Associazione Calcio Fiorentina did not manage to repeat its near-miss season from 1998–99, and instead missed out on qualification to the Champions League, following an inconsistent season. Its topscorer Gabriel Batistuta finally gave up on clinching the Serie A title with Fiorentina, and switched to Roma in the summer, a move which was greeted with controversy since Roma had only finished sixth in the 1999–2000 season.