A.C. ChievoVerona facts for kids

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Chievo

Full name	Associazione Calcio ChievoVerona S.r.l.
Nickname(s)	I Gialloblu (The Yellow and Blues) I Mussi Volanti ("The Flying Donkeys" in Venetian) Céo ("Chievo" in Venetian) Squadra della Diga (Dam Team) Clivensi
Founded	1929; 96 years ago (1929)
Dissolved	2021
Ground	Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi
Ground Capacity	39,371
President	Luca Campedelli
League	Serie B
2018–19	Serie A, 20th of 20 (relegated)
Home colours Away colours Third colours

This graph shows how Chievo moved up and down in the Italian football leagues since 1929. It only shows the top four divisions.

Associazione Calcio ChievoVerona, often called ChievoVerona or just Chievo, was a professional Italian football club. It was named after Chievo, a small area with about 4,500 people in Verona, Veneto. The club was owned by Paluani, a company that makes bakery products. This is why their first name was Paluani Chievo.

During its time as a professional club, Chievo played at the Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi stadium. They shared this stadium with their city rivals, Hellas Verona. In 2021, the club was no longer allowed to play in professional football. Now, Chievo only runs as a youth team.

History of Chievo Football Club

How Chievo Started

The Chievo football team began in 1929. It was started by a few football fans from Chievo, a small part of Verona. At first, the club was not officially part of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC). But they still played many amateur games and friendly matches. They were known as O.N.D. Chievo during this time.

The club officially joined a league on 8 November 1931. Their team colours were blue and white back then. Chievo stopped playing in 1936 because of money problems. But they started again in 1948 after World War II. They joined a regional league called Seconda Divisione.

In 1957, the team moved to a new field called "Carlantonio Bottagisio". They played there until 1986. In 1959, the football leagues were changed. Chievo was allowed to play in the Seconda Categoria, which was a regional league near the bottom of Italian football. That year, Chievo changed its name to Cardi Chievo because of a new sponsor. They quickly moved up to the Prima Categoria. In 1962, they were moved down a league for the first time.

Moving Up the Leagues

In 1964, Luigi Campedelli became the new chairman of Chievo. He owned the Paluani company. With Campedelli as president, Chievo started to climb up all the Italian football leagues. They reached Serie D after the 1974–75 season.

Under the name "Paluani Chievo", the team was promoted to Serie C2 in 1986. Because they moved up, Chievo had to play at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi. This was the main stadium in Verona. They were promoted again to Serie C1 in 1989. In 1990, the team changed its name to "A.C. ChievoVerona", which is what it is today.

In 1992, President Luigi Campedelli passed away. His son, Luca Campedelli, who was only 23, became the new chairman. He was the youngest chairman of a professional Italian football club. Luca Campedelli made Giovanni Sartori the director of football. He also hired Alberto Malesani as the new head coach. Under Malesani, the team surprisingly won Serie C1. This meant they were promoted to Serie B. Their city rival, Hellas Verona, was already playing in Serie B.

In 1997, Malesani left to coach another team. Silvio Baldini became the new head coach. The next season, the coach Domenico Caso was fired. Lorenzo Balestro took his place. It was during these years that the nickname "mussi volanti" ("flying donkeys") started. Fans of their rival team, Hellas, used to make fun of Chievo supporters. They would say Chievo would only get promoted if "donkeys could fly". This meant it was an impossible dream.

In the 2000–01 season, Luigi Delneri became the coach. He led Chievo to finish third in Serie B. This meant they were promoted to Serie A, the top league in Italian football. It was the first time in the team's history they reached the top league.

The "Flying Donkeys" Era (2001–2007)

In their first season in Serie A (2001–02), most people thought Chievo would quickly go back down to Serie B. But they became the surprise team of the league. They played exciting football and even led the league for six weeks in a row. The club finished the season in a very good fifth place. This meant they qualified to play in the UEFA Cup. Chievo's amazing performance even inspired a book about football economics in 2002.

