Luigi Cagni

Infobox Football biography
playername = Luigi Cagni
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1950|6|14
cityofbirth = Brescia
countryofbirth = Italy
currentclub = free agent
position = Manager
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1969–1978 1978–1987 1987–1988
clubs = Brescia Sambenedettese Ospitaletto
caps(goals) =
nationalyears =
nationalteams =
manageryears = 1988–1989 1989–1990 1990–1996 1996–1998 1998–1999 1999–2000
2000–2001 2003–2004
2004–2005 2006–2007
2008 2008
managerclubs = Brescia ("youth team") Centese Piacenza Verona Genoa Salernitana Sampdoria Piacenza Catanzaro Empoli Empoli Parma

Luigi "Gigi" Cagni (born June 14, 1950 in Brescia) is an Italian football (soccer) manager and former player, who last coached Parma for their 2008–09 Serie B campaign.

Playing career

Cagni, a defender, made his Serie A debut for Brescia in 1970, in a league match lost 4-0 to Cagliari. He played only eight Serie A matches, but gained a deep experience of Serie B, where he played 473 matches and scored 5 goals.

Managing career

After a season as youth team coach in his home team Brescia, Cagni coached Centese of Serie C2 in 1989/1990, and successively signed for Piacenza of Serie C1 in 1990/1991, becoming one of the main authors of Piacenza's first appearance in Serie A, in 1993. Cagni stayed at Piacenza until 1996, when he moved to Hellas Verona F.C., again in Serie A. However, Cagni was not able to maintain his team to the top division, and Verona relegated. Since then, Cagni mostly served for Serie B teams, with the exception of Piacenza, who rehired him in 2002/2003 in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid relegation. In January 2006, after the dismissal of Mario Somma, Empoli appointed him as head coach. Cagni was able to lead the team up to tenth place, then become seventh following the Calciopoli scandal. His contract with Empoli was extended on March 2007 for another year, following impressive performances which led the team to fight for and eventually gain a spot in the next UEFA Cup, the first appearance in a continental competition for both the small Tuscan club and Cagni himself. However a poor start in the Serie A 2007-08, and a UEFA Cup elimination in the first round to FC Zurich convinced Empoli's management to sack Cagni, appointing Alberto Malesani as replacement.cite news|url=http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/nov26p.html|date=2007-11-26|accessdate=2007-11-27|publisher=Football Italia|title=Empoli axe Cagni] On March 31, 2008 he was re-called at the helm of Empoli, following the club board's decision to fire Malesani too,cite news |title=L'Empoli licenzia Malesani. In panchina torna Cagni|url=http://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/SerieA/Squadre/Empoli/Primo_Piano/2008/03_Marzo/31/malesani.shtml |publisher= La Gazzetta dello Sport |date= 2008-03-31 |accessdate=2008-03-31 |language=Italian] but he did not manage to save the club from last matchday relegation. He resigned after the verdict.

On May 29, 2008, it was revealed that Cagni signed a two-year contract with Parma and will lead the club in their first season in Serie B in 18 years.cite news |url=http://www.fcparma.com/it/NewsDetail.aspx?Id=86844 |language=Italian |publisher=Parma FC |accessdate=2008-05-29 |date=2008-05-29 |title=GIGI CAGNI NUOVO ALLENATORE DEL PARMA FC] On 30 September 2008 fired his team Parma and obligated Francesco Guidolin. [http://www.transfermarkt.de/de/news/23591/30092008_15_27/news/anzeigen.html]

References