Former Inter Milan coach Luigi Simoni dies at 81

PISA, Italy (AP) — Luigi Simoni, a former Inter Milan coach who led the Italian team to the UEFA Cup title in 1998, died Friday. He was 81.

Simoni had been hospitalized since suffering a stroke last July, but was moved home in March because of the coronavirus pandemic. Simoni was taken back to Pisa hospital on Thursday when his condition deteriorated.

Simoni won the UEFA Cup with Inter in 1998 in his only full season in charge of the club. He also led the team to a second-place finish in Serie A and won the Panchina d’Oro award for the best coach in the league.

“This is how we remember him: with his white hair, in our dugout, while he enjoyed the magic of Ronaldo with a smile on his face, enveloped by the fans’ affection,” Inter said in a statement on its website.

Simoni also won promotion from Serie B seven times with five different teams. In total, he coached 17 clubs, including Napoli, Lazio and Genoa.

As a player, he won the Italian Cup with Napoli in 1962.