A.C. ChievoVerona
Encyclopedia
Associazione Calcio Chievo Verona (more commonly called Chievo Verona or simply Chievo (ˈkieːvo)) is a professional Italian football
club named after and based in Chievo, a suburb of 2,800 inhabitants in Verona
, Veneto, and owned by Paluani, a cake company and the inspiration for their original name, Paluani Chievo. The club is nicknamed alternatively Gialloblu, Mussi volanti or Ceo, and shares the 38,402 seater Marc'Antonio Bentegodi stadium with its cross-town rivals Hellas Verona
.
after the 1974/1975 season. Under the name "Paluani Chievo", the team was promoted to Serie C2
in 1986. As a consequence of promotion, Chievo was forced to move to the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi
, the main venue in Verona; another promotion, to Serie C1, followed in 1989. In 1990, the team changed its name to its current one, "A.C. ChievoVerona".
In 1992, President Luigi Campedelli, who had returned at the helm of the club two years before, died of a heart attack, and his son Luca Campedelli, aged just 23, became the new and youngest chairman of an Italian professional football club. Campedelli promoted Giovanni Sartori
to Director of Football and named Alberto Malesani
as the new head coach. Under Malesani, the team astonishingly won the Serie C1 and was promoted to Serie B
, where city rival Hellas Verona
was playing at the time. In 1997, after Malesani signed for Fiorentina
, Silvio Baldini
was appointed the new head coach. The following season, with Domenico Caso
as the coach, saw the first dismissal of a coach during the presidency of Luca Campedelli, with Caso being fired and replaced with Lorenzo Balestro.
In 2000/2001 Luigi Delneri was signed as coach and led Chievo, by virtue of its third-place finish in Serie B, to promotion to Serie A
, the first time in the team's history that it had reached the top tier of Italian football.
.
In 2002/2003, Chievo debuted at the European level but were eliminated in the first round by Red Star Belgrade
. The team finished the Serie A season in seventh place, again proving itself one of the better Serie A teams. The 2003/2004 season, the last with Delneri at the helm, saw Chievo finish in ninth place.
The 2004/2005 season is remembered as one of the toughest ever in Chievo's history. Mario Beretta
, a Serie A novice from Ternana
, was named the coach but, after a good start which brought Chievo to a third place behind Juventus
and AC Milan
, the team slowly lost position in the Serie A table. Three matches before the end of the season Chievo was third from last, a position which would see it relegated to Serie B. As a last resort Beretta was fired and Maurizio D'Angelo
, a former Chievo player, was appointed temporarily to replace him as coach. Morale improved, and two wins and a tie from the final three matches proved just enough to keep Chievo in Serie A.
In 2005/2006, Giuseppe Pillon
of Treviso FBC
was appointed as new coach. The team experienced a return to the successful Delneri era, both in style of play and results, which resulted in Chievo ending the season in a seventh place and gaining a place in the next UEFA Cup. However, because of the football scandal
involving several top-class teams, all of which finished higher than Chievo in the 2005/2006 season, the Flying Donkeys were awarded a place in the next Champions League
preliminary phase.
On 14 July 2006, the verdict in the scandal was made public. Juventus
, AC Milan
and Fiorentina
, who had all originally qualified for the 2006–07 Champions League
, and Lazio
, who had originally qualified for the 2006–07 UEFA Cup
, were all banned from UEFA
competition for the 2006/07 season, although AC Milan were allowed to enter the Champions League
after their appeal to FIGC. Chievo took up a place in the third qualifying stage of the competition along with AC Milan and faced Bulgaria
n side Levski Sofia. Chievo lost the first leg 2–0 in Sofia
and managed a 2–2 home draw on the second leg and were eliminated by a 4–2 aggregate score with Levski advancing to the Champions League group stage. As a Champions League third round qualifying loser, Chievo was given a place in the UEFA Cup
final qualifying round. On 25 August 2006 Chievo was drawn to face Portuguese
Braga. The first leg, played on 14 September in Braga
, ended in a shock 2–0 win for the Portuguese side. The return match, played on 28 September in Verona
, although won by Chievo 2–1 resulted in a 3–2 aggregate loss and the club's elimination from the competition.
On 16 October 2006, following a 1–0 defeat against Torino F.C.
, head coach Giuseppe Pillon was fired, and replaced by Luigi Delneri, one of the original symbols of the miracle Chievo, who had led the club to Serie A in 2002.
On 27 May 2007, the last match day of the 2006–07 Serie A season, Chievo was one of five teams in danger of falling into the last undecided relegation spot. Needing only a tie against Catania, a direct competitor in the relegation battle, Chievo lost 2–0 playing on a neutral field in Bologna. Wins by Parma, Siena and Reggina condemned Chievo to Serie B for the 2007–08 season after six seasons in the senior league.
Even as a relatively successful Serie A team the club, which averages only 4-5000 fans and is kept afloat mainly by money from television rights, does not have the same level of fan support as Hellas – the real "Gialloblu" team of Verona. The difference between the clubs is high-lighted during local derby games played at the clubs' shared stadium when, for Chievo's "home" fixtures, the Chievo fans are located in away end of the stadium.
