On Thursday, May 9th Dundee play hosts to one of the most amazing rags to riches stories of Italian football when they take on A.C. Chievo Verona. For those who like fairy stories, read on.
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Founded in 1929, this club has spent all of it’s footballing life in the lower Italian league divisions.
Promotion to the Series A league this season for the first time was seen as an amazing achievement for a small district, not even classed as a town, with a population of only 2,800. YES, I REPEAT, 2,800. Smaller than Forfar, Brechin, Arbroath and Kirriemuir. Before the Ardler multis were depleted in numbers the population of Ardler was bigger than Chievo.
To put things in perspective, Chievo has no hotel, no fast food outlets, not a single supermarket, and wait for it, not even a bank. Yet they have a football stadium, the Benetegodi which has a 42,000 capacity. Chievo prides itself in possessing one of the most beloved football teams in the whole wide world.
With a fan base coming from the nearest city of Verona, better known as a Shakespeare play, they are fiercely passionate about their team.
The main claim to fame that Chievo has is a power station, a trailers manufacturing factory, a school, and a medical research institute. That, and a most amazing first season in Series A.
The media have congregated on this small suburb of Verona from as wide and far as Spain, Brazil, UK, Japan and Argentina. Recently the Arabian countries have studied the rise of Chievo in an effort to raise the profile of their own clubs. They come to wonder, to study and to try to work out how a team from such a small area has shaken the Series A league to its very core.
For a long time they played in front of crowds of 3,000 to 4,000. Yet, incredibly, in their first season in the Series A they have attracted crowds of between 6,393 to 36,997 when they played Inter Milan at home recently.
They are at present in 6th position, and with 18 teams in that league, a quite remarkable performance. So far this season they’ve played 33 games, won 13 of them, drew 12 and lost only 8 times against the most intriguing and fiercely competitive of European opponents. They’ve scored 55 goals and lost 51. If they win this Saturday against Atalanta at home they could jump to 3rd or 4th position.
If the Dundee football fanatics can’t turn out in large numbers next Thursday at prices ranging from £5 for kids and £10 for adults we are not the football lovers we pretend we are.
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Top scorer is Massimo Marazzima, a 27 year old stiker who will wear the number 11 jersey, and has scored 13 goals so far this season. Corini Eugenio and Corradi Bernardo have scored 9, goals each, Cossato Federico has scored 7.
Their top 5 goalscorers have scored 42 goals between them, an amazing achievement in one of the hardest leagues in the world.
Among their scalps this season are: Fiorentina, Bologna, Piacenza, Udinese, Parma, Torino, Perrugia, Inter Milan (league champions), Atalanta, Lazio and Verona. Quite a record. They also drew with 4th top AC Milan.
This editor has searched far and wide to learn of our friendly opponents. Read what a keen follower of Italian football had to say about Chievo. (note, he isn't a Chieve supporter).
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Another compares them to "mosquitoes.
They buzz around you, pass the ball quickly and feature players that are nimble, very quick."Thursday, 9th May, looks like being quite some friendly. Not so long ago Dundee's friendlies were almost all against the likes of Arbroath, Forfar and Brechin. This is a chance never to be repeated to see a team of unique qualities, amazing skills and a fairy tale appeal to their amazing story. NOT TO BE MISSED. BY FANS OF ALL TEAMS.