| 1998–99 season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| President | Vittorio Cecchi Gori | |||
| Manager | Giovanni Trapattoni | |||
| Stadium | Stadio Artemio Franchi | |||
| Serie A | 3rd | |||
| Coppa Italia | Runners-up | |||
| UEFA Cup | Second round (disqualified) | |||
| Top goalscorer | League:  Gabriel Batistuta (21) All: Gabriel Batistuta (26)  | |||
| 
 | ||||
Associazione Calcio Fiorentina enjoyed its best season in the 1990s on the pitch, but was left wondering what might have been. Leading the domestic Serie A championship a long way into the season, Fiorentina's title charge fell to pieces, as it lost unnecessary points while eventual champions Milan and runners-up Lazio continued winning their matches. In the end, Fiorentina salvaged third place in the league, qualifying for the UEFA Champions League in 1999–2000.
Its European adventure in 1998–99 however, ended early, when a handmade bomb was thrown at a linesman in the victory against Swiss side Grasshoppers. The linesman escaped serious injury, but Fiorentina were declared losers of the match, despite its victory on the pitch, and were thus thrown out of the tournament. However, it avoided further sanctions. Fiorentina also lost the Coppa Italia Final to Parma, marking another season without titles.
Several players were impressive, with the trio Gabriel Batistuta, Rui Costa and Francesco Toldo being the players really standing out. The defensive line-up and the many goals conceded were the main reasons Fiorentina would not win the title.
Players
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
  | 
  | 
Transfers
| In | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pos. | Name | from | Type | 
| DF | Moreno Torricelli | Juventus | |
| MF | Jorg Heinrich | Borussia Dortmund | |
| FW | Carmine Esposito | Empoli F.C. | |
| DF | Tomas Repka | Sparta Praha | |
| MF | Guillermo Amor | FC Barcelona | |
| Out | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pos. | Name | To | Type | 
| FW | Francesco Flachi | Ancona Calcio | |
| GK | Valerio Fiori | Piacenza Calcio | |
| DF | Michele Serena | Atletico Madrid | |
| MF | Stefan Schwarz | Valencia CF | |
| MF | Andrei Kanchelskis | Glasgow Rangers | |
| MF | Domenico Morfeo | A.C. Milan | loan | 
Competitions
Serie A
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milan (C) | 34 | 20 | 10 | 4 | 59 | 34 | +25 | 70 | Qualification to Champions League group stage | 
| 2 | Lazio | 34 | 20 | 9 | 5 | 65 | 31 | +34 | 69 | |
| 3 | Fiorentina | 34 | 16 | 8 | 10 | 55 | 41 | +14 | 56 | Qualification to Champions League third qualifying round[1] | 
| 4 | Parma | 34 | 15 | 10 | 9 | 55 | 36 | +19 | 55 | |
| 5 | Roma | 34 | 15 | 9 | 10 | 69 | 49 | +20 | 54[lower-alpha 1] | Qualification to UEFA Cup first round | 
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Goal difference; 5) Goals scored; 6) Draw. (Note: Head-to-head record is used only after all the matches between the teams in question have been played).[2]
(C) Champions
Notes:
- ↑ ROM 7pts. JUV 5pts. UDI 4pts.
 
Results summary
| Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | 
| 34 | 16 | 8 | 10 | 55 | 41 | +14 | 56 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 36 | 10 | +26 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 19 | 31 | −12 | 
Last updated: 25 July 2015.
