Carlo Mazzone

Infobox Football biography
playername = Carlo Mazzone


fullname = Carlo Mazzone
nickname = "Carletto", "Sor Carletto"
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1937|3|19
cityofbirth = Rome
countryofbirth = Italy
currentclub = "none"
manageryears = 1968-1975 1975-1978 1978-1980 1980-1985 1985-1986 1986-1990 1990-1991 1991-1993 1993-1996 1996-1997 1997-1998 1998-1999 1999-2000 2000-2003 2003-2005 February-June 2006
managerclubs = Ascoli Fiorentina Catanzaro Ascoli Bologna Lecce Pescara Cagliari AS Roma Cagliari SSC Napoli Bologna Perugia Brescia Bologna Livorno

Carlo "Carletto" Mazzone (born March 19, 1937 in Rome) is an Italian football manager.

A former centre back who played several seasons for his beloved team, AS Roma, other than Spal and Ascoli, where he played for nine season, Mazzone left the playing career in season 1968-1969, to become the manager of Ascoli itself, in Serie C.

Already popular because of his playing history for the team, Mazzone gained even more popularity by leading the team for twelve years, up to the first Serie A appearance in the team history. Successively, Mazzone coached several Serie A and Serie B teams, such as Fiorentina (his personal best result, third-placed in 1976/1977), Catanzaro, Bologna F.C. 1909, Lecce, Pescara and Cagliari, that he led to the first appearance in a European competition since the Riva's times.

After his successes at Cagliari, Mazzone fulfilled his dream, being called to coach AS Roma for the season 1993/1994. He remained at the helm of AS Roma for three season, however without being able to obtain any notable triumph.

He then went back to Cagliari, then coached SSC Napoli, Bologna again, Perugia, and Brescia, where he had the opportunity to have Roberto Baggio among his players. Mazzone was at the centre of controversy when, on September 30 2001, during a league match against team rivals Atalanta, after his team tied the score in the final minutes, he ran for about 70 meters and screamed towards the Atalanta supporters, guilty of having offended him for all the match long with personal insults.

Mazzone left Brescia in 2003 in order to coach Bologna for the third time on his long career. However, his adventure lasted only two season, as the team was surprisingly relegated in Serie B at the end of the 2004/2005 season. It was the first relegation ever in Mazzone's career, and it convinced him to take a break for a while.

However, on February 7, 2006, at the age of 68 years and 11 months, Mazzone accepted an offer of Livorno for filling the coaching office left vacant by Roberto Donadoni, who resigned the day before. He left the job at the end of the season.

Trivia

*Mazzone is the most experienced coach in the Italian football panorama, having coached on more than 1,000 professional matches. On March 18, 2006, Mazzone has become the Italian manager who coached the highest number of Serie A matches ever, equalling and then overcoming the past record held by Nereo Rocco.

*Roberto Baggio often defined several times Mazzone as one of the best coach he met in his playing career. Baggio himself, in a radio interview on February 18, 2006, declared that Mazzone asked him to join him in a playing football comeback in Livorno; however, Baggio claimed that, even if he would have gave him an affirmative answer because of his gratitude for what Mazzone did for him, he was forced to refuse because of his physical troubles.

*He is often nicknamed "Sor Carletto" because of his Roman origins, and the strong accent typical of the inhabitants of the Italian capital city.

*Despite having coached around the whole country for 35 years and more, Mazzone has always held his residence in Ascoli Piceno, home of Ascoli Calcio, the team in which he started his long managing career.

*As he is more than 65 years old, Mazzone is officially considered by the Italian Football Federation as "direttore tecnico" (technical director).

References