, Lanna
, Brighi
, Sammarco
, Bogdani
the manager Delneri also parted ways with the club. Giuseppe Iachini
replaced him and the captain, Lorenzo D'Anna
, gave way to Sergio Pellissier
at the end of the transfer window. A new squad was constructed, most notably including the arrivals of mid-fielders Maurizio Ciaramitaro
and Simone Bentivoglio
, defender César (César Cervo de Luca) and forward Antimo Iunco
. This new incarnation of the 'gialloblu' were crowned Winter Champions (along with Bologna
), en route to a 41st matchday promotion after a 1–1 draw at Grosseto
left them four points clear of third-place Lecce
with one match remaining. In addition to winning promotion they were conferred with the "Ali della Vittoria" trophy on the final matchday of the season, their first league title of any kind in fourteen years.
boss Domenico Di Carlo
. After Di Carlo's appointment, Chievo managed a remarkable resurgence that led the gialloblu out of the relegation zone after having collected just 9 points from their first 17 matches. Highlight matches included a 3–0 defeat of Lazio
(who then won the 2008–09 Coppa Italia title) at the Stadio Olimpico
, and a thrilling 3–3 draw away to Juventus
in which captain and long-time Chievo striker Sergio Pellissier
scored a late equaliser to complete his first career hat-trick. A series of hard-fought draws against top clubs Roma
, Inter
and Genoa
in the final stretch of the season solidified Ceos position outside the drop zone and Serie A status was finally confirmed on matchday 37 with a home draw against Bologna. A largely unchanged lineup earned safety the following season with 4 matchdays to spare, and Chievo is therefore a part of the inaugural Lega Calcio Serie A in 2010–11, their third consecutive season (and ninth season in the last ten years) in the top flight of Italian football.
Players with more than 100 league appearances with club Eugenio Corini
Maurizio D'Angelo
Federico Cossato
Lorenzo D'Anna
Daniele Franceschini
Andrea Guerra
Salvatore Lanna
Marco Malagò
Massimo Marazzina
Dario Passoni
Sergio Pellissier
(current) Franco Semioli
Andrea Zanchetta
Luciano
(current)
2006 FIFA World Cup winner Andrea Barzagli
Simone Barone
Simone Perrotta
Internationals Players (Players in bold received call-up during at Chievo) Roberto Baronio Matteo Brighi
Bernardo Corradi
Stefano Fiore
Federico Giunti
Antonio Langella
Nicola Legrottaglie
Massimo Marazzina
Luca Marchegiani
Flavio Roma
Franco Semioli
Luciano Zauri
Sergio Pellissier
continued Erjon Bogdani
Mario Santana César Prates Mauricio Pinilla
Mario Yepes
Jason Mayélé
Christian Manfredini
Saša Bjelanović
Oliver Bierhoff
John Mensah
Ivan Fatić
Stephen Makinwa
Victor Nsofor Obinna
Kamil Kosowski
Bogdan Pătraşcu
Nikola Lazetić
Kewullay Conteh
Daniel Andersson
(1995–97) Domenico Caso
(1998–00) Luigi Delneri (2000–04) Mario Beretta
(2004–05) Giuseppe Pillon
(2005–06) Luigi Delneri (2006–07) Giuseppe Iachini
(2007–08) Domenico Di Carlo
(2008–10) Stefano Pioli
(2010–11) Domenico Di Carlo
(2011–)
). Local supporters often call the club simply Ceo, which is Veronese for Chievo. The "flying donkeys" nickname was originally a derogatory term from a match chant sung by fans from crosstown rivals Hellas Verona, which said that "donkeys would fly before Chievo made it to Serie A". However, with later successes by Chievo and contemporaneous Serie B
and Serie C1
struggles for Hellas Verona, Chievo fans have now largely embraced the nickname as a badge of honour.
The current club crest represents Cangrande I della Scala
, an ancient seignor from Verona.
Football in Italy
Football is the most popular sport in Italy. The Italian national football team has won the FIFA World Cup 4 times , trailing only Brazil . Italy's club sides have won 27 major European trophies, making them the most successful European nation in the subject of football...
club named after and based in Chievo, a suburb of 2,800 inhabitants in Verona
Verona
Verona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...
, Veneto, and owned by Paluani, a cake company and the inspiration for their original name, Paluani Chievo. The club is nicknamed alternatively Gialloblu, Mussi volanti or Ceo, and shares the 38,402 seater Marc'Antonio Bentegodi stadium with its cross-town rivals Hellas Verona
Hellas Verona F.C.
Hellas Verona Football Club is a professional Italian association football team, based in Verona, Veneto. The team's colours are yellow and blue and gialloblu is the team's most widely used nickname...
.
