Udinese CalcioUdinese Calcio is one of the oldest football clubs in Italy, founded on 30 November 1896 in Udine as the football section of the Società Udinese di Ginnastica e Scherma (Udinese Society of Gymnastics and Fencing), making it the second-oldest club in Serie A history, behind only Genoa. Udinese was formally established as an independent football club on 5 July 1911, and in their first official match the team defeated Juventus 6–0.
Despite more than 125 years of existence, the Bianconeri (Black-and-Whites), also nicknamed the Little Zebras for their distinctive black-and-white striped shirts, have never won the Italian championship. Their closest brush with the title came in the 1954–55 season, when they finished runners-up, four points behind Milan — though that season ended badly for the club, as they were subsequently relegated as a result of a match-fixing scandal. For decades the Friuli-based side operated in the shadow of Italy's giants, but built a reputation as a club skilled at discovering and developing young talent that would go on to star for Europe's top teams.
The most significant moment in the club's international history came on 22 August 2000, when Udinese, managed by Luigi De Canio, won the UEFA Intertoto Cup, defeating Czech side Sigma Olomouc over two legs in the final. Following a 2–2 away draw, the team won 4–2 after extra time at home at the Stadio Friuli, thanks to a brace from Roberto Sosa, despite playing a man down after Roberto Muzzi's sending-off. It remains the club's first and, to date, only triumph in a UEFA-organised competition, earning Udinese a place in the 2000–01 UEFA Cup.
Udinese play their home matches at the Stadio Friuli, their home since 1976, which after extensive renovation became one of the first fully modern, football-specific stadiums in Italy, purchased outright by the club from the municipality.