Teams too scared to lose
Bari and Lazio were too terrified to lose to be able to play out a decent match. The goalless draw was inevitable.
Also on this day: December 28, 1947, Bologna Lazio 0-0. Lazio defend well and bring a point back to Rome. Player of the day: Sergio Piacentini
The season so far
Lazio had just come back to Serie A after a couple of years in Serie B, and were hoping to stay up without suffering too much.
In the summer transfer window of 1969, two players where signed from Serie C team Internapoli that under the guide of future Lazio 1970s manager Luis Vinicio had almost been promoted into Serie B: Giuseppe Wilson and Giorgio Chinaglia. The two will go on to make Lazio history.
Other signings had been goalkeeper Michelangelo Sulfaro (Sambenedettese), defender Giuseppe Papadopulo (Livorno) and in the autumn transfer window defender Luigi Polentes (Perugia) and midfielder Franco Nanni (Trapani). Lazio said goodbye to a few of the players that had been fundamental for the return in Serie A: Guido Onor and Elio Rinero went back to Juventus after their year-long loan, legend Diego Zanetti left after 8 years (Vicenza) and Giuseppe Lorenzetti signed for Livorno. In the autumn further players left: Pietro Adorni (Piacenza), Carlo Soldo (Monza), Piero Cucchi (Ternana), Alberto Mari (Velletri) whilst Arrigo Dolso and Romano Bagatti were loaned to Monza and Alessandria respectively. Pierluigi Pagni retired.
After a poor Coppa Italia campaign in September, until the four games prior to today, Lazio had not done too badly. Despite losing the derby 2-1, they had beaten Milan and Fiorentina (5-1!!!) and one could have been reasonably satisfied. However, they then lost four games in a row from the end of November to this match plus they had been knocked out of the Mitropa Cup by Honved Budapest.
Lazio had a desperate need of at least a point in the game with Bari.
The match: Sunday, December 28, 1969, Stadio Della Vittoria, Bari
Both teams were in a spot of trouble so nobody expected champagne football. The teams were clearly terrified, so nothing much happened at all during the game. Bari had the worst attack of Serie A (just 5 goals scored) but a great defence (10 goals conceded) so most of the game was played at midfield.
In the first half, Bari had a chance with Vittorio Spimi that was saved by Michelangelo Sulfaro and a Ferruccio Mazzola shot was saved by Giuseppe Spalazzi. In the second half the only action to note was a shot by Giovan Battista Vienti that went just over the crossbar. Giancarlo Morrone got sent off with one minute to go and that was it.
Interesting to note is that both the first and last games played by Lazio in the 1960s were against Bari away from home and were both goalless.
Who played for Bari
Spalazzi, Loseto, Galli, Muccini, Spimi, Colautti, Furlanis, Fara (31' Cané), Toffanin, Pienti, D'Addosio.
Substitutes: Colombo.
Manager: Pugliese.
Who played for Lazio
Substitutes: Di Vincenzo, Casisa
Manager: Lorenzo
Referee: Monti
What happened next
At the end of the day it was a positive season for Lazio. Nothing much was expected, it was hoped that Lazio would not have to suffer too much to stay in Serie A and this is exactly what happened. There were two prestigious wins against Inter and Juventus that made it a season to remember. The return derby was drawn thanks to terrible refereeing decisions.
Chinaglia in his first year of Serie A was Lazio’s top scorer with 12 goals to which one must add two goals in Mitropa Cup. Rino Marchesi had the most caps since he played every single game!!!
Lazio 1969-70
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals scored |
Serie A | 30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 33 |
Coppa Italia | 3 | - | 1 | 2 | - |
Mitropa Cup | 2 | - | - | 2 | 2 |
Anglo Italian Cup | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
Cup of the Alps | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
Total | 43 | 15 | 10 | 18 | 51 |
Top five appearances
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Mitropa Cup | Anglo Italian Cup | Cup of the Alps |
Marchesi | 43 | 30 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
Massa | 40 | 27 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
Wilson | 39 | 28 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
Chinaglia | 38 | 28 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Ghio | 36 | 25 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
Top goal scorers
Player | Total | Serie A | Mitropa Cup | Anglo Italian Cup | Cup of the Alps |
Chinaglia | 20 | 12 | 2 | - | 6 |
Massa | 11 | 5 | - | 4 | 2 |
Ghio | 6 | 5 | - | - | 1 |
Mazzola | 4 | 3 | - | 1 | - |
Let’s talk about Ferruccio Mazzola
Ferruccio Mazzola was a good player but suffered from two main problems: he was not only compared to his father, the great Valentino, probably one of the most talented players in the history of Italian football, but also to his brother Sandro, star of Inter. It cannot have been easy for him.
