Veronella
ChievoVerona: a team with a unique history
ChievoVerona, or simply Chievo, is an Italian football club based in the city of Verona representing the Chievo area. Founded in 1929, the club was reconstituted in 1948 and earned its "unicum" status because it is the only club to rise from Lega Pro Prima Divisione to Serie A and UEFA club competitions. Chievo has participated in 32 national championships, winning a Serie B championship in 2007-2008 and achieving good results in European competitions. In 2021, ChievoVerona disappeared from professionalism, but the club remained active at a youth level.
The history of ChievoVerona
Chievo was born as "Opera Nazionale Dopolavoro Chievo" in 1929 thanks to the initiative of a group of football enthusiasts from the Chievo district near Verona. Initially, the company was not affiliated with FIGC and only participated in friendly matches. In 1931, the team changed its social colors to white and sky blue, and the O.N.D. Chievo activity ended in 1936.
After World War II, in 1948, the company was re-established as "A.C. Chievo" and joined the Second Division. In 1951, it won the regional Second Division championship and was promoted to the Venetian First Division. Later, Chievo gained promotion to the Second Category in 1959, changed its company name to "Cardi Chievo" and quickly gained promotion to the First Category. In 1963, it suffered its first relegation in history.
Later, Luigi Campedelli joined the company, becoming president of Chievo in 1964. Eager to see the club achieve new successes, Campedelli focused on building the team that became increasingly competitive. Despite selling the presidency role, Campedelli maintained an important role in the company until 1990 when he returned in full title.
Successes of ChievoVerona
In 2001-2002, Chievo achieved promotion to Serie A for the first time in its history. Subsequently, the team achieved a series of mid-table positions, and in 2005-2006, they finished in fifth place, qualifying for the UEFA Intertoto Cup. Subsequently, thanks to AC Milan's defeat in the "Calciopoli" scandal and the consequent lack of punishments in Serie A, Chievo gained access to the qualifying rounds of the UEFA Champions League. Despite this, Chievo failed to pass the round; however, this is one of the highest achievements of the club.
In 2006-2007, Chievo played again in Serie A and remained in top-flight for 11 consecutive seasons. In 2007-2008, Chievo became Serie B champions and earned their first promotion to Serie A after winning the cadet championship. In 2014-2015, and 2018-2019, Chievo finished the Serie A championship in 14th place.
The Decline of ChievoVerona
In 2018-2019, Chievo was relegated to Serie B due to a three-point penalty imposed by FIGC due to non-payment. In 2019-2020, the club continued to play in the second division but was relegated to Serie C due to a 17-point penalty. Chievo seemed to repent of its mistakes, but in 2021, it disappeared from professionalism without being enrolled in any championship.
The Future of ChievoVerona
Although disappeared from professionalism, the ChievoVerona club is still active at a youth level. For the 2022 season, the club operates on a provisional basis and without being enrolled in any federal championship. However, the passion and support of Chievo fans are still strong, showing that the club will not give up easily. Sometimes a team must fall to rise stronger than before, and this is what ChievoVerona fans hope for.