Early years
The team was founded in 1929 by a small number of football fans from the small borough of Chievo, a Verona neighbourhood. Initially the club was not officially affiliated to the Italian Football Federation but played several amateur tournament and friendly matches under the denomination "O.N.D. Chievo", a title imposed by the fascist regime. The club's formal debut in an official league was on 8 November 1931. The team colours at the time were blue and white. Chievo disbanded in 1936 because of economic woes but returned to play in 1948 after World War II, being registered in the regional league of "Seconda Divisione" (Second Division). In 1957 the team moved to the "Carlantonio Bottagisio" parish field, where they played until 1986. In 1959, after the restructuring of the football leagues, Chievo was admitted to play the "Seconda Categoria" (Second Category), a regional league placed next-to-last in the Italian football pyramid. That year, Chievo changed its name to "Cardi Chievo", after a new sponsor, and was quickly promoted to the "Prima Categoria", from which it experienced its first-ever relegation in 1962.Series of promotions
In 1964, Luigi Campedelli, a businessman and owner of the Paluani company, was named new Chievo chairman. Under Campedelli's presidency, Chievo climbed through the entire Italian football pyramid, reaching the Serie DSerie D
Serie D is the top level of the Italian non-professional football association called Lega Nazionale Dilettanti. The association represents over a million football players and thousands of football teams across Italy. Serie D ranks just below Lega Pro Seconda Divisione , and is thus considered the...
after the 1974/1975 season. Under the name "Paluani Chievo", the team was promoted to Serie C2
Serie C
The Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico , commonly known as Lega Pro , is the governing body that runs the third and fourth highest football divisions in Italy, the Prima Divisione and Seconda Divisione respectively. It also includes the sole professional club of San Marino...
in 1986. As a consequence of promotion, Chievo was forced to move to the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi
Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi
Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi is a stadium in Verona, Italy. It is the home of both Chievo Verona of Serie A and Hellas Verona of Serie B.Inaugurated as a state-of-the-art facility and as one of Italy's finest venues in 1963, the stadium appeared excessive for a team that had spent the best part...
, the main venue in Verona; another promotion, to Serie C1, followed in 1989. In 1990, the team changed its name to its current one, "A.C. ChievoVerona".
In 1992, President Luigi Campedelli, who had returned at the helm of the club two years before, died of a heart attack, and his son Luca Campedelli, aged just 23, became the new and youngest chairman of an Italian professional football club. Campedelli promoted Giovanni Sartori
Giovanni Sartori (footballer)
Giovanni Sartori is an Italian professional football official and a former player who currently works as a director of sports for A.C. ChievoVerona....
to Director of Football and named Alberto Malesani
Alberto Malesani
Alberto Malesani is an Italian association football manager, currently in charge of Genoa.-Early career and breakthrough at Chievo:...
as the new head coach. Under Malesani, the team astonishingly won the Serie C1 and was promoted to Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
, where city rival Hellas Verona
Hellas Verona F.C.
Hellas Verona Football Club is a professional Italian association football team, based in Verona, Veneto. The team's colours are yellow and blue and gialloblu is the team's most widely used nickname...
was playing at the time. In 1997, after Malesani signed for Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
, Silvio Baldini
Silvio Baldini
Silvio Baldini is an Italian association football manager and the former head coach of Vicenza in the Serie B league.- Coach :...
was appointed the new head coach. The following season, with Domenico Caso
Domenico Caso
Domenico Caso is an Italian professional football coach and a former player. He is currently managing the youth team of A.S. Cisco Calcio Roma.-External links:*...
as the coach, saw the first dismissal of a coach during the presidency of Luca Campedelli, with Caso being fired and replaced with Lorenzo Balestro.
In 2000/2001 Luigi Delneri was signed as coach and led Chievo, by virtue of its third-place finish in Serie B, to promotion to Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
, the first time in the team's history that it had reached the top tier of Italian football.
Mussi Volanti (2001–2007)
In its 2001/2002 Serie A debut season Chievo, who were most critics' choice for an instant return to Serie B, became the surprise team in the league, playing often spectacular and entertaining football and even leading the league for six consecutive weeks. The club finally ended the season with a highly respectable fifth place finish, qualifying the team to play in the UEFA CupUEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
.
In 2002/2003, Chievo debuted at the European level but were eliminated in the first round by Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia. The club is a part of the Red Star Sports Society.Red Star Belgrade is the most successful Serbian club, with a record of 25 national championships and 23 national cups in both Serbian and ex-Yugoslav competitions...
. The team finished the Serie A season in seventh place, again proving itself one of the better Serie A teams. The 2003/2004 season, the last with Delneri at the helm, saw Chievo finish in ninth place.
The 2004/2005 season is remembered as one of the toughest ever in Chievo's history. Mario Beretta
Mario Beretta
Mario Beretta is an Italian association football manager, last serving as head coach of Brescia in the Serie A league.-Career:Beretta had a short career as footballer, playing only for Pro Patria of Serie D....
, a Serie A novice from Ternana
Ternana Calcio
Ternana Calcio is an Italian football club based in the city of Terni, Umbria.The team's colours are red and green.The club was founded in 1925 and refounded in 1993. In its history, Ternana have twice played in Serie A...
