Tomorrow, on the 73rd anniversary of the Superga Disaster, the FIGC will remember the Grande Torino side. On 4 May 1949, the plane carrying the Torino squad home after a friendly against Benfica in Lisbon crashed on the Superga hill, cutting short the lives of the 31 people on board (27 passengers and four crew members). Italian football was suddenly left in mourning after the loss of some incredible champions.

“The football world should look to the future without, however, forgetting the past,” said FIGC President Gabriele Gravina. “It has a duty to remember that legendary team which brought the country together in extraordinary fashion at a time of suffering following the Second World War.”

Tomorrow evening, the Coverciano Auditorium will be lit up in maroon to remember Grande Torino, who won five consecutive Scudetto titles in the ‘40s and whose players were the pillar of the Italy team at the time.

At the Museum of Football, it is possible to relive that glorious past through the objects dedicated to the memory of the Grande Torino side, from Virgilio Maroso’s shirt (a gift from Bruno Giorgi), which was worn during Grande Torino’s tour of Brazil in the summer of 1948, to Romeo Menti’s pin (a gift from Titti Menti). Before joining Torino, he played for Fiorentina for three years and used to wear the pin, which bore the Viola badge, on his jacket.

Also on display are Aldo Ballarin’s shin-pads and cigarettes, which were found at the site of the crash, Valentino Mazzola’s identity card and the gold medal offered in his memory.

For an entire year, the Azzurri played in a shirt that showed they were in mourning: Carlo Parola’s jersey, with a black armband sewn directly onto the left sleeve, is located at the Museum. It is the number 5 shirt which he played in when Italy faced Austria in the Central European International Cup on 2 April 1950.