Source: Competitive matches
Results by round
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss; = Leader, UEFA Champions League Group stage; = UEFA Champions League Group stage; = UEFA Champions League Qualifying round; = 1999-2000 UEFA Cup; = 1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup
Matches
| 12 September 1998 1 | Fiorentina | 2–0 | Empoli | Florence | 
| Rui Costa  Batistuta  | 
Report | Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Attendance: 34,343 Referee: Alfredo Trentalange  | 
| 20 September 1998 2 | Vicenza | 1–2 | Fiorentina | Vicenza | 
| Padalino  | 
Report | Batistuta  Oliveira  | 
Stadium: Stadio Romeo Menti Attendance: 16,000 Referee: Graziano Cesari  | 
| 26 September 1998 3 | Milan | 1–3 | Fiorentina | Milan | 
| Bierhoff  | 
Report | Batistuta  | 
Stadium: San Siro Attendance: 16,000 Referee: Stefano Braschi  | 
| 4 October 1998 4 | Fiorentina | 1–0 | Udinese | Florence | 
| Edmundo  | 
Report | Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Attendance: 34,000 Referee: Stefano Braschi  | 
| 17 October 1998 5 | Roma | 2–1 | Fiorentina | Rome | 
| Alenichev  Totti  | 
Report | Batistuta  | 
Stadium: Stadio Olimpico Attendance: 62,000 Referee: Livio Bazzoli  | 
| 25 October 1998 6 | Fiorentina | 4–0 | Salernitana | Florence | 
| Edmundo  Batistuta  | 
Report | Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Attendance: 40,000 Referee: Alfredo Trentalange  | 
| 31 October 1998 7 | Parma | 2–0 | Fiorentina | Parma | 
| Crespo  | 
Report | Stadium: Stadio Ennio Tardini Attendance: 30,000 Referee: Piero Ceccarini  | 
| 8 November 1998 8 | Fiorentina | 4–1 | Venezia | Florence | 
| Padalino  Batistuta Rui Costa  | 
Report | Schwoch  | 
Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Referee: Massimo De Santis  | 
| 15 November 1998 9 | Piacenza | 4–2 | Fiorentina | Piacenza | 
| Rastelli  S. Inzaghi Cristallini Piovani  | 
Report | Rui Costa  Edmundo  | 
Stadium: Stadio Leonardo Garilli Attendance: 16,000 Referee: Salvatore Racalbuto  | 
| 22 November 1998 10 | Fiorentina | 3–1 | Internazionale | Florence | 
| Padalino  Batistuta Heinrich  | 
Report | Djorkaeff  | 
Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Attendance: 41,000 Referee: Pasquale Rodomonti  | 
| 29 November 1998 11 | Bari | 0–0 | Fiorentina | Bari | 
| Report | Stadium: Stadio San Nicola Attendance: 26,000 Referee: Piero Ceccarini  | 
| 5 December 1998 12 | Fiorentina | 1–0 | Bologna | Florence | 
| Batistuta  | 
Report | Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Attendance: 32,000 Referee: Stefano Braschi  | 
| 13 December 1998 13 | Fiorentina | 1–0 | Juventus | Florence | 
| Batistuta  | 
Report | Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Attendance: 40,000 Referee: Stefano Farina  | 
| 20 December 1998 14 | Perugia | 2–2 | Fiorentina | Perugia | 
| Rapaić  Nakata  | 
Report | Robbiati  Batistuta  | 
Stadium: Stadio Renato Curi Attendance: 20,000 Referee: Graziano Cesari  | 
| 6 January 1999 15 | Fiorentina | 1–0 | Sampdoria | Florence | 
| Rui Costa  | 
Report | Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Attendance: 36,223 Referee: Pierluigi Collina  | 
| 10 January 1999 16 | Lazio | 2–0 | Fiorentina | Rome | 
| Vieri  Mihajlović  | 
Report | Stadium: Stadio Olimpico Attendance: 69,000 Referee: Livio Bazzoli  | 
| 17 January 1999 17 | Fiorentina | 4–2 | Cagliari | Florence | 
| Batistuta  Edmundo  | 
Report | O'Neill  De Patre  | 
Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Attendance: 33,073 Referee: Pasquale Rodomonti  | 
| 24 January 1999 18 | Empoli | 0–3 | Fiorentina | Empoli | 
| Report | Heinrich  Rui Costa Edmundo  | 
Stadium: Stadio Carlo Castellani Attendance: 12,000 Referee: Stefano Braschi  | 
| 31 January 1999 19 | Fiorentina | 3–0 | Vicenza | Florence | 
| Falcone  Torricelli Batistuta  | 