In 2002–03, Chievo played in a European competition for the first time. But they were knocked out in the first round by Red Star Belgrade. The team finished the Serie A season in seventh place. This showed they were still one of the better teams in Serie A. The 2003–04 season was Delneri's last as coach. Chievo finished ninth that year.

The 2004–05 season was one of the hardest for Chievo. Mario Beretta became the new coach. Chievo started strong, reaching third place. But then they slowly lost their position. With three games left, Chievo was near the bottom, which would mean going down to Serie B. Beretta was fired, and Maurizio D'Angelo, a former Chievo player, took over temporarily. The team's spirit improved. They won two games and drew one of the last three matches. This was just enough to keep Chievo in Serie A.

In 2005–06, Giuseppe Pillon became the new coach. The team started playing well again, like in the Delneri era. Chievo finished the season in seventh place and earned a spot in the UEFA Cup. However, because of some problems with other top teams in the league, Chievo was given a place in the next Champions League qualifying round.

On 14 July 2006, the results of the league problems were announced. Several top teams were banned from European competitions. Chievo took a place in the third qualifying stage of the Champions League. They played against the Bulgarian team Levski Sofia. Chievo lost the first game 2–0 and drew the second 2–2. They were knocked out with a total score of 4–2. Since they lost in the Champions League qualifiers, Chievo got a spot in the UEFA Cup final qualifying round. They played against the Portuguese team Braga. Braga won the first game 2–0. Chievo won the return match 2–1, but they lost overall by 3–2 and were out of the competition.

On 16 October 2006, after losing to Torino, coach Giuseppe Pillon was fired. Luigi Delneri, who had led the club to Serie A in 2002, returned as coach.

On 27 May 2007, the last day of the 2006–07 Serie A season, Chievo was one of five teams that could still be moved down a league. They only needed a draw against Catania, who were also fighting to stay up. But Chievo lost 2–0. Other teams won their games, and Chievo was moved down to Serie B for the 2007–08 season. They had been in the top league for six seasons.

Even though Chievo was a successful Serie A team, they did not have as many fans as Hellas Verona. The difference was clear during local derby games. Chievo fans often sat in the "away" section of the stadium, while most of the stadium was filled with Hellas supporters.

A Year in Serie B (2007–08)

Chievo quickly recovered from being moved down a league. They wanted to get back to the top league right away. Many top players left, and coach Delneri also left. Giuseppe Iachini became the new coach. The team captain, Lorenzo D'Anna, was replaced by Sergio Pellissier. New players joined, like midfielders Maurizio Ciaramitaro and Simone Bentivoglio, defender César, and forward Antimo Iunco.

This new Chievo team became "winter champions" (meaning they were top at the halfway point). They earned promotion back to Serie A on the 41st game day. They drew 1–1 against Grosseto. This put them four points ahead of third-place Lecce with one game left. Besides winning promotion, they also won the Ali della Vittoria trophy. This was their first league title in 14 years.

Back in Serie A (2008–2019)

In their first season back in the top league, Chievo struggled. Coach Iachini was fired in November. Domenico Di Carlo took his place. After Di Carlo became coach, Chievo made an amazing comeback. They moved out of the relegation zone, even though they had only nine points from their first 17 matches.

They had great games, like beating Lazio 3–0. They also had an exciting 3–3 draw against Juventus. In that game, captain and longtime Chievo striker Sergio Pellissier scored a late goal to complete his first hat-trick (three goals in one game). Several draws against top clubs like Roma and Internazionale helped Chievo stay out of the drop zone. Their place in Serie A was confirmed on game day 37 with a home draw against Bologna.

The team stayed mostly the same and managed to stay safe the next season too. Chievo was part of the first Lega Calcio Serie A in 2010–11. This was their third season in a row (and ninth in ten years) in the top league.

Lorenzo D'Anna remained as coach for the 2018–19 season. On 13 September, Chievo had 3 points taken away. This was because they were found to have problems with their accounting when trading players with Cesena. President Luca Campedelli was banned for three months. Chievo was officially moved down to Serie B on 14 April 2019, after losing 3–1 at home to Napoli.

