Mantova 1911 facts for kids
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| Full name | Mantova 1911 S.r.l. | |||
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| Nickname(s) | I Virgiliani (The Virgilians) I Biancorossi (The White and Reds) |
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| Founded | 1911 | |||
| Ground | Stadio Danilo Martelli, Mantua | |||
| Capacity | 14,884 | |||
| Chairman | Filippo Piccoli | |||
| Manager | Davide Possanzini | |||
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Mantova 1911, often just called Mantova, is a professional football club from Mantua, a city in Italy. The team plays in white and red colours.
Mantova played in Italy's second-highest league, Serie B, from 2005 to 2010. They were known as Associazione Calcio Mantova back then. After finishing 20th in the 2009–10 season, they moved down to a lower league.
Since 2010, the club has faced tough times. It went bankrupt twice. The team played in different lower leagues like Serie D and Serie C. In 2017, the club became Mantova 1911. After going down to Serie D again in 2023, they were allowed back into Serie C. They won that league right away and returned to Serie B in 2024, after 14 years.
Contents
Club History
Mantova football club was started in 1911. They played in Serie A, Italy's top league, for seven seasons. These were in the 1960s and early 1970s. During this time, they were sometimes called "Little Brazil" (Piccolo Brasile). This was because their green and yellow shirts looked like Brazil's national team colours. This period was the best in the team's history. Mantova also played eight seasons in Serie B, winning the title in 1970–71.
The club had to restart twice, in 1983 and 1994. This happened because of money problems.
Some famous players who played for Mantova include Dino Zoff, Angelo Sormani, Anton Alleman, and Karl-Heinz Schnellinger.
Rise to Serie B
Mantova moved up from Serie C2 to Serie B in two seasons. They won their league in 2003–04. The next year, in 2004–05, they finished second and won the playoffs to get promoted.
In the 2005–06 Serie B season, Mantova surprised everyone. Many thought they could even reach Serie A. The team led the league for a long time. They finished fourth, which earned them a spot in the promotion playoffs. Mantova won their playoff semi-final against Modena. In the final, they beat Torino 4–2 at home. However, they lost the return match 3–1 in Turin after extra time. Torino was promoted because they had a better league finish.
Later Serie B Seasons
In the 2006–07 season, Mantova made history. They were the first club to beat Juventus in a Serie B match. Juventus had been sent down to Serie B that year. Mantova finished eighth, staying strong in the league.
After their coach left, Attilio Tesser became the new head coach for the 2007–08 season. They even signed Stefano Fiore, a former Italian national team player. But the season was disappointing. The team did not reach the promotion playoffs. The coach was replaced by Giuseppe Brucato.
Brucato stayed as coach for the 2008–09 season. Fiore left, and Tomas Locatelli joined. Mantova still struggled to get to the top of the league. Brucato was replaced by former Milan player Alessandro Costacurta. Costacurta later resigned, and Mario Somma took over. The team finished 13th, just above the relegation zone.
For the 2009–10 season, Michele Serena was the coach. The club had money problems. They tried to improve their finances by exchanging players.
Bankruptcy and Rebuilding
At the start of the 2010–11 season, Mantova went bankrupt. A new club was formed and started playing in Serie D. Mantova finished first in their group and moved up to 2011–12 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione. They had a tough season, finishing 16th. They avoided moving down again by winning playoff matches against Lecco and Vibonese. The final match against Vibonese was a big 4–0 win at home, watched by over 3,000 fans.
In the 2012–13 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione, Mantova had a better season, finishing ninth. Later, Michele Lodi became the club's president.
The Lega Pro Seconda Divisione league changed its format. Mantova finished eighth in the 2013–14 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione. This meant they secured a spot in the new Serie C league. Mantova stayed in the third division until 2017.
In 2017, the club did not join the 2017–18 Serie C. A new club, Mantova 1911 S.S.D., was formed and played in 2017–18 Serie D.
In 2018, Maurizio Setti, who also owns Hellas Verona, took over the club. He invested money to help Mantova get promoted to Serie C. Mantova lost the championship to Como but still got promoted the next year. This happened even though the league was stopped early due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the 2020–21 Serie C season, Mantova finished 10th. The next season, they finished 15th. In their third Serie C season under Setti, they went down to Serie D. This happened after losing in the relegation play-offs.
In summer 2023, Filippo Piccoli became the new owner. Mantova was allowed back into Serie C after another club was removed. They had a great season, winning the league easily. A 5–0 away win against Padova helped them secure promotion. Mantova returned to Serie B after 14 years.
Team Colours and Badge
Team Colours
Mantova first played in sky blue shirts with white shorts and sky blue socks. This changed in 1956 when a company called OZO became their main sponsor. The colours changed to white and red, which were the company's colours. They wore a white shirt with a red sash across it. Mantova wore this kit when they first played in Serie A.
In the late 1960s, the team started wearing a red shirt with white shorts and red socks. The white and red sash kit was brought back in the 2000s and is now their main home kit.
The away kit often uses the same design but with the colours swapped. It usually has a white sash on a red background. Sky blue is mostly used for their third kit. For their 100th anniversary in 2010-11, they wore a special sky blue shirt with a white and red sash.
Between 2005 and 2008, when they were in Serie B, Mantova sometimes wore a yellow kit with a green sash. This was to remember the "Piccolo Brasile" team from the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Club Badge
The Mantova club badge always has two main parts. It shows the town's coat of arms. It also has a light blue semicircle. This semicircle reminds everyone of the team's original colours. These parts are put together in a round shape. The round shape is inside a red and white shield. The club's name is written on a white stripe at the top of the shield.
Current Squad
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Out on loan
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Coaching Staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  Davide Possanzini |
| Assistant coach | Andrea Massolini |
| Goalkeeper coach | Michele Arcari |
| Fitness coach | Nicola Pasin |
| Rehab coach | Corrado Merighi |
| Match analyst | Nicolò Brenna |
Famous Former Players
Famous Former Coaches
- Ottavio Bianchi
- Roberto Boninsegna
- Mario Corso
- Alessandro Costacurta
- Edmondo Fabbri
- Nándor Hidegkuti
Club Honours
See also
In Spanish: Mantova 1911 para niños
