Former Floriana and Birkirkara coach Giovanni Tedesco has renewed his contract with AC Perugia Calcio, extending his stay with the Italian club where he also left a major mark during his playing career.
For Maltese football followers, Tedesco remains a familiar name. He was the coach who helped bring silverware to both Floriana and Birkirkara, winning the FA Trophy with Floriana in 2016/17 and again with Birkirkara in 2022/23. Perugia themselves also highlight his Maltese spell, noting that he coached several clubs in Malta and won two Maltese cups with Floriana and Birkirkara.
His latest chapter in Italy also carries a strong Floriana connection. At Perugia, Tedesco is reunited with Riccardo Gaucci, his former president at Floriana, who is now listed by the club as Consultant for the Sporting Area. Walter Alfredo Novellino has also entered the club structure as Consultant for Institutional Relations.
Tedesco returned to Perugia as first-team coach in October 2025, a club that knows him well. As a player, he wore the Perugia shirt between 1998 and 2004, making 183 appearances in all competitions, 154 of them as captain, and scoring 25 goals. He was also part of the side that won the 2003 Intertoto Cup, scoring in the final return leg against Wolfsburg.
Before moving into coaching, Tedesco enjoyed a respected playing career as a central midfielder, representing clubs including Fiorentina, Genoa, Perugia and Palermo in Italian football.
His contract renewal continues a full circle story, from Gaucci era midfielder at Perugia, to successful coach in Malta, and now back on the bench of the Grifoni with another former Floriana figure alongside him.
