Carmelo Di Bella

Infobox Football biography
playername = Carmelo Di Bella


fullname = Carmelo Di Bella
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date|1921|1|30
cityofbirth = Catania
countryofbirth = Italy
dateofdeath = death date and age|1992|9|9|1921|1|30
cityofdeath = Palermo
countryofdeath = Italy
currentclub =
position = Manager (former left wing)
youthyears =
youthclubs = Catania
years = 1939-1941 1941-1949 1949-1951 1951-1952 1952-1954
clubs = Catania Palermo Igea Virtus Marsala Akragas
caps(goals) = 49 (2)
111 (12)
nationalyears =
nationalteams =
manageryears = 1950-1951 1951-1952 1952-1954 1955-1957 1957-1958
1958-1966 1966-1967 1967-1971 1971-1973 1974-1976 1976-1977 1981
managerclubs = Igea Virtus ("player/manager") Marsala ("player/manager") Akragas ("player/manager") Termitana Catania ("youth team") Catania Catanzaro Palermo Catania Reggiana Catania Palermo

Carmelo Di Bella (January 30, 1921 - September 9, 1992) was an Italian football player and manager. Di Bella spent the vast majority of his career in Sicily where he was a prominent figure in the footballing scene, especially in relation to the island's most successful clubs; Catania and Palermo.

Playing career

Di Bella, a left wing, started his professional career for his native city team Catania. From 1941 he played for "Juventina Palermo", then renamed to Palermo in 1946. He also played a Serie A season with the "rosanero", making nine appearances and scoring a goal in 1948/1949. He retired from playing football in 1954, after two seasons as player/manager for minor team Akragas from Agrigento.

Managing career

After two seasons as coach of minor team Termitana from Termini Imerese, Di Bella was appointed as Catania's youth team coach in 1957. In 1958/1959, with just twelve matches remaining, Di Bella was called to replace Blagoje Marjanović with the goal to save the club from relegation to Serie C, with the initial support of technical director Felice Borel. Di Bella ended the season with a sixteenth place which allowed Catania to avoid relegation, and he was consequently confirmed at the helm of Catania. Di Bella coached Catania till 1966, when he resigned from his office, obtaining a Serie A promotion in 1960 and leading the Sicilian club to the Italian top division until his resignations. Di Bella then signed for Catanzaro, narrowly missing promotion to Serie A. In 1967 he became head coach of Palermo, where he immediately won Serie B bringing the "rosanero" back to Serie A. He left Palermo in 1971 to return to Catania, where however did not repeat his previous triumphs with the "rossoblù" (eighth, then fifth, in Serie B). In 1974 he became coach of Reggiana of Serie B: he avoided relegation in his first season, but not in the second. In 1976/1977 he coached again Catania, but without being able to avoid relegation.

His last coaching effort, in 1981, was as Palermo boss: called to coach the "rosanero" since the 28th matchday, he helped the club to avoid relegation from Serie B.

Di Bella died in 1992 in Palermo.

Honours

Player

*1941–42 Serie C (Palermo)
*1947–48 Serie B (Palermo)

Manager

*1967–68 Serie B (Palermo)

External links

* [http://www.enciclopediadelcalcio.com/Di%20Bella.html Profile at Enciclopedia Del Calcio] Persondata
NAME= Di Bella, Carmelo
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Di Bella, Carmelo
SHORT DESCRIPTION=footballer and manager
DATE OF BIRTH=1921-1-30
PLACE OF BIRTH=Catania, Italy
DATE OF DEATH=1992-9-9
PLACE OF DEATH=Palermo, Italy