2019–20 Serie C
The 2019–20 Serie C was the sixth season of the unified Serie C division, the third tier of the Italian football league system.
The season was scheduled to run from 24 August 2019 to 26 April 2020, however, on 9 March 2020, the Italian government halted the league until 3 April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. Serie C did not resume play on this date. On 18 May, it was announced that Italian football would be suspended until 14 June.
| Season | 2019–20 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 24 August 2019 – 22 July 2020 |
| Champions | Monza Vicenza Reggina |
| Promoted | Monza Vicenza Reggina Reggio Audace |
| Relegated | Siena (bankruptcy) Pianese Gozzano Arzignano Rimini Sicula Leonzio (bankruptcy) Rende Rieti Picerno (match-fixing) |
| Matches played | 868 |
| Goals scored | 2,017 (2.32 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Mirco Antenucci (21 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Padova 6–1 Fano (1 September 2019) Casertana 6–1 Rieti (14 September 2019) Viterbese 6–1 Rende (19 October 2019) Vibonese 5–0 Catania (20 October 2019) Südtirol 5–0 Arzignano (2 February 2020) |
| Biggest away win | Sicula Leonzio 2–7 Vibonese (1 December 2019) |
| Highest scoring | Avellino 3–6 Catania (25 August 2019) Sicula Leonzio 2–7 Vibonese (1 December 2019) |
| Longest winning run | 11 games Reggina |
| Longest unbeaten run | 25 games Bari |
| Longest winless run | 22 games Olbia |
| Longest losing run | 8 games Fano |
| Highest attendance | 16,092 Reggina 1–1 Bari (26 January 2020) |
| Lowest attendance | 40 Pianese 2–2 AlbinoLeffe (26 January 2020) |
| Total attendance | 2,252,566 |
| Average attendance | 2,740 |
← 2018–19 2020–21 → | |
On 8 June, the Italian Football Federation formally declared Monza, Vicenza, and Reggina as champions of their respective groups, thus awarding them promotion to Serie B, while also confirming the promotion and relegations playoff will take place as planned, based on the league standings by the time of the regular season suspension.
Teams
The league was contested by 60 teams.
Relegated from Serie B
Venezia was readmitted in Serie B after the bankruptcy of Palermo.
Promoted from Serie D
- Lecco (Girone A winners)
- Como (Girone B winners)
- Arzignano Valchiampo (Girone C winners)
- Pergolettese (Girone D winners)
- Pianese (Girone E winners)
- Cesena (Girone F winners)
- Avellino (Girone G winners)
- Picerno (Girone H winners)
- Bari (Girone I winners)
Readmissions
Following the disbandment of Arzachena, Lucchese and Siracusa and the failure of Albissola to register for the league, four relegated clubs were readmitted as members of Serie C.
Repechages
Following the bankruptcy of Foggia (relegated from Serie B) and Palermo, FIGC chose two historic big clubs from Serie D to fill the vacancies.
Bisceglie readmission and Audace Cerignola case
On 12 July, the FIGC additionally excluded Arzachena from Serie C, but Bisceglie were not initially readmitted and were awaiting the result of court proceedings, along with Audace Cerignola. As a result, one vacancy remained in Group C that had not been filled, due to a lack of valid applications for Serie C readmissions.
On 23 July, the Court of the CONI overturned the original decision from the FIGC by declaring both Bisceglie and Audace Cerignola's readmission requests as valid, thus creating uncertainty on the new format and even opening doors to a potential 21-team Group C.
On 25 July, the FIGC readmitted Bisceglie to Serie C, whereas, in spite of the ruling by the Court of the CONI, Audace Cerignola's request was rejected due to alleged stadium irregularities. On August 5, however, CONI once again overturned the FIGC's decision not to admit Audace Cerignola to Serie C.