, was named the coach but, after a good start which brought Chievo to a third place behind Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
and AC Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
, the team slowly lost position in the Serie A table. Three matches before the end of the season Chievo was third from last, a position which would see it relegated to Serie B. As a last resort Beretta was fired and Maurizio D'Angelo
Maurizio D'Angelo
Maurizio D'Angelo is an Italian football manager and former player, best known for his career as Chievo captain during the 1990s...
, a former Chievo player, was appointed temporarily to replace him as coach. Morale improved, and two wins and a tie from the final three matches proved just enough to keep Chievo in Serie A.
In 2005/2006, Giuseppe Pillon
Giuseppe Pillon
Giuseppe "Bepi" Pillon is an Italian association football and former manager of Empoli in Serie B.-Player:...
of Treviso FBC
Treviso F.B.C. 1993
Football Club Treviso is an Italian football club based in Treviso. The club was formed in 1909, and refounded in 1993 and in 2009. The club currently plays in Lega Pro Seconda Divisione.Treviso's official colours are light blue and white.-History:...
was appointed as new coach. The team experienced a return to the successful Delneri era, both in style of play and results, which resulted in Chievo ending the season in a seventh place and gaining a place in the next UEFA Cup. However, because of the football scandal
2006 Serie A scandal
The 2006 Italian football scandal involved Italy's top professional football leagues, Serie A and Serie B...
involving several top-class teams, all of which finished higher than Chievo in the 2005/2006 season, the Flying Donkeys were awarded a place in the next Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
preliminary phase.
On 14 July 2006, the verdict in the scandal was made public. Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
, AC Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
and Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
, who had all originally qualified for the 2006–07 Champions League
UEFA Champions League 2006-07
The 2006–07 UEFA Champions League was the 15th season of UEFA's premier European club football tournament, the UEFA Champions League, since it was rebranded from the European Cup, and the 52nd season overall. The final was contested by Milan and Liverpool on 23 May 2007...
, and Lazio
S.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
, who had originally qualified for the 2006–07 UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup 2006-07
The 2006–07 UEFA Cup was the 36th UEFA Cup, Europe's second tier club football tournament. On 16 May 2007, at Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland, Sevilla won their second consecutive UEFA Cup, defeating Espanyol 3–1 on penalties after the match finished 2–2 after extra time...
, were all banned from UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
competition for the 2006/07 season, although AC Milan were allowed to enter the Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
after their appeal to FIGC. Chievo took up a place in the third qualifying stage of the competition along with AC Milan and faced Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n side Levski Sofia. Chievo lost the first leg 2–0 in Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
and managed a 2–2 home draw on the second leg and were eliminated by a 4–2 aggregate score with Levski advancing to the Champions League group stage. As a Champions League third round qualifying loser, Chievo was given a place in the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
final qualifying round. On 25 August 2006 Chievo was drawn to face Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
Braga. The first leg, played on 14 September in Braga
Braga
Braga , a city in the Braga Municipality in northwestern Portugal, is the capital of the Braga District, the oldest archdiocese and the third major city of the country. Braga is the oldest Portuguese city and one of the oldest Christian cities in the World...
, ended in a shock 2–0 win for the Portuguese side. The return match, played on 28 September in Verona
Verona
Verona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...
, although won by Chievo 2–1 resulted in a 3–2 aggregate loss and the club's elimination from the competition.
On 16 October 2006, following a 1–0 defeat against Torino F.C.
Torino F.C.
Torino Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Torino, is a professional Italian football club based in Turin, Piedmont, that was founded in 1906. The club has spent most of its history in the top tier in Italian football....
, head coach Giuseppe Pillon was fired, and replaced by Luigi Delneri, one of the original symbols of the miracle Chievo, who had led the club to Serie A in 2002.
On 27 May 2007, the last match day of the 2006–07 Serie A season, Chievo was one of five teams in danger of falling into the last undecided relegation spot. Needing only a tie against Catania, a direct competitor in the relegation battle, Chievo lost 2–0 playing on a neutral field in Bologna. Wins by Parma, Siena and Reggina condemned Chievo to Serie B for the 2007–08 season after six seasons in the senior league.
Even as a relatively successful Serie A team the club, which averages only 4-5000 fans and is kept afloat mainly by money from television rights, does not have the same level of fan support as Hellas – the real "Gialloblu" team of Verona. The difference between the clubs is high-lighted during local derby games played at the clubs' shared stadium when, for Chievo's "home" fixtures, the Chievo fans are located in away end of the stadium.
A year with the Cadetti (2007–08)
Chievo bounced back quickly from the disappointment of their relegation on the last matchday of 2006/07, going in search of an immediate promotion back to the top flight. After the expected departure of several top-quality players including SemioliFranco Semioli
Franco Semioli is an Italian footballer for U.C. Sampdoria of Serie A. He plays in the role of right wing.-Club career:...
, Lanna
Salvatore Lanna
Salvatore Lanna is an Italian football defender, who currently plays for Reggiana.He is one of the most famous players in the history of Chievo, having played there for eleven seasons....