Report | Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Attendance: 32,000 Referee: Gennaro Borriello  | 
| 7 February 1999 20 | Fiorentina | 0–0 | Milan | Florence | 
| Repka  Heinrich Batistuta  | 
Report | Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Attendance: 42,000 Referee: Alfredo Trentalange  | 
| 14 February 1999 21 | Udinese | 1–0 | Fiorentina | Udine | 
| Sosa  | 
Report | Stadium: Stadio Friuli Attendance: 25,000 Referee: Piero Ceccarini  | 
| 21 February 1999 22 | Fiorentina | 0–0 | Roma | Florence | 
| Report | Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Attendance: 43,170 Referee: Gennaro Borriello  | 
| 28 February 1999 23 | Salernitana | 1–1 | Fiorentina | Salerno | 
| Di Vaio  | 
Report | Torricelli  | 
Stadium: Stadio Arechi Attendance: 33,000 Referee: Fiorenzo Treossi  | 
| 7 March 1999 24 | Fiorentina | 2–1 | Parma | Florence | 
| Oliveira  Rui Costa  | 
Report | Stanić  | 
Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Attendance: 34,000 Referee: Pasquale Rodomonti  | 
| 14 March 1999 25 | Venezia | 4–1 | Fiorentina | Venice | 
| Recoba  Miceli  | 
Report | Esposito  | 
Stadium: Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo Attendance: 12,630 Referee: Domenico Messina  | 
| 21 March 1999 26 | Fiorentina | 2–1 | Piacenza | Florence | 
| Batistuta  Esposito  | 
Report | S. Inzaghi  | 
Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Attendance: 33,400 Referee: Pierluigi Collina  | 
| 3 April 1999 27 | Internazionale | 2–0 | Fiorentina | Milan | 
| Ronaldo  | 
Report | Stadium: San Siro Referee: Alfredo Trentalange  | 
| 11 April 1999 28 | Fiorentina | 2–2 | Bari | Florence | 
| Rui Costa  Padalino  | 
Report | Osmanovski  Guerrero  | 
Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Referee: Pasquale Rodomonti  | 
| 17 April 1999 29 | Bologna | 3–0 | Fiorentina | Bologna | 
| Simutenkov  Bettarini Kolyvanov  | 
Report | Stadium: Stadio Renato Dall'Ara Attendance: 28,000 Referee: Graziano Cesari  | 
| 25 April 1999 30 | Juventus | 2–1 | Fiorentina | Turin | 
| Inzaghi  Conte  | 
Report | Tacchinardi  | 
Stadium: Stadio delle Alpi Attendance: 46,900 Referee: Fiorenzo Treossi  | 
| 2 May 1999 31 | Fiorentina | 5–1 | Perugia | Florence | 
| Batistuta  Rui Costa Edmundo  | 
Report | Firicano  | 
Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Attendance: 35,000 Referee: Pasquale Rodomonti  | 
| 9 May 1999 32 | Sampdoria | 3–2 | Fiorentina | Genoa | 
| Montella  Palmieri  | 
Report | Rui Costa  Heinrich  | 
Stadium: Stadio Luigi Ferraris Referee: Roberto Bettin  | 
| 15 May 1999 33 | Fiorentina | 1–1 | Lazio | Florence | 
| Batistuta  | 
Report | Vieri  | 
Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Attendance: 40,000 Referee: Fiorenzo Treossi  | 
| 23 May 1999 34 | Cagliari | 1–1 | Fiorentina | Cagliari | 
| Muzzi  | 
Report | Zebina  | 
Stadium: Stadio Sant'Elia Referee: Emilio Pellegrino  | 
Coppa Italia
Round of 32
| 9 September 1998 1st Leg | Padova | 0–1 | Fiorentina | Padova | 
| Stadium: Stadio Euganeo Referee: Cosimo Bolognino  | 
Eightfinals
| 28 October 1998 1st Leg | Fiorentina | 1–0 | Lecce | Firenze | 
| Batistuta  | 
Stadium: Artemio Franchi Referee: Livio Bazzoli  | 
| 10 November 1998 2nd Leg | Lecce | 0–4 (0–5 agg.)  | Fiorentina | Lecce | 
| Stadium: Stadio Via del mare Referee: Cosimo Bolognino  | 
Quarterfinals
| 2 December 1998 1st Leg | Atalanta | 3–2 | Fiorentina | Bergamo | 
| Torricelli  Rossini Carrera  | 
Stadium: Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia Referee: Alfredo Trentalange  | 
Semifinals
| 18 February 1999 1st Leg | Bologna | 0–2 | Fiorentina | Bologna | 
| Stadium: Stadio Renato Dall'Ara Referee: Emilio Pellegrino  | 
Final
| 14 April 1999 1st Leg | Parma | 1–1 | Fiorentina | Parma | 
| 20:00 | Crespo  | 
Stadium: Il Tardini Attendance: 21,038 Referee: Domenico Messina  | 
| 5 May 1999 2nd Leg | Fiorentina | 2–2 (3–3a agg.)  | Parma | Firenze | 
