The downfall of Brescia & potential rebirth in Serie C

Brescia fans protest amid the club's financial struggles

They were founder members of Serie A and once boasted some of Italian football's most famous names, but now Brescia have been wiped out of existence after a financial crisis.

How did such a historic club fall so far, so quickly? And what happens next?

BBC Sport examines the Lombardy team's demise and possible immediate revival.

The highs of Baggio, Guardiola & Pirlo

Roberto Baggio and Pep Guardiola represented the club in Serie A

Brescia were founded in 1911, when professional football in Italy was in its early stages, and earned promotion to the top flight two years later.

When Serie A was formed in 1929 to implement a stronger two-tier structure throughout the country, they were among the 18 clubs included.

A solid 10th-placed finish in that debut campaign was an early sign of the relative anonymity to follow. The industrial town of Brescia, population 200,000, has always been in the shadows of regional powerhouse Milan, 50 miles to the west, and the same was true on the football field.

So, for the next nine decades Brescia were remarkably unremarkable: a mid-size provincial club plodding along between relegations and promotions, never winning anything but always on the scene, with no major trophies and their sole 'achievement' was holding Italian football's longest unbroken spell in Serie B (1947 to 1965).

An exceptional burst into the spotlight came at the turn of the century, when divinely pony-tailed genius Roberto Baggio - one of Italy's greatest players - ended his injury-hit career with a successful four-season spell at Brescia.

The flamboyant forward was briefly joined by another iconic veteran, Spain's Pep Guardiola, along with rising midfield star Andrea Pirlo, who was born locally and came through the club's youth system to launch his legendary career.

Inspired by Baggio, Brescia flourished. Finishing eighth in 2001 was the club's best season and led to a spot in that summer's Uefa Intertoto Cup, a now-defunct tournament for Europe's mid-ranking teams.

Stepping onto the continental stage for the first time, Baggio's penalty was not enough to avoid defeat by Paris St-Germain on away goals in one of three finals - the other two 'champions' were Aston Villa and Troyes…yes, three champions…it was a strange tournament.

Baggio retired in 2004, Brescia were relegated a year later, and that was that: the club's brief flirtation with the elite was finished and the previous routine of relegation-promotion-relegation was resumed.

Until now.

Points deduction, relegation & Sampdoria's gain

Massimo Cellino purchased Brescia in 2017

In the summer of 2017, the club was taken over by businessman Massimo Cellino.

His first football club ownership was Sardinian club Cagliari, where he earned the nickname 'Manager Eater' after hiring and firing 36 coaches in 22 years.

Cellino then turned his attention to English football, taking over at Leeds United in 2014. But, a controversial and divisive figure, he sold up in 2017 after being banned by the Football Association for 12 months for breaching the rules on football agents.

Instead he purchased Brescia, who had spent the past six years in Serie B.

A promotion and immediate relegation quickly followed, as well as 24 coaching changes in eight years, with 13 of the incumbents lasting fewer than 100 days in charge.

Then, in May, it was revealed an investigation into financial irregularities at the club had been taking place, including missed payments to players, staff and the Italian Football Federation (FIGC).

It led to a four-point deduction, sending Brescia - who had finished 15th - into the relegation zone and handing a reprieve to Sampdoria, who survived via a relegation play-off that was abandoned in the second leg because of crowd trouble.

On Thursday, the FIGC formally upheld its decision on Brescia, banning Cellino - as well as his son, and board member, Edoardo - for six months and revoking the club's licence to operate at professional level.

Brescia had effectively been wiped out of business, apparently left with the only option of reforming the club in the amateur, regionalised Serie D.

But that is not where the story ends.

Feralpi to the rescue?

Even before Brescia's fate was formally announced last week, hopes had been building that resurrection was already around the corner.

The town is home to Feralpi, a leading steel manufacturer, whose president Giuseppe Pasini has been working with town mayor Laura Castelletti and another local company, A2A, to ensure professional football continues.

They are planning to form effectively a 'new' club, operating as a separate legal entity from the old Brescia that was banished last week by the FIGC, and similar to the process that revived another Italian club, Vicenza, in 2018.

The deadline to complete all the paperwork and register for next season's Serie C is 15 July, so time is tight.

The old club's Rigamonti Stadium is owned by the town council, but they signed a lease until 2028 with Cellino, who insisted that contract remains in place and has reportedly failed to return the keys.

But the council countered that by saying missed payments and the club's disqualification by the FIGC invalidates the terms of the lease, and on Saturday locksmiths were sent in to reclaim the site.

At the moment, things look on track for Feralpi's takeover.

It will be a new club, playing in Serie C, but for fans of Brescia that's far better than the alternative - nothing.