, Brighi
Matteo Brighi
Matteo Brighi is an Italian football player. He currently plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Atalanta. Brighi was named Serie A Young Footballer of the Year in 2002. Brighi is noted for his stamina, tackling, and aerial abilities.-Club career:Brighi started his career at Rimini...
, Sammarco
Paolo Sammarco
Paolo Sammarco is an Italian football midfielder, currently playing for A.C. ChievoVerona on loan from U.C. Sampdoria.-Chievo:...
, Bogdani
Erjon Bogdani
Erjon Bogdani , is an Albanian football striker. Bogdani plays for A.C. Cesena, in Italian Serie A and the Albanian national team.-Early Years:...
the manager Delneri also parted ways with the club. Giuseppe Iachini
Giuseppe Iachini
Giuseppe Iachini is an Italian football coach and former player. He is the current head coach of U.C. Sampdoria.-Playing career:...
replaced him and the captain, Lorenzo D'Anna
Lorenzo D'Anna
Lorenzo D'Anna is an Italian footballer. He plays for Treviso.He is a centre back, and is the captain of A.C. ChievoVerona of Serie A, with over 300 matches played for the flying donkeys...
, gave way to Sergio Pellissier
Sergio Pellissier
Sergio Pellissier is an Italian football striker. He is the captain of Italian Serie A club Chievo, where he has been since 2000.-Club:...
at the end of the transfer window. A new squad was constructed, most notably including the arrivals of mid-fielders Maurizio Ciaramitaro
Maurizio Ciaramitaro
Maurizio Ciaramitaro is an Italian football midfielder who plays for Modena.-Career:A Palermo youth system product, Ciaramitaro was however never constantly included into the first team and was instead often sent out on loan throughout his career: he had spells of such kind at Avellino, Livorno ,...
and Simone Bentivoglio
Simone Bentivoglio
Simone Bentivoglio is an Italian footballer. He plays as a midfielder for U.C. Sampdoria on loan from A.C. ChievoVerona.-Football career:...
, defender César (César Cervo de Luca) and forward Antimo Iunco
Antimo Iunco
Antimo Iunco is an Italian footballer who plays for ChievoVerona at Italian Serie A.-Biography:Iunco started his career at club Brindisi after leaving his hometown Syracuse. He followed the team to play at Serie C2 after winning the Serie D Group H champion in 2002. In January 2004, he joined...
. This new incarnation of the 'gialloblu' were crowned Winter Champions (along with Bologna
Bologna F.C. 1909
Bologna Football Club 1909, known simply as Bologna, is an Italian Football League club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, formed in 1993. The club are nicknamed the rossoblù because of the red and blue striped shirts they wear. Red and Blue are the official colours of the town.During its history...
), en route to a 41st matchday promotion after a 1–1 draw at Grosseto
U.S. Grosseto F.C.
Unione Sportiva Grosseto Football Club is a professional Italian association football club, based in the city of Grosseto, Tuscany. The club was founded in 1912. The team's most associated nickname is grifone, after its logo, depicting a griffon...
left them four points clear of third-place Lecce
U.S. Lecce
Unione Sportiva Lecce or simply U.S. Lecce is an Italian football club based in Lecce, Apulia who play in the Italian Serie A. After being crowned Serie B champions in 2009–10, the team successfully managed to avoid relegation in 2010-11....
with one match remaining. In addition to winning promotion they were conferred with the "Ali della Vittoria" trophy on the final matchday of the season, their first league title of any kind in fourteen years.
Back in Serie A (2008–)
In their first season back to the top flight, Chievo immediately struggled in the league resulting in the dismissal of Iachini in November and his replacement with former ParmaParma F.C.
Parma Football Club , commonly referred to as just Parma, is an Italian professional football club based in Parma, Emilia–Romagna that will compete in Serie A for the 2011–12 season, having finished in twelfth position last season. Founded as Verdi Foot Ball Club in July 1913, the club changed its...
boss Domenico Di Carlo
Domenico Di Carlo
Domenico "Mimmo" Di Carlo is an Italian association football coach, and former player, currently head coach of ChievoVerona.-Career:...
. After Di Carlo's appointment, Chievo managed a remarkable resurgence that led the gialloblu out of the relegation zone after having collected just 9 points from their first 17 matches. Highlight matches included a 3–0 defeat of Lazio
S.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
(who then won the 2008–09 Coppa Italia title) at the Stadio Olimpico
Stadio Olimpico
The Stadio Olimpico is the main and largest sports facility of Rome, Italy. It is located within the Foro Italico sports complex on the north of the city. An asset of the Italian National Olympic Committee, the structure is intended primarily for football...
, and a thrilling 3–3 draw away to Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
in which captain and long-time Chievo striker Sergio Pellissier
Sergio Pellissier
Sergio Pellissier is an Italian football striker. He is the captain of Italian Serie A club Chievo, where he has been since 2000.-Club:...
scored a late equaliser to complete his first career hat-trick. A series of hard-fought draws against top clubs Roma
A.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
, Inter
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
and Genoa
Genoa C.F.C.
