CASE STUDY THE TRAGEDY OF GRANDE TORINO The name Grande Torino refers to the Torino Football Club team which played in the Italian Serie A in the 1940s. The team was very competitive: most of them also played in the Italian National Football team. The Grande Torino team became legendary after all the players and staff died in a plane crash. in the companies sports groups. The Torino football club signed an agreement with the FIAT company, which had suspended car production to produce weapons. In that season, the team took part in the war championship with the name of Torino FIAT, reaching the final match of the championship but not the victory. The team and the war In 1940, the team manager, Ferruccio Novo, was able to hire some good coaches and players from other teams, such as Valentino Mazzola, who became the team captain. Bit by bit, the team built up and in the 1942-43 season Grande Torino won their first Serie A championship in fifteen years, together with the Coppa Italia title. Season 1943-44 was made difficult by the embitterment of World War II. In order to avoid their players being summoned for military service, football clubs started to associate with factories: being work power in a military factory allowed players to avoid joining the army, while they could continue their football training The years after the war and the tragedy After the end of the war in 1945, the Grande Torino team won the Italian championship for three consecutive seasons. In the 1948-49 season, the team dominated the championship as usual, being top in the league table. They played their last match in the championship against Inter on the 30th April, scoring 0-0. Then, the team left for Lisbon, where they played a friendly match against the Benfica football club. Coming back to Turin, on 4th May, their plane crashed on the hill of Superga, near Turin, due to thick fog. All the people on the plane died: players, technical staff, journalists, and crew. The legend and the supporters tribute In 1949 the FIGC awarded the team with their fifth scudetto. Because this tragedy occurred to an almost invincible team, their legendary status grew. Every year on the 4th May, supporters of the Torino F.C. meet in Superga, where a memorial to the Grande Torino team was built to honour the victims. embitterment: inasprimento league table: classifica to summon: convocare work power: forza lavoro 4 Match the beginnings and endings. 40 To play 1. In the 1940s a. the team became a legend. 2. Most of the team players 3. Ferruccio Novo 4. Valentino Mazzola 5. During the war 6. Their last match in the championship 7. They went to Lisbon 8. After the team died in the plane crash, b. also played in the Italian National team. c. ended nil-nil. d. proved a very good manager for the team. e. the Grande Torino team won five scudettos. f. the team associated with the FIAT company. g. to play a friendly match. h. was the team captain.