Pippo Marchioro Has Died; Italian Soccer Mourns Once Again
Italian soccer bids farewell to Giuseppe “Pippo” Marchioro, a legendary coach and soccer legend, who passed away at the age of 90. He passed away today, Thursday, August 6, in Cesena, the city where he had lived for some time and with which he had forged a deep bond throughout his career.
Before making his mark as a coach, Marchioro was a forward who played in Serie B and Serie C. Having come up through the youth system at Milan, his hometown club, he went on to play for Lecco, Parma, Pro Patria, Pro Vercelli, Varese, Catanzaro, and Legnano during his career. Among his most significant stints were those with Pro Patria (35 appearances and 13 goals between 1958 and 1959), Varese (57 appearances between 1962 and 1964), and Legnano (57 matches and 7 goals from 1966 to 1968).
After retiring as a player, he began his coaching career as an assistant to two true masters of Italian soccer, first alongside Nils Liedholm at Milan and later with Luigi Radice at Monza. His debut as a head coach came on the bench at Verbania, where he remained from 1970 to 1972, before also leading Alessandria and Como.
The turning point came during the 1975–76 season, when, in his first Serie A campaign, he led Cesena to a historic qualification for the UEFA Cup. This achievement opened the doors to Milan for him, though his tenure there lasted only half a season, as he was fired at the end of the first half of the season.
He subsequently returned to Cesena in Serie B and, during the 1979–80 season, secured another promotion to Serie A while coaching Como. In 1982, he was hired by Avellino, also in the top flight, before continuing his long coaching career with Cesena, Ancona, Prato, Barletta, and Foggia. It was with the Apulian side, during the 1987–88 season, he made a name for himself on the national stage thanks to a brilliant performance in a friendly against Real Madrid—a match that ended 3-1 in favor of the Spanish side but is remembered for the way his team played, managing to give the future champions a run for their money.
In 1988, he embarked on one of the most important chapters of his career: his tenure with Reggiana. He remained at the helm of the Emilia-Romagna-based club for six seasons, securing the club’s first-ever promotion to Serie A in the 1992–93 season. The following year, he wrote another memorable chapter in Reggiana’s history, securing an extraordinary survival on the final matchday thanks to a victory at San Siro against Milan.
After his stint in Reggio Emilia, he also coached Genoa, Venezia, Cesena once again, and finally Triestina, where he ended his coaching career in 1997, leaving a lasting mark on every club where he worked.
The funeral for Giuseppe “Pippo” Marchioro will be held on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. at the Church of the Madonna delle Rose in Cesena, where the soccer community and many fans will be able to pay their last respects.