Genoa Cricket and Football Club, commonly referred to simply as Genoa , is a professional Italian football club based in the city of Genoa, Liguria...
in the final stretch of the season solidified Ceos position outside the drop zone and Serie A status was finally confirmed on matchday 37 with a home draw against Bologna. A largely unchanged lineup earned safety the following season with 4 matchdays to spare, and Chievo is therefore a part of the inaugural Lega Calcio Serie A in 2010–11, their third consecutive season (and ninth season in the last ten years) in the top flight of Italian football.
Current squad
Out on loan 2011–12
Retired numbers
- 30
Jason MayéléJason MayéléJason Nono Mayélé was a footballer from Democratic Republic of the Congo.- Career :Mayélé played as a striker or winger and was a member of the Chievo team that qualified for Europe in their first Serie A season which he was signed in October. He had represented his country at the African Cup of...
, left/right winger, 2001–2002 (posthumous)
Notable players
- See Also: :Category:A.C. ChievoVerona players
Players with more than 100 league appearances with club Eugenio Corini
Eugenio Corini
Eugenio Corini is an Italian association football coach of Frosinone in Lega Pro Prima Divisioneand former player....
Maurizio D'Angelo
Maurizio D'Angelo
Maurizio D'Angelo is an Italian football manager and former player, best known for his career as Chievo captain during the 1990s...
Federico Cossato
Federico Cossato
Federico Cossato is an Italian footballer. He is the brother of Michele Cossato.Cossato started his career at Serie D clubs, he then played for Valdagno at Serie C2 and Brescello at Serie C1. in mid-1997 he joined Chievo, which he played until 2008.During mid-2005, he made a transfer request,...
Lorenzo D'Anna
Lorenzo D'Anna
Lorenzo D'Anna is an Italian footballer. He plays for Treviso.He is a centre back, and is the captain of A.C. ChievoVerona of Serie A, with over 300 matches played for the flying donkeys...
Daniele Franceschini
Daniele Franceschini
Daniele Franceschini is an Italian football midfielder.-External links:*http://www.tuttocalciatori.net/Franceschini_Daniele...
Andrea Guerra
Andrea Guerra
Andrea Guerra is a former Italian footballer.-Biography:Born in Bolzano, South Tyrol, Guerra started his career at Veneto club Hellas Verona. He made his Serie A debut on 15 September 1991, against Internazionale. he substituted Marino Magrin in the 59th minutes...
Salvatore Lanna
Salvatore Lanna
Salvatore Lanna is an Italian football defender, who currently plays for Reggiana.He is one of the most famous players in the history of Chievo, having played there for eleven seasons....
Marco Malagò
Marco Malagò
Marco Malagò is an Italian footballer who currently plays for Lumezzane in the role of a defender.From January 2010 to July 2011, he left Chievo on loan. At first he joined Siena but the team relegated. After Triestina re-admitted to 2010–11 Serie B, he joined the team.-External links:* *...
Massimo Marazzina
Massimo Marazzina
Massimo Marazzina is an Italian footballer who plays as a striker.-Early years:Marazzina was born in Pandino, a city near Lodi in the Province of Cremona. He finished his football formation at F.C. Internazionale Milano, and made his Serie A debut on 27 February 1994, in a 0–2 away loss against A.C...
Dario Passoni
Dario Passoni
Dario Passoni is an Italian football midfielder.On 31 August 2009, he was signed by Serie B outfit AlbinoLeffe, in exchange Carlo Gervasoni moved to Mantova.-References:...
Sergio Pellissier
Sergio Pellissier
Sergio Pellissier is an Italian football striker. He is the captain of Italian Serie A club Chievo, where he has been since 2000.-Club:...
(current) Franco Semioli
Franco Semioli
Franco Semioli is an Italian footballer for U.C. Sampdoria of Serie A. He plays in the role of right wing.-Club career:...
Andrea Zanchetta
Andrea Zanchetta
Andrea Zanchetta is an Italian footballer who plays for Cremonese at Lega Pro Prima Divisione.He had spent more than 6 seasons in Chievo, played more than 100 matches in Serie A and more than 250 matches in Serie B.-Internazionale:...
Luciano
Luciano Siqueira de Oliveira
Luciano Siqueira de Oliveira, known as Luciano and previously Eriberto is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Chievo.-Biography:...
(current)
2006 FIFA World Cup winner Andrea Barzagli
Andrea Barzagli
Andrea Barzagli, Ufficiale OMRI is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who plays as a defender for Serie A club Juventus.- Club career :...
Simone Barone
Simone Barone
Simone Barone, Ufficiale OMRI is an Italian footballer.-Club career:Barone started his career making his first team debut in 4 May 1997 for Parma, against Atalanta. He then played for Padova of Serie C1 in 1998, Alzano Virescit of Serie B in 1999.In summer 2000, he joined Chievo in a co-ownership...
