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The Rise and Fall of Parma Football Club

The Rise and Fall of Parma Football Club

How a small Italian city enjoyed fleeting football glory before it was hit by scandal

Sporting Witness · BBC World Service

April 1, 20178m 51s

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Show Notes

In the 1990s, the small Italian city of Parma had one of the most successful and entertaining teams in European football, winning several trophies and featuring great players such as Faustino Asprilla, Gianfranco Zola and Guinluigi Buffon. But FC Parma’s glory days were bankrolled by the Italian conglomerate, Parmalat, which later became embroiled in one the biggest corporate scandals in European history. FC Parma now languish in Italy’s third division. Nick Marsh talks to Parma super-fan, Vittorio Farnetti, and historian and former Parma resident, Tobias Jones.

(Photo: Parma's passionate fans in 1993. Credit: Getty Images)