instance to pay Juventus to have the other 50% of Criscito and Paro.

Matteo Paro with Clarence Seedorf

Genoa owns a lot of players for only 50%: Criscito, Bovo, Santos, Paro, VandenBorre and Borriello that played with them last year and Coppola (Siena), Forestieri (Siena), Papa Waigo (Fiorentina) and Masiello (Bari) who played with the other teams. Before the 6th of June there must be a deal between the 2 clubs and if they don’t find a solution both teams have to write down the price they want to pay to have the other 50% in an enveloppe which they have to give to the Football Association that opens them and the team who wrote down the highest price has to pay that price to the other team.   

Marco Borriello with Italy to Euro 2008

Marco Borriello as substitute of Luca Toni in his first international-match against Portugal

This afternoon Italian national trainer Roberto Donadoni (the first 3 matches of the season 2003-2004 trainer of Genoa in Serie B) selected 24 players from which 23 go to Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland. Italy plays with Holland, France and Romenia in Group C and starts at Monday 9th June against Holland. Trainer Donadoni selected 6 strikers: Borriello (Genoa), Cassano (Sampdoria), Del Piero (Juventus), Di Natale (Udinese), Quagliarella (Udinese) and Toni (Bayern Munchen). Before Wednesday 28th June 1 player has to be send home because the list of Euro 2008 has a maximum of 23 players. 

Genoa 10th in Serie A, after 12 years in B + C1

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Without 6 line-up players: Rubinho, Bovo, Criscito, Rossi, Paro and Sculli the team of Mr. Gasperini also lost the last match of the first season in Serie A after 12 years. This victory also brought opponent Atalanta 48 points, which makes them 9th in the standings because of the goal-difference, just before Genoa on the 10th place.

Gaetano de Rosa was close to a goal but Capelli saved on the line

In the 32nd minute ex-Genoa player Sergio Floccari opened the score in rainy Bergamo. Just before halftime our defender Gaetano de Rosa was close to the equalizer, but Capelli saved the header on the line. In the second half both teams had chances to score but after both Danilo in the 66th and Milanetto in the 79th minute got their second yellow card Genoa only had 9 players in the field. Despite the 2 extra players it lasted till the 93rd minute till Marconi doubled the score: 2-0.

The players of Genoa after the last match against Atalanta 

Marco Borriello wants to stay with Genoa

Borriello after one of his goals against Lazio

Despite the fact that A.C. Milan owner of 50% of Marco Borriello wants him back in San Siro next year and several other big clubs in Italy and England offer very good contracts, Marco Borriello prefers to stay with Genoa. Hopefully Genoa can pay the enormous amount to A.C. Milan (around € 10 million) to buy the other 50% of the topscorer in Serie A. Especially the trust that president Enrico Preziosi had in him last summer when he spend € 2 million to buy 50% of the transfer-rights of Marco Borriello to A.C. Milan makes Marco’s wish to stay in Mr. Gasperini’s red and blue team.

Sunday in the last match of the season in Bergamo against Atalanta Genoa has to miss surely 5 injured players: Paro, Masiero, Vanden Borre, Criscito and Sculli. It looks like Rubinho and Danilo can recover in time.

Average of 24.745 supporters in Luigi Ferraris

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Genoa has reached the 7th position with the number of supporters in their homegames this season. Besides the 21.675 seasontickets there was also an average of 3.070 single-tickets every match. The most visited match, of course, was the derby with 31.618 supporters, Juventus with 28.151 on the second place just before Inter with 27.624 fans. The match against Siena at 9th December 2007 took “only” 22.697 supporters and was the less visited one. Last year in Serie B Genoa had an average of 19.934 supporters, which means an increase of 4.811 fans (+ 24,13%).  

Preziosi on the field since Venezia 2005

Preziosi on the field with Sculli, Rossi and Scarpi

Unless the 0-2 defeat by Lazio (goals of Pandev and Rocchi in the first half; Konko hit the post in the second half) Genoa’s president came for the first time since the famous match against Venezia on 11th June 2005 on the field. As you can see on the foto he first was a little nervous, but the great public in Luigi Ferraris helped him immediately. At the end of this fantastic first season after 12 years in Serie A we maybe don’t reach Uefa-cup but the club has solved all the internal problems of last years and is ready to improve next year in Serie A and reach European football easily.

  our Genoano of the year is loved by everyone with his Dutch football-mind

20 players (+ Leon ?) to reach Intertoto

Genoa-fans on the way to Piazza de Ferraris to celebrate

This morning Leon was not present at the last training because of heavy pain in his belly. Now our player from Honduras is towards the hospital to find out the exact injury. Hopefully our striker is healthy enough to go, just as the 20 other players, to the Sheraton hotel to prepare for the match against Lazio. To reach Intertoto (or Uefa-cup if Udinese don’t fixx their stadium on time and Uefa insists in refusing to give the license to play) Genoa has to win tomorrow. Mr. Gasperini who misses the injured Paro, Masiero + Vanden Borre and banned Criscito + Di Vaio selected the following 20 players including yougsters Raggio Garibaldi, Torres and Ledesma:  

Goalkeepers: Rubinho, Scarpi

Defenders: Bovo, De Rosa, Ghinassi, Lucarelli, Santos.

Midfielders: Danilo, Fabiano, Juric, Konko, Milanetto, Raggio Garibaldi, Rossi, Torres.

Strikers: Borriello, Figueroa, Ledesma, Sculli, Wilson.

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A difference between Dutch and Italian fans

Genoa- and Napolifans celebrate together the return in Serie A

In Holland the last years there are play-offs after the competition. The Netherlands has 6 tickets to European Cup football: 1 in Champions League, 1 in pre-round Champions League and 4 in Uefa-cup. The champion of Holland at the end of the regular league is qualified to play in Champions League and the winner of the Dutch cup automaticly plays in Uefa-cup. The other 4 European places are to win in the play-offs, which makes the play-offs very important and spectacular of course. Because your season-ticket don’t count in the play-offs you have to pay a single ticket if you want to see a game. Only because of this fact many thousands “supporters” boycot the most important and spectacular games of their team in the season. They stop supporting if they have to pay.

In Italy football-supporters are more proud to the club, the players, the city or at least the shirt. Italian fans don’t think so individual as a lot of Dutch supporters. If the club needs you in the most important (and spectacular) matches of the year you have to be there to show the meaning of: to support. In the Italian language they say assistere, which means just like to support in the English language: help your team. In Holland a lot of fans first (or only) think about themselves and don’t understand the meaning of to support. The passion of the fans is one of the many reason that makes Italian football much nicer than the football in Holland.