| 20:00 | Řepka  Cois  | 
Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Attendance: 39,070 Referee: Stefano Braschi  | 
UEFA Cup
First round
| 15 September 1998 1st Leg |  Fiorentina  | 2–1 |   | Bari, Italy | 
| 20:00 CEST (UTC+02:00) | Esposito  Edmundo Heinrich Torricelli  | 
Report | Biliškov  Brajković Skoko Vučko  | 
Stadium: Stadio San Nicola Attendance: 6,000 Referee: Graham Barber (England)  | 
| 29 September 1998 2nd Leg |  Hajduk Split  | 0–0 (1–2 agg.)  |   | Split, Croatia | 
| 18:00 CEST (UTC+02:00) | Biliškov  Baturina  | 
Report | Cois  Padalino Toldo  | 
Stadium: Stadion Poljud Attendance: 35,000 Referee: Claude Colombo (France)  | 
Second round
| 20 October 1998 1st Leg |  Grasshopper  | 0–2 |   | Zürich, Switzerland | 
| 19:00 CEST (UTC+02:00) | Esposito  Comisetti Christ  | 
Report | Amoroso  Batistuta Robbiati Torricelli Padalino  | 
Stadium: Hardturm Referee: Graham Poll (England)  | 
| 3 November 1998 2nd Leg |  Fiorentina  | 0–3 (Awarded) (2–3 agg.)  |   | Salerno, Italy | 
| 20:45 CET (UTC+01:00) | Oliveira  Falcone  | 
Report | Cabanas  Gren  | 
Stadium: Stadio Arechi Referee: Michel Piraux (Belgium)  | 
| Note: The match was abandoned at halftime with the score 2–1 after an official was injured by a firework. Grasshopper were awarded a 3–0 win and advanced 3–2 on aggregate. | ||||
Other matches and friendlies
| 20 August 1998 Cirio Cup | Lazio | 1–0 | Fiorentina | Rome | 
| Salas  | 
Report | Stadium: Stadio Olimpico Attendance: 35,000  | 
| 3 September 1998 Memorial Mario Cecchi Gori, #1 | Fiorentina | 2–0 | Lazio | Florence | 
| Batistuta  | 
Report | Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi | ||
| Note: The match lasted one 45-minute half | ||||
| 3 September 1998 Memorial Mario Cecchi Gori, #2 | Fiorentina | 0–1 |   | Florence | 
| Report | Trezeguet  | 
Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi | ||
| Note: The match lasted one 45-minute half | ||||
Statistics
Players statistics
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Serie A | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| 1 | GK | Toldo | 33 | -39 | 33 | -39 | |
| 3 | DF | Torricelli | 31 | 2 | 31 | 2 | |
| 2 | DF | Repka | 31 | 0 | 31 | 0 | |
| 5 | DF | Padalino | 28 | 3 | 28 | 3 | |
| 17 | DF | Heinrich | 33 | 3 | 33 | 3 | |
| 24 | MF | Amoroso | 28 | 0 | 28 | 0 | |
| 14 | MF | Cois | 23 | 0 | 22+1 | 0 | |
| 10 | MF | Rui Costa | 31 | 10 | 31 | 10 | |
| 9 | FW | Batistuta | 28 | 21 | 28 | 21 | |
| 11 | FW | Edmundo | 28 | 8 | 28 | 8 | |
| 25 | FW | Oliveira | 30 | 2 | 27+3 | 2 | |
| 22 | GK | Mareggini | 1 | -2 | 1 | -2 | |
| 19 | DF | Falcone | 26 | 1 | 21+5 | 1 | |
| 27 | DF | Tarozzi | 15 | 0 | 8+7 | 0 | |
| 6 | DF | Firicano | 11 | 0 | 8+3 | 0 | |
| FW | Ficini | 13 | 0 | 5+8 | 0 | ||
| 16 | FW | Esposito | 15 | 2 | 4+11 | 2 | |
| 23 | FW | Robbiati | 22 | 1 | 3+19 | 1 | |
| 7 | MF | Amor | 16 | 0 | 3+13 | 0 | |
| 8 | MF | Bigica | 7 | 0 | 1+6 | 0 | |
| 4 | DF | Bettarini | 2 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | |
| 20 | MF | Morfeo | 2 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | |
| 15 | DF | Mirri | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | |
| 12 | GK | Zandona | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 13 | DF | Collacchioni | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| FW | Vakouftsis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| MF | Stefani | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
Goalscorers
 Gabriel Batistuta 27
 Rui Costa 9 (3)
 Edmundo 8
References
- ↑ Parma was consequently demoted to UEFA Cup first round
 - ↑ Almanacco Illustrato del Calcio – La Storia 1898-2004, Panini Edizioni, Modena, September 2005 "Norme organizzative interne della F.I.G.C. – Art. 51.6" (PDF) (in Italian). Italian Football Federation. 12 September 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2018.