Born in Turin on February 1 1945, he started his youth career with Inter before being sent to gain experience in Serie C with Marzotto Valdagno in 1963. A year later, again on loan, he moved to Venice where he played for two years in Serie B. In the second year Venezia got promoted to Serie A and he was one of the most important players.
Inter took him back home in 1967 but in the winter transfer window sold him to Lecco. He was able to play just one match for the Nerazzurri with his brother Sandro before leaving.
In 1968 Lazio President Umberto Lenzini finally managed to bring Mazzola to Lazio and he repaid his debt by immediately taking Lazio back to Serie A. He will play another two more years for Lazio in Serie A before going to Fiorentina on loan in 1971-72. Back at Lazio the following year he only played one game. There was not a good feeling between him and Tommaso Maestrelli and despite being part of the squad and winning the scudetto, the manager never selected him to play.
In 1974 he was sold to Sant’Angelo Lodigiano in Serie C where he played until 1977. His last games as a professional took place in the USA with the Hartford Bicentennials.
After football he worked as a sports journalist and was owner of a betting shop. In 1981 he began his career as manager. He worked for many teams mainly in the lower divisions: Cynthia Genzano, Spal, Venezia, Perugia, Spezia, Siena, Alessandria, Modena and Aosta.
In 2004 he published his autobiography. This book, and an interview with the Italian weekly Espresso in 2005, caused a lot of controversy, but not quite enough.
In the book Mazzola stated that the Inter manager Helenio Herrera was doping his players. Helenio Herrera is the famous Inter manager who won the Italian scudetto three times, as well as the European Cup and Intercontinental Cup twice. According to Mazzola, Herrera used to drop amphetamines in the players’ coffee before the games. He then linked the use of the doping substances to the early deaths of players Armando Picchi, Marcello Giusti, Carlo Tagnin, Mauro Bicicli and Ferdinando Minussi.
Inter and his former teammates all denied the allegations and the club took him to court. Inter lost the case.
In the interview he also mentioned that at Fiorentina they used to have drips before matches. “If you refused, you did not play. A few of the players of that team, Bruno Beatrice, Ugo Ferrante and Nello Saltutti, all died very young. Others had cancer, like Mimmo Caso, Massimo Mattolini, De Sisti”.
Even Lazio was mentioned. “There they gave us Villescon, a drug that did not make us feel any fatigue”. What about other teams? “When Herrera moved to Roma he used the same methods he used at Inter. What did you think Taccola died of at 26 years of age at Cagliari in 1969?”
After these declarations nothing much happened. The attorney general of Florence opened a case on the death of Bruno Beatrice but in 2009 gave up due to the fact that it became statute barred. Nobody spoke. Most of the players that could have said something were still in football in some way or form, so the “omertà” took over.
From 2005 he was president of the Futursport International Association for the recovery of adolescents in social difficulty, and he worked with the Association of Doping Victims, founded by the wife of Bruno, Beatrice.
He died on May 7 2013 in Rome.
He played 106 games for Lazio (48 in Serie A, 37 in Serie B, 17 in Coppa Italia, 1 in UEFA Cup, 1 in Mitropa Cup and 2 in the European Fairs Cup) and scored 13 goals (4 in Serie A, 8 in Serie B and one in Coppa Italia).
PS. After having denied for years to corroborate his brother’s accusations, Sandro Mazzola finally admitted in 2015 that his brother was right.
Lazio Career
Season | Total games (goals) | Serie A | Serie B | Coppa Italia | UEFA Cup | Mitropa Cup | Fairs Cup | Anglo Italian | Cup of the Alps |
1968-69 | 40 (8) | - | 37 (8) | 3 | - | - | - | - | - |
1969-70 | 34 (3) | 23 (2) | - | 3 | - | 1 | - | 3 (1) | 4 |
1970-71 | 32 (3) | 24 (2) | - | 2 | - | - | 2 | - | 4 (1) |
1972-73 | 7 | 1 | - | 4 | - | - | - | 2 | - |
1973-74 | 6 (1) | - | - | 5 (1) | 1 | - | - | - | - |
Total | 106 (15) | 48 (4) | 37 (8) | 17 (1) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 (1) | 8 (1) |
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