On 10 September, Lazio's Regional Administrative Tribunal denied Audace Cerignola's appeal for readmission, by suspending the measures for which CONI had used to readmit the club into Serie C. A new hearing was set for February 11, 2020, at which time a repecheage would no longer be possible, which effectively left the club in Serie D.
COVID-19 pandemic suspension
On 9 March 2020, the Lega Pro committee announced the suspension of the league due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy.
On 8 May 2020, the league committee formally proposed the Italian Football Federation to end the season altogether and award promotion to the three league toppers (Monza, Vicenza and Reggina), plus Carpi for having the highest point-per-game ratio among all other teams by the time of the suspension, and block all relegations to Serie D. This proposal was however rejected by the Italian Football Federation on 20 May, as they objected the Serie C season will have to end as planned, with 20 August as the formal deadline to complete it.
On 8 June, the Italian Football Federation formally declared the end of the Serie C regular season; Monza, Vicenza and Reggina were awarded promotion to Serie B, while Gozzano, Rimini and Rieti were relegated to Serie D. Promotion and relegation playoffs will take place as planned, albeit on a voluntary basis.
Following the deliberation from the Italian Football Federation, Pontedera, Arezzo, Modena, Pro Patria, Piacenza and Vibonese announced they would not take part to the promotion playoffs.
Stadia and locations
Group A (North & Central West)
8 teams from Lombardy, 6 teams from Tuscany, 5 teams from Piedmont and 1 team from Sardinia.
| Club | City | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| AlbinoLeffe | Albino and Leffe | Città di Gorgonzola (Gorgonzola) | 3,766 |
| Alessandria | Alessandria | Giuseppe Moccagatta | 5,827 |
| Arezzo | Arezzo | Città di Arezzo | 13,128 |
| Carrarese | Carrara | Dei Marmi | 9,500 |
| Como | Como | Giuseppe Sinigaglia | 13,602 |
| Giana Erminio | Gorgonzola | Città di Gorgonzola | 3,766 |
| Gozzano | Gozzano | Stadio Alfredo d'Albertas | 1,510 |
| Juventus U23 | Turin | Giuseppe Moccagatta (Alessandria) | 5,827 |
| Lecco | Lecco | Rigamonti-Ceppi | 4,997 |
| Monza | Monza | Brianteo | 18,568 |
| Novara | Novara | Silvio Piola (Novara) | 17,875 |
| Olbia | Olbia | Bruno Nespoli | 3,200 |
| Pergolettese | Crema | Giuseppe Voltini | 4,100 |
| Pianese | Piancastagnaio | Carlo Zecchini (Grosseto) | 9,779 |
| Pistoiese | Pistoia | Marcello Melani | 13,195 |
| Pontedera | Pontedera | Ettore Mannucci | 2,700 |
| Pro Patria | Busto Arsizio | Carlo Speroni | 4,627 |
| Pro Vercelli | Vercelli | Silvio Piola (Vercelli) | 5,500 |
| Renate | Renate | Città di Meda (Meda) | 2,900 |
| Siena | Siena | Montepaschi Arena | 15,373 |
Group B (North & Central East)
8 teams from Emilia-Romagna, 4 teams from Marche, 4 teams from Veneto, 1 team from Friuli Venezia Giulia, 1 team from Lombardy, 1 team from Trentino-Alto Adige and 1 team from Umbria.
