Football-US Cremonese to play two friendlies during eight-day tour |11 May 2005

The Italian side will play the winners of groups A and B of the ongoing Airtel Cup on Wednesday June 1 and Saturday June 4 at Stad Linite.

It is to note that Red Star striker Wilnes Brutus will accompany US Cremonese back to Italy at the end of their tourney on June 6.

US Cremonese, with whom Brutus spent five weeks training earlier this year, have decided to offer the 23-year-old footballer of the year a professional contract.

Formed in 1903 and based in Cremona, US Cremonese have earned promotion to Serie B after dominating the CI/A league with 71 points, seven more than runners-up Mantova.

The last time the team played in the Calcio – Serie A – was in 1996 and they won the Anglo-Italian Cup in 1993.

Three well-known players to have worn the red and grey uniform of US Cremonese are Gianluca Vialli, Anders Limpar and Enrico Chiesa.

Vialli played for US Cremonese between 1980 and 1984 before moving to Sampdoria, Juventus (in Italy) and Chelsea (in England in 1997).

A winner of the Champions League with Juventus in 1996, Vialli, who starred for Italy at the 1986 and 1990 World Cups and at Euro 88, became player-manager at Chelsea in 1998 after dreadlocked Ruud Gullit of the Netherlands was fired.

G. G.