August 22, (THEWILL) – In a sad note for football in Italy, Chievo Verona will cease to exist from the 2021/22 season, having failed to attract new investment following their demotion down to Serie D of Italian football.
It follows from penalties handed down to the club for financial irregularities. They were penalised with the demotion to the fourth division of Italian football in order to work their way back up to Serie A.
It meant that they had to also attract a buyer to resurrect the club ahead of the new season with a deadline of August 24 when they had to register in the football league. So far, they have not been successful, meaning that they will not be allowed to compete this year.
The efforts made by Sergio Pellissier, one of the club’s legends, to get a group of investors to buy the club and reinstate them into Serie D this season did not yield intended results. Pellissier failed to attract the necessary funding and the stark reality is that Chievo Verona will cease to exist as a football club.
Ahead of that dissolution, Pellissier wrote an emotional letter to fans where he admitted that it was “one of the saddest days of his life,” while waving goodbye to “the most important club” of his career.
He posted on Instagram saying: “Unfortunately, today the story of this club that gave me so much has come to a close. It’s one of the saddest days of my life. I tried with all my strength, and I really hoped to start again with a new club and continue this fantastic story, it would’ve been marvellous. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get it done.
“I thought there were more people ready to step up and safeguard football in this city and this region, but that was not the case. We tried. I am just sad that we had so little time during a complicated period to find sponsors. So, goodbye my beloved Chievo, you will always be the most important club in my life.”
The club, which is also known as the Flying Donkeys, defied logic and critics by surviving in Serie A for many years.
In the 2001/2002 campaign, they were surprise fifth-place finishers. Although they were relegated from the top-flight in 2019, Chievo still struggled to remain competitive even if they were financially incapable of recovering from the money spent and lost over the years.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