| Club | City | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arzignano | Arzignano | Romeo Menti (Vicenza) | 13,173 |
| Carpi | Carpi | Sandro Cabassi | 5,550 |
| Cesena | Cesena | Dino Manuzzi | 20,194 |
| Fano | Fano | Raffaele Mancini | 8,800 |
| FeralpiSalò | Salò | Lino Turina | 2,364 |
| Fermana | Fermo | Bruno Recchioni | 8,920 |
| Gubbio | Gubbio | Pietro Barbetti | 4,939 |
| Imolese | Imola | Romeo Galli | 4,000 |
| Modena | Modena | Alberto Braglia | 21,092 |
| Padova | Padua | Euganeo | 32,420 |
| Piacenza | Piacenza | Leonardo Garilli | 21,668 |
| Ravenna | Ravenna | Bruno Benelli | 12,020 |
| Reggio Audace | Reggio Emilia | Mapei Stadium – Città del Tricolore | 21,584 |
| Rimini | Rimini | Romeo Neri | 7,442 |
| Sambenedettese | San Benedetto del Tronto | Riviera delle Palme | 13,705 |
| Südtirol | Bolzano/Bozen | Druso | 3,500 |
| Triestina | Trieste | Nereo Rocco | 32,454 |
| Vicenza | Vicenza | Romeo Menti | 13,173 |
| Virtus Verona | Verona | Gavagnin Nocini | 1,200 |
| Vis Pesaro | Pesaro | Tonino Benelli | 4,898 |
Group C (Center & South)
4 teams from Apulia, 4 teams from Calabria, 4 teams from Campania, 2 teams from Basilicata, 2 teams from Lazio, 2 teams from Sicily, 1 from Abruzzo and 1 from Umbria.
| Club | City | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avellino | Avellino | Partenio-Adriano Lombardi | 10,215 |
| Bari | Bari | San Nicola | 58,270 |
| Bisceglie | Bisceglie | Gustavo Ventura | 5,000 |
| Casertana | Caserta | Alberto Pinto | 12,000 |
| Catania | Catania | Angelo Massimino | 20,266 |
| Catanzaro | Catanzaro | Nicola Ceravolo | 14,650 |
| Cavese | Cava de' Tirreni | Simonetta Lamberti | 5,000 |
| Monopoli | Monopoli | Vito Simone Veneziani | 6,880 |
| Paganese | Pagani | Marcello Torre | 5,093 |
| Picerno | Picerno | Alfredo Viviani (Potenza) | 4,977 |
| Potenza | Potenza | Alfredo Viviani | 4,977 |
| Reggina | Reggio Calabria | Oreste Granillo | 27,454 |
| Rende | Rende | Marco Lorenzon | 5,000 |
| Rieti | Rieti | Manlio Scopigno | 10,163 |
| Sicula Leonzio | Lentini | Angelino Nobile | 2,500 |
| Teramo | Teramo | Gaetano Bonolis | 7,498 |
| Ternana | Terni | Libero Liberati | 17,460 |
| Vibonese | Vibo Valentia | Luigi Razza | 6,500 |
| Virtus Francavilla | Francavilla Fontana | Giovanni Paolo II | 2,000 |
| Viterbese Castrense | Viterbo | Enrico Rocchi | 5,460 |
League tables
Group A (North & Central West)
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monza (C, P) | 27 | 18 | 7 | 2 | 53 | 18 | +35 | 61 | Promotion to Serie B |
| 2 | Carrarese | 27 | 12 | 9 | 6 | 47 | 36 | +11 | 45 | Qualification to the promotion play-offs |
| 3 | Renate | 27 | 11 | 10 | 6 | 34 | 22 | +12 | 43 | |
| 4 | Pontedera | 27 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 38 | 35 | +3 | 42 | |
| 5 | Alessandria | 27 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 34 | 30 | +4 | 40 | Qualification to the promotion play-offs |
| 6 | Robur Siena (D, R) | 27 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 32 | 30 | +2 | 39 | Club dissolved |
| 7 | Novara | 26 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 35 | 29 | +6 | 38 | Qualification to the promotion play-offs |
| 8 | AlbinoLeffe | 27 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 29 | 24 | +5 | 39 | |
| 9 | Arezzo | 27 | 8 | 13 | 6 | 33 | 28 | +5 | 37 | |
| 10 | Juventus U23 | 27 | 8 | 12 | 7 | 30 | 34 | −4 | 36 | Qualification to the promotion play-offs |
