1980-81 was a benchmark season in Italy – at last foreign players were permitted, no doubt, a big victory for the big clubs, wanting the market open for years. It was not a clear-cut decision: the ban was introduced largely to promote domestic talent – and by the end of the 1970s there were positive results. In the same time Italian football plunged into deep crisis for the most of the 1970s. Particularly painful was international performance – both the clubs and the national team lost their age and clearly became second rate. Perhaps the unsettled clash of arguments lead to compromise – the clubs were permitted to have one foreign player. The international reaction was a copy of 1973, when Spain opened its market for foreigners: fear. The Italians, never thinking of money, will lure all the best players in the world, leaving other countries dry. However, it was 1973 again – Spain bought some huge names, but most foreigners were not all that famous and the same happened in Italy. Of course, the clubs immediately went into buying, but let us see the first foreign crop, club by club: Avellino – Juary (Brazil), Bologna – Eneas (Brazil), Fiorentina – Bertoni (Argentina), Inter – Prohaska (Austria), Juventus – Brady (Eire), Napoli – Krol (Holland), Perugia – Fortunato (Argentina), Pistoiese – Silvio (Brazil), Roma – Falcao (Brazil), Torino – Van de Korput (Holland), Udinese – Neumann (West Germany). Not every club bothered to jump on the occasion and hardly the top players of the world arrived – the real stars were few: Krol, Brady, Prohaska, Falcao, Bertoni and may be Van de Korput. A closer look tells that the Italians avoid really expensive players – even Krol came form a spell with Vancouver Whitecaps (Canada), hardly costing an arm and a leg. Milan did not get anybody, for they were for the first time in the Second Division and only top flight was permitted to import – a shaky rule, ready to go to dust.
The other important thing in this championship was the aftermath of the Totonero scandal – Milan was expelled from first division, a bunch of players were suspended, and 5 clubs – 3 in first division and 2 in second division – started the season with 5 points deducted as a punishment. Five points back than was heavy penalty, but surprisingly it the only club really paying the price at the end of the season was second division Taranto, which without the penalty would have been outside relegation zone. Three teams overcame the burden and maintained their place in their league. Perugia, however, would have been relegated even without deducted points. The rest of the year was football and many old habits remained intact – scoring was low as ever: Lazio scored 50 goals, the most in both top divisions combined. The love of the tie remained – only three teams in Serie A ended with less than 10 ties and none in Serie B. Catanzaro tied the most matches in Serie A – 17, that is, more than 50% of their total games. But they were outdone by second division clubs: Lazio and Foggia finished with 20 ties, Sampdoria and Palermo with 21, and Verona managed most in both leagues – 22 matches. One thing was certain – Italy was not giving up the defensive kind of football.
So league by league. Third division – Serie C1 – was divided as ever into two groups. Two teams promoted from each. In Girone A goal-difference decided 1st and 2nd , but it hardly mattered. It was essentially 4-team race, but at the end Fano and Triesitna lost.
Cremonese came first. Third row from left: xxxx Vincenzi (coach) Ascagni xxxx Bandini Serena Montorfano Marini Reali Pesini (assistant coach).
Middle row: Nicolini Bresolin Larini xxxx Finardi Galvani Paolinelli
Front row: Rossi (Mass) Garzilli Baldini Marlazzi Mugianesi Gilardi Abate Montani Zavatti (Mag).
Reggiana was second, no doubt happy to get promotion.
Girone B had only three clubs competing for 2 promotional spots – Campobasso lost the race by a point. Before them, like in Girone A, the winners finished with equal points.
Cavese was the league winner on better goal-difference.
Sambenedettese was second and happy for it.