Simone Perrotta
Simone Perrotta
Simone Perrotta, Ufficiale OMRI is an English-born Italian World Cup-winning footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Roma...
Internationals Players (Players in bold received call-up during at Chievo) Roberto Baronio Matteo Brighi
Matteo Brighi
Matteo Brighi is an Italian football player. He currently plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Atalanta. Brighi was named Serie A Young Footballer of the Year in 2002. Brighi is noted for his stamina, tackling, and aerial abilities.-Club career:Brighi started his career at Rimini...
Bernardo Corradi
Bernardo Corradi
Bernardo Corradi is an Italian footballer, who is currently a free agent. He was a former Italian international.-Early career:...
Stefano Fiore
Stefano Fiore
Stefano Fiore is an Italian football manager and former player, who can play as an attacking midfielder or on the wing. He is currently in charge as manager technical area of Cosenza in Serie D.-Parma and early years:...
Federico Giunti
Federico Giunti
Federico Giunti is an Italian former footballer turned manager. He is the current head coach of Lega Pro Prima Divisione club Foligno.-Club career:...
Antonio Langella
Antonio Langella
Antonio Langella is an Italian football striker/winger .-Football career:After playing for a number of lower-rank Sardinian clubs in the beginning of his career, Langella joined Cagliari Calcio in March 2002, then in Serie B...
Nicola Legrottaglie
Nicola Legrottaglie
Nicola Legrottaglie is an Italian footballer who plays for Calcio Catania in Serie A, as a central defender.-Early years:...
Massimo Marazzina
Massimo Marazzina
Massimo Marazzina is an Italian footballer who plays as a striker.-Early years:Marazzina was born in Pandino, a city near Lodi in the Province of Cremona. He finished his football formation at F.C. Internazionale Milano, and made his Serie A debut on 27 February 1994, in a 0–2 away loss against A.C...
Luca Marchegiani
Luca Marchegiani
Luca Marchegiani is a former Italian football goalkeeper.He played mostly for Torino FC and SS Lazio.At one time, Marchegiani was the most expensive goalkeeper in the world, when he joined Lazio from Torino in 1993 for £6m He played for Italy national football team and was a participant at the...
Flavio Roma
Flavio Roma
Flavio Roma is an Italian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A club Milan.-Club career:Roma started his career in the youth teams of S.S. Lazio. He was the 3rd goalkeeper behind Luca Marchegiani and Fernando Orsi before leaving the club to play for clubs in Serie B and Serie C1...
Franco Semioli
Franco Semioli
Franco Semioli is an Italian footballer for U.C. Sampdoria of Serie A. He plays in the role of right wing.-Club career:...
Luciano Zauri
Luciano Zauri
Luciano Zauri is an Italian footballer who plays for Lazio.-Atalanta:Zauri made his debut in Serie A in the 1996–97 season with Atalanta in a 4–0 loss at home to Roma....
Sergio Pellissier
Sergio Pellissier
Sergio Pellissier is an Italian football striker. He is the captain of Italian Serie A club Chievo, where he has been since 2000.-Club:...
continued Erjon Bogdani
Erjon Bogdani
Erjon Bogdani , is an Albanian football striker. Bogdani plays for A.C. Cesena, in Italian Serie A and the Albanian national team.-Early Years:...
Mario Santana César Prates Mauricio Pinilla
Mauricio Pinilla
Mauricio Ricardo Pinilla Ferrera is a Chilean footballer who plays for U.S. Città di Palermo in Italy, as a centre forward....
Mario Yepes
Mario Yepes
Mario Alberto Yepes Díaz is a Colombian professional footballer, who plays as a defender for Serie A club Milan. He has also been the captain of the Colombian national team since 2008.- Club career :...
Jason Mayélé
Jason Mayélé
Jason Nono Mayélé was a footballer from Democratic Republic of the Congo.- Career :Mayélé played as a striker or winger and was a member of the Chievo team that qualified for Europe in their first Serie A season which he was signed in October. He had represented his country at the African Cup of...
Christian Manfredini
Christian Manfredini
Christian José Manfredini Sisostri, known as Christian Manfredini, is an Ivorian-Italian footballer. Manfredini currently plays for Italian club Sambonifacese in Lega Pro Seconda Divisione.-Personal life:...
Saša Bjelanović
Saša Bjelanovic
Saša Bjelanović is a Croatian footballer striker who is currently playing for Verona in Serie B.He also holds Italian passport since 2007, as his grandmother was from Trieste, Venezia Giulia, made him eligible to acquire Italian nationality at birth.-Club career:Saša Bjelanović started his career...
Oliver Bierhoff
Oliver Bierhoff
Oliver Bierhoff is a retired German former football striker, who scored the first golden goal in the history of major international football, for Germany in the Euro 96 final...
John Mensah
John Mensah
John Mensah is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a defender for French club Lyon in Ligue 1, although he spent the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 seasons on loan at English club Sunderland in the Premier League...