| 11 | Pro Patria | 26 | 7 | 11 | 8 | 32 | 30 | +2 | 32 | |
| 12 | Pistoiese | 27 | 6 | 15 | 6 | 24 | 22 | +2 | 33 | |
| 13 | Como | 26 | 7 | 11 | 8 | 28 | 25 | +3 | 32 | |
| 14 | Pro Vercelli | 26 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 27 | 28 | −1 | 31 | |
| 15 | Lecco | 26 | 7 | 7 | 12 | 27 | 42 | −15 | 28 | |
| 16 | Pergolettese (O) | 27 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 36 | −15 | 27 | Qualification to the relegation play-offs |
| 17 | Giana Erminio | 26 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 28 | 44 | −16 | 26 | Readmitted |
| 18 | Olbia (O) | 27 | 5 | 10 | 12 | 28 | 44 | −16 | 25 | Qualification to the relegation play-offs |
| 19 | Pianese (R) | 27 | 4 | 12 | 11 | 23 | 30 | −7 | 24 | |
| 20 | Gozzano (R) | 27 | 4 | 10 | 13 | 22 | 38 | −16 | 22 | Relegation to Serie D |
Rules for classification: 1) Final score; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Goal per game difference; 5) Goals per game scored; 6) Lower goals per game against; 7) Draw.
Final score is calculated according to the formula 
is points;
is home points per game;
is number of home games left to play;
is away points per game;
is number of away games left to play.
(C) Champions; (D) Disqualified; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Group B (North & Central East)
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | L.R. Vicenza (C, P) | 27 | 18 | 7 | 2 | 41 | 12 | +29 | 61 | Promotion to Serie B |
| 2 | Reggio Audace (O, P) | 27 | 15 | 10 | 2 | 45 | 25 | +20 | 55 | Qualification to the promotion play-offs |
| 3 | Carpi | 26 | 16 | 5 | 5 | 44 | 21 | +23 | 53 | |
| 4 | Südtirol | 27 | 15 | 3 | 9 | 43 | 24 | +19 | 48 | |
| 5 | Padova | 26 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 35 | 19 | +16 | 44 | |
| 6 | Feralpisalò | 26 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 34 | 31 | +3 | 44 | |
| 7 | Piacenza | 26 | 10 | 11 | 5 | 32 | 24 | +8 | 41 | |
| 8 | Triestina | 27 | 12 | 4 | 11 | 36 | 32 | +4 | 40 | Qualification to the promotion play-offs |
| 9 | Modena | 27 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 29 | 25 | +4 | 40 | |
| 10 | Sambenedettese | 26 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 31 | 31 | 0 | 33 | Qualification to the promotion play-offs |
| 11 | Fermana | 27 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 22 | 33 | −11 | 33 | |
| 12 | Virtus Verona | 27 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 33 | 35 | −2 | 32 | |
| 13 | Cesena | 27 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 33 | 42 | −9 | 30 | |
| 14 | Vis Pesaro | 27 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 22 | 37 | −15 | 28 | |
| 15 | Gubbio | 27 | 5 | 13 | 9 | 23 | 31 | −8 | 28 | |
| 16 | Ravenna | 27 | 7 | 6 | 14 | 25 | 41 | −16 | 27 | Readmitted |
| 17 | Imolese (O) | 27 | 4 | 11 | 12 | 20 | 35 | −15 | 23 | Qualification to the relegation play-offs |
| 18 | Arzignano (R) | 26 | 4 | 10 | 12 | 18 | 32 | −14 | 22 | |
| 19 | Fano (O) | 27 | 5 | 6 | 16 | 24 | 42 | −18 | 21 | |
| 20 | Rimini (R) | 27 | 4 | 9 | 14 | 24 | 42 | −18 | 21 | Relegation to Serie D |
Rules for classification: 1) Final score; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Goal per game difference; 5) Goals per game scored; 6) Lower goals per game against; 7) Draw.
Final score is calculated according to the formula
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