Serie B Years and Club Exclusion (2019–2021)

In July 2021, Chievo was removed from Serie B for the 2021–22 season. This was because they could not show they had enough money to pay their taxes. The club said they had an agreement to spread out payments because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But after three tries, the decision to stop Chievo Verona from playing in Serie B was upheld. Cosenza took their place.

The club's former captain, Sergio Pellissier, tried to find new owners to start a new club under the Chievo name. But on 21 August, Pellissier announced that no owners were found in time. The original Chievo club appealed the decision. The club is currently not in any league, but it can still apply for a spot in an amateur league in Veneto.

Luca Campedelli decided to keep the original club alive as a youth team for the 2021–22 season. Pellissier decided to start a new club himself. This new club, first called FC Chievo 2021, was later renamed FC Clivense. It joined the Terza Categoria, which is at the very bottom of the Italian football league system.

FC Clivense won their group in the Terza Categoria Verona 2021–22. This meant they were promoted to Seconda Categoria. On 13 July, FC Clivense registered for the 2022/23 season of Eccellenza. This is the 5th level of Italian football.

Historical Names of Chievo

• 1929 – O.N.D. Chievo
• 1936 – Club stopped playing
• 1948 – Club started again as A.C. Chievo
• 1960 – A.C. Cardi Chievo
• 1975 – A.C. Chievo
• 1981 – A.C. Paluani Chievo
• 1986 – A.C. Chievo
• 1990 – A.C. ChievoVerona

Retired Numbers

Sometimes, a club will stop using a player's jersey number to honor them. Chievo retired two numbers:

• 30 Jason Mayélé, a winger, played from 2001–2002. His number was retired after his passing.
• 31 Sergio Pellissier, a striker, played from 2000–2019. His number was retired to celebrate his long career with the club.

Notable Players

This list includes players who have also played for their national teams.

• See Category:A.C. ChievoVerona players for all Chievo players.

Coaches of Chievo

Team Colours and Badge

The club's first colours were blue and white. They later changed to the current blue and yellow. The club's common nickname is Gialloblu, which means "Yellow and Blues". However, Hellas Verona, Chievo's main rivals, were also known by this name. Local fans often just call the club Ceo, which is "Chievo" in the local language.

The club is now sometimes called I Mussi Volanti, meaning "The Flying Donkeys" in the Verona dialect. This nickname was first used by Hellas Verona fans to make fun of Chievo. When the two clubs first played in Serie B in the mid-1990s, Hellas fans would chant, "Quando i mussi volara, il Ceo in Serie A" – "Donkeys will fly before Chievo are in Serie A." This meant they thought it was impossible for Chievo to reach Serie A. But when Chievo earned promotion to Serie A at the end of the 2000–01 Serie B season, Chievo fans proudly started calling themselves "The Flying Donkeys"!

The current club badge shows Cangrande I della Scala. He was a powerful ruler of Verona a long time ago.

Stadium

Chievo played its home games at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi. This stadium is in Verona, Italy. It is also the home stadium for Chievo Verona's city rival, Hellas Verona.

Club Achievements

Chievo won several titles during its history:

• Serie B

  Winners: 2007–08

• Serie C1

  Winners: 1993–94 (group A)

• Serie C2

  Winners: 1988–89 (group B)

• Serie D

  Winners: 1985–86 (group C)

Chievo in European Competitions

UEFA Champions League

Chievo played once in the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds.

Season	Round	Club	Home	Away	Total Score
2006–07	Third qualifying round	Levski Sofia	2–2	0–2	2–4

UEFA Cup

Chievo played in the UEFA Cup (now called the UEFA Europa League) a few times.

Season	Round	Club	Home	Away	Total Score
2002–03	First round	Red Star Belgrade	0–2	0–0	0–2
2006–07	First round	Braga	2–1 (after extra time)	0–2	2–3

See also

In Spanish: Associazione Calcio ChievoVerona para niños