Today marks 64 years of
one of the greatest tragedies that have hit the soccer world . The May 4, 1949, the plane carrying the Torino back home, after playing a friendly in Lisbon , crashed into the dome of the Basilica of Superga , located on a hill near the town of Turin, because of the fog. Following the fatal accident
killing 31 people , among whom were 18
Grande Torino players , which was as it was known to the Italian squad for the excellent football unfolded and for five consecutive years dominated the championship Alps.
At the time of the accident, the Torino was proclaimed near fifth consecutive champion the Scudetto, it was leading the championship with only four days. The tragedy caused such a sensation in Italy that the rivals who had to face the remaining days in Torino decided to do with youth for the Turin group did not lose a title that had almost won before the accident. In addition, it was decided that each Italian club for a year cede one of their players to Torino to help rebuild and it enjoyed immunity in the top flight for ten years. FIFA said in its May 4th day as the World Day Football .
The Torino at that time is remembered as one of the best teams in the history of Italian football and even worldwide . With an innovative 4-2-4 and made up an excellent template led by the legendary Valentino Mazzola , dominated for five years European soccer football with its mixed quality, power and a huge punch. It is said that when a game is twisted, Mazzola remangaba shirt and harangued his comrades, causing the famous “quarto d’ora granata “, where in just fifteen minutes was able to transform into a real Gale football and score half a dozen goals. With the death of these phenomena football missed the essence of football and was born on Catenaccio , according to the chroniclers of the time.
It so happens that the great Di Stefano could anchor in the ranks of Torino few days after the fatal accident. The River Plate , club since maintaining an excellent relationship with the Alpine team, organized a charity match in favor of the relatives of those killed in Superga. At the end of the match, in which the Argentine faced a combined Italian star formed by the remaining, the president of River Torino told I could choose one of their players for him in Turin during a season. chosen was a very young Alfredo Di Stefano , which was beginning to emerge, but the Buenos Aires club refused because he wanted to cash in La Saeta Rubia.
The 31 dead were the following, which with this modest article I pay tribute:
Footballers: Valerio Bacigalupo, Aldo Ballarin, Dino Ballarin, Emile Bongiorni, Eusebio Castigliano, Rubens FADINI, Guglielmo Gabetto, Ruggero Grava, Giuseppe Grezar, Ezio Loik, Virgilio Maroso, Danilo Martelli, Valentino Mazzola, Romeo Menti, Piero Operto, Franco Ossola, Mario Rigamonti, Giulio Schubert.
Coaching staff: Egri Erbstein (Sports Director), Leslie Levesley (coach), Osvaldo Cortina (masseur).
Executives: Arnaldo Agnisetta, Ippolito Civalleri, Andrea Bonaiutiin.
Journalists: Casalbore Renato, Renato Tosatti, Luigi Cavallero.
Crew: Pierluigi Meroni (pilot) , Celeste D’Inca, Antonio Pangrazi, Cesare Biancardi
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Video – Youtube