| 2003–04 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Luciano Gaucci |
| Manager | Serse Cosmi |
| Serie A | 15th |
| UEFA Cup | Last 16 |
| Coppa Italia | Quarter-finals |
| Intertoto Cup | Winners |
| Top goalscorer | Zé Maria (7) |
A.C. Perugia were relegated from Serie A with a bang, following a chaotic season, in which president Luciano Gaucci managed to upset the Italian football society, by claiming that the referees' were deliberately trying to relegate Perugia to Serie B. Prior to the season, he performed a PR-stunt, when signing Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's son Al-Saadi Gaddafi He also continued trying to sign female players, trying to sign both Hanna Ljungberg and Victoria Svensson, according to Swedish daily Aftonbladet.
In the same paper, Ancona goalkeeper Magnus Hedman accused his team mates for throwing away the final match of the season, in which Perugia won 1-0. That victory qualified Perugia for the relegation playoffs against Fiorentina, where Enrico Fantini scored in both matches for Fiorentina, ensuring Perugia was being relegated, only one year before the club folded.
The list of players representing the club during the season included 35 players, which meant the team drastically changed from game to game.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Reggina | 34 | 6 | 16 | 12 | 29 | 45 | −16 | 34 [lower-alpha 1] | |
| 14 | Siena | 34 | 8 | 10 | 16 | 41 | 54 | −13 | 34 [lower-alpha 1] | |
| 15 | Perugia (R) | 34 | 6 | 14 | 14 | 44 | 56 | −12 | 32 | Relegation play-off |
| 16 | Modena (R) | 34 | 6 | 12 | 16 | 27 | 46 | −19 | 30 [lower-alpha 2] | Relegation to Serie B |
| 17 | Empoli (R) | 34 | 7 | 9 | 18 | 26 | 54 | −28 | 30 [lower-alpha 2] |
| 16 June 2004First leg | Perugia | 0–1 | Fiorentina | Perugia |
| 20:30 CEST | Fantini  10' | Stadium: Stadio Renato Curi Attendance: 23,500 Referee: Matteo Trefoloni |
| 20 June 2004Second leg | Fiorentina | 1–1 (2–1 agg.) | Perugia | Florence |
| 20:30 CEST | Fantini 47' | do Prado 82' | Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Attendance: 43,000 Referee: Roberto Rosetti |
Fiorentina were promoted to 2004–05 Serie A; Perugia were relegated to 2004–05 Serie B.
The 2003–04 Serie A was the 102nd season of top-tier Italian football, the 72nd in a round-robin tournament. It contained 18 teams for the 16th and last time from the 1988–89 season. With the bottom three being relegated, the 15th placed side would face the sixth-highest team from Serie B, with the winner playing in the Serie A in the subsequent 2004–05 season.
The 2005–06 season was the 106th season in Società Sportiva Lazio's history and their 18th consecutive season in the top-flight of Italian football. Lazio finished Serie A in 6th place, but were later placed in 16th, just above the relegation zone due to involvement in the 2006 Italian football scandal.
S.S.C. Napoli returned to Serie A, following a couple of years in Serie B, where the club had rebuilt itself following the disastrous 1997-98 season, when it scored merely 14 points from 34 games.
A.C. Perugia finished tenth in Serie A, and reached the semis of the Coppa Italia in a successful season by the club's standards.
A.C. ChievoVerona played its second consecutive season in Serie A, and nearly equaled 5th place from the 2001-02 Serie A season. The club's second season in the premier division was played without Christian Manfredini and Bernardo Corradi, both ending up with Lazio. Due to passport troubles, it also lost key winger Eriberto, who turned out to be four years older and called Luciano, but had faked his identity since he was 21, in order to participate in a Brazilian youth team.
U.C. Sampdoria enjoyed its best season since 1993–94, when the club finished third in Serie A and won Coppa Italia. In 2004-05 Sampdoria was able to finish fifth in the standings, thanks to a robust defence and a goalscoring ace in secondary striker Francesco Flachi, who played the football of his life. With only 29 goals conceded, the defence of Sampdoria was fully comparable with those of top sides Juventus and Milan, and coach Walter Novellino was hailed for the strong performance in the club's second season since its return to Serie A.
The 2005–06 season was ACF Fiorentina's 80th season in its history and its 68th season in Serie A. The club had its best season on the pitch since the 1998–99 season, originally finishing 4th with 74 points and securing a spot in the qualifying round of the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League. However, the club was punished with a 30-point penalty for its involvement in the 2006 Italian football scandal, resulting in Fiorentina being pushed down the table to 9th. This was a much better outcome than its original punishment, as La Viola were originally relegated to Serie B. Following a successful appeal, Fiorentina was admitted to play in Serie A the following season, albeit losing its Champions League slot and having to start the season with a 15-point penalty, removing any chance of mounting a genuine title challenge and building on the success of the 2005–06 season.