Ivan Fatić
Ivan Fatic
Ivan Fatić is a Montenegrin football player playing for Empoli F.C. on loan from Chievo.-Biography:He was signed by Internazionale from relegated Chievo on 4 July 2007...
Stephen Makinwa
Stephen Makinwa
Stephen Ayodele Makinwa is a Nigerian football striker, who is currently playing for Lazio. Makinwa also plays for the Nigerian national team...
Victor Nsofor Obinna
Victor Nsofor Obinna
Victor Nsofor Obinna is a Nigerian footballer who plays as a winger for FC Lokomotiv Moscow.-Biography:Obinna in Igbo, literally means "Father´s heart". He played for Chievo in Italy's Serie B, having played regularly in Serie A with the club until their relegation in 2007...
Kamil Kosowski
Kamil Kosowski
Kamil Kosowski is a Polish footballer playing currently for GKS Bełchatów. He is an audacious winger / playmaker with good dribbling and a wide variety of passing.-Club career:...
Bogdan Pătraşcu
Bogdan Patrascu
Bogdan Aurelian Pătraşcu is a Romanian football player who currently plays for Dinamo Bucureşti. He started his career at Sportul Studenţesc, from where he was transferred to the Bulgarian club Litex Lovech in 2000. In 2002, he arrived in Italy, at Piacenza where he spent most of his career...
Nikola Lazetić
Nikola Lazetic
Nikola Lazetić is a Serbian football midfielder who plays for Serbian club FK Vojvodina.-Football career:...
Kewullay Conteh
Kewullay Conteh
Kewullay Conteh is a Sierra Leonean footballer currently playing for Serie B side Piacenza. He is also a first choice defender for the Leone Stars, Sierra Leone national football team...
Daniel Andersson
Former coaches
Alberto MalesaniAlberto Malesani
Alberto Malesani is an Italian association football manager, currently in charge of Genoa.-Early career and breakthrough at Chievo:...
(1995–97) Domenico Caso
Domenico Caso
Domenico Caso is an Italian professional football coach and a former player. He is currently managing the youth team of A.S. Cisco Calcio Roma.-External links:*...
(1998–00) Luigi Delneri (2000–04) Mario Beretta
Mario Beretta
Mario Beretta is an Italian association football manager, last serving as head coach of Brescia in the Serie A league.-Career:Beretta had a short career as footballer, playing only for Pro Patria of Serie D....
(2004–05) Giuseppe Pillon
Giuseppe Pillon
Giuseppe "Bepi" Pillon is an Italian association football and former manager of Empoli in Serie B.-Player:...
(2005–06) Luigi Delneri (2006–07) Giuseppe Iachini
Giuseppe Iachini
Giuseppe Iachini is an Italian football coach and former player. He is the current head coach of U.C. Sampdoria.-Playing career:...
(2007–08) Domenico Di Carlo
Domenico Di Carlo
Domenico "Mimmo" Di Carlo is an Italian association football coach, and former player, currently head coach of ChievoVerona.-Career:...
(2008–10) Stefano Pioli
Stefano Pioli
Stefano Pioli is an Italian former footballer and current manager of Serie A team Bologna.-Player:Pioli, a native of Parma, started his own playing career for his home city team, AC Parma. Successively, he was signed by Juventus, with whom he had his Serie A debut in 1984...
(2010–11) Domenico Di Carlo
Domenico Di Carlo
Domenico "Mimmo" Di Carlo is an Italian association football coach, and former player, currently head coach of ChievoVerona.-Career:...
(2011–)
Colours and badge
The club's original colours were blue and white and not the current blue and yellow. The club's historic nickname is gialloblu (from the club colors of yellow and blue) although throughout Italian football the team recognised by most fans as "Gialloblu" are the original team from Verona – "Hellas Verona". The club is more often referred to today as the mussi volanti ("flying donkeys" in the Verona dialect of VenetianVenetian language
Venetian or Venetan is a Romance language spoken as a native language by over two million people, mostly in the Veneto region of Italy, where of five million inhabitants almost all can understand it. It is sometimes spoken and often well understood outside Veneto, in Trentino, Friuli, Venezia...
). Local supporters often call the club simply Ceo, which is Veronese for Chievo. The "flying donkeys" nickname was originally a derogatory term from a match chant sung by fans from crosstown rivals Hellas Verona, which said that "donkeys would fly before Chievo made it to Serie A". However, with later successes by Chievo and contemporaneous Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
and Serie C1
Serie C1
Lega Pro Prima Divisione is the name of the third highest football league in Italy. It consists of 36 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 18 teams each. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1....
struggles for Hellas Verona, Chievo fans have now largely embraced the nickname as a badge of honour.
The current club crest represents Cangrande I della Scala
Cangrande I della Scala
Cangrande della Scala was an Italian nobleman, the most celebrated of the della Scala family which ruled Verona from 1277 until 1387. Now perhaps best known as the leading patron of the poet Dante Alighieri, Cangrande was in his own day chiefly acclaimed as a successful warrior and autocrat...
, an ancient seignor from Verona.