S.S.C. Napoli spent the 2001-02 season in Serie B, which had been assured following sensational events in the final Serie A round the season before, when all bottom teams won their matches. In 2002, Napoli came fairly close to promotion, but stumbled due to a 2-1 defeat to Siena at the end of the campaign. With Empoli rounding off their campaign with a victory, not even a win could have helped Napoli to have a chance, and with the team also losing the final game of the season, Luigi De Canio stepped down as coach.
Torino Calcio had a solid season, in which it earned a new contract as a newcomer. The most appreciated player in the squad was right-winger Antonino Asta, who got a late breakthrough at the age of 31, and proved to be the key player as the club stayed above the drop zone by just four points. Marco Ferrante returned from Inter, and scored ten goals, a career best for the experienced striker. The squad also featured the highly rated Swedish striker Yksel Osmanovski, a very young future Italian national team striker in Fabio Quagliarella, and the Turin legend, defender Stefano Fattori.
U.C. Sampdoria returned to Serie A after a four year-absence, and immediately re-established itself as a team on the top half of the domestic championship. Goalkeeper Francesco Antonioli offered crucial experience, but apart from him did the bulk of the squad play in the 2002-03 Serie B, with top goalscorers Fabio Bazzani and Francesco Flachi quickly adjusting themselves to the higher pace of Serie A. Midfielders Sergio Volpi and Angelo Palombo also stood out. Right back Aimo Diana even earned a call-up to the national team following his performances.
Reggina Calcio just renewed its Serie A contract, thanks to a late surge in the league competition and a successful spareggio against Atalanta. Reggina drew 0-0 at home, and then turned around a deficit to win 2-1 away from home, with Francesco Cozza and Emiliano Bonazzoli being the match-winners. The player who got the most headlines during the season was Japanese playmaker Shunsuke Nakamura, who scored seven goals and created several others. He also helped Reggina to get onto the Asian market, so the signing was largely hailed as a genial manoeuvre by president Pasquale Foti.
Reggina Calcio did renew its Serie A contract on the second consecutive occasion, ensuring the longest stay of the Calabrian club in the top division of Italian football. With returning coach Franco Colomba not being successful in his third stay at the club, Giancarlo Camolese guided the side to 13th place in the league. With only 29 goals scored, Reggina relied heavily on its defence for the survival, and Martin Jiránek plus defensive midfielder Davide Baiocco strengthened their reputations. After the season, Baiocco returned to Juventus, who in turn loaned him out to Reggina's arch-rivals Messina, newcomers for the 2004–05 season, setting up the first Messina strait derby in the highest division ever.
ACF Fiorentina had a fantastic season points-wise, scoring just a couple of points less than second-positioned Roma, but due a 15-point penalty because of the club's involvement in the Calciopoli scandal, it missed out on the Champions League, and had to settle for 6th and a position in the 2007–08 UEFA Cup. New signing Adrian Mutu was able to compensate for Luca Toni not having such a spectacular season as the one before, and both players netted 16 goals. Goalkeeper Sébastien Frey also had a top-class season, conceding only 31 goals all year, despite having a defensive line without renowned stoppers.
Reggina Calcio was thought to be a prime candidate to be relegated in the 2006-07 season, since it had been deducted eleven points for its involvement in Calciopoli. At no stage had Reggina renewed its contract with more than a point or two, and therefore its 51 points in 38 games was a very high yield. The Serie A stay was extended thanks to the successful striking force of Rolando Bianchi and Nicola Amoruso, scoring an unprecedented 35 goals between them. Bianchi headed for Manchester City in the summer, and successful coach Walter Mazzarri found a new berth at Sampdoria.
Reggina Calcio managed to save its Serie A berth at the last minute, for the sixth consecutive season. Nicola Amoruso delivered 12 goals, which was five goals fewer than in the previous season, but enough to land a deal with Torino for the next season.
Reggina Calcio finally dropped out of Serie A, following seven years of balancing around the drop zone. Following its previous six years, the club had stayed in Serie A by less than three points on all occasions. In 2008–09, Reggina dropped off the pace mid-season and was nowhere near survival.
Atalanta B.C. lost its momentum it had built in its first two Serie A seasons in its stint, eventually being relegated following a playoff against Reggina. The championship was such competitive than Atalanta was only four points away from repeating its 9th place from the 2001-02 season, but instead had to face Serie B competition, losing key players such as Cristiano Doni, Luciano Zauri and Ousmane Dabo to bigger clubs.
Piacenza Calcio were relegated in the second season in the top echelon of Italian football. Coach Andrea Agostinelli was soon sacked, but Luigi Cagni could not save Piacenza from going down.
