Benevento Calcio, commonly referred to as Benevento, is an Italian professional football club based in Benevento, Campania. The club was originally founded in 1929 and then re-founded in 2005. They currently compete in Serie C, having been relegated from Serie B in the 2022–23 season.
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| Full name | Benevento Calcio S.r.l. | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Gli Stregoni (The Sorcerers) I Giallorossi (The Yellow and Reds) I Sanniti (The Samnites) | ||
| Founded | 1929 1938 (refounded) | ||
| Ground | Stadio Ciro Vigorito, Benevento, Italy | ||
| Capacity | 16,867 | ||
| President | Oreste Vigorito | ||
| Manager | Gaetano Auteri | ||
| League | Serie C Group C | ||
| 2023–24 | Serie C Group C, 3rd of 20 | ||
| Website | http://www.beneventocalcio.club/ | ||
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History
editEarly history
editThe club was founded as Associazione Calcio Benevento in 1929,[1] their original home was the Meomartini which was built by Ciccio Minocchia.[2]
After working their way up the country's lower divisions during their early years, Benevento reached Prima Divisione, Italy's third highest professional league at the time, in the 1934–35 season. They finished above clubs such as Reggina during the club's first season within the league. Although they did not win promotion to Serie B, the team did remain in the third tier of Italian football for the 1935–36 season, re-organized to a smaller 64-team league renamed Serie C.
21st century
editThe club F.C. Sporting Benevento S.r.l. folded in 2005. At the same time Benevento Calcio S.p.A. was founded, using the same stadium and playing kit.
In the 2007–08 Serie C2 regular season the team finished first in Girone C, winning direct promotion to the now called Lega Pro Prima Divisione for the 2008–09 season. In the 2008–09 season, Benevento's first season in Lega Pro Prima Divisione, they finished in 2nd place. This meant Benevento would be in a two-legged play-off. They won their first two-legged play-off, but lost to Crotone 1–0 (2–1) on aggregate in the final.
Gaetano Auteri was appointed as the head manager for the 2015–16 season. In this season, Benevento won its league and reached Serie B for the first time in its history. The mathematical certainty arrived on 30 April 2016, after defeating Lecce 3–0.[3]
On 8 June 2017, they were promoted to Serie A, for the first time in their history, after defeating Carpi in the Serie B play-offs 1–0 on aggregate, remarkably winning promotion in their inaugural season in Serie B.[4] The club struggled in its top-flight debut in the 2017-18 season as Benevento set a record for the worst start to a season in any of Europe's top five leagues by losing their first 14 Serie A matches.[5] This streak ended on 3 December 2017, with a 95th-minute equalising header from goalkeeper Alberto Brignoli for a 2–2 home draw against A.C. Milan.[6][7] Benevento's time in Serie A lasted one season and they were relegated after a last-place finish, although there was a clear uptick in form after their dismal opening to the campaign, ultimately winning six of their last 23 games.
On 22 June 2019, Benevento hired Filippo Inzaghi as their new manager.[8] In June 2020, with seven matches still left in the league season, the club won promotion back to the first-division of Italian football following an impressive Serie B campaign.[9]
Benevento's second season in Serie A was unsuccessful, ending with another relegation, but the club was much more competitive, especially in the first half of the season. By the campaign's midway point, Benevento was 10th in Serie A, having won six matches and experienced a run of only one loss in eight matches, appearing well-set for a mid-table finish.[10] However, a dramatic downturn in form from January until the end of the campaign, scoring only 16 goals and winning just one of the final 22 matches in that time, meant that the club again fell back into Serie B for the 2021–22 season. Curiously, the match they won was a 1–0 away victory on 21 March against Juventus, with the reverse fixture finishing in a draw. Benevento eventually finished in 18th place, with four points fewer than Torino in the final non-relegation position.[11]
In the following season's Serie B, the team finished the regular season in 7th place, gaining access to the promotion play-offs by overcoming Ascoli. They were later eliminated by Pisa in the semifinals.
The team declined during the 2022–23 campaign. The team spent most of the season at the bottom of the table, and on the penultimate matchday, relegation to Serie C was confirmed and the team ultimately finished last in the Serie B table.[12]
Colours and badge
editThe team's colours are yellow and red, and their badge features red and yellow stripes and the black image of a witch riding a broom. Benevento are nicknamed the Stregoni, Italian for sorcerers, or occasionally, the Streghe, Italian for witches, a reference to the legends dating to the 13th century of the witches of Benevento.
Stadium
editBenevento plays their home matches at the Stadio Ciro Vigorito. Building on the stadium broke ground in 1976 and it was opened in 1979. It is able to hold 25,000 people.[13][14]
The stadium was originally named Santa Colomba but was renamed to honor Ciro Vigorito who was the brother of club president Oreste Vigorito. Ciro was a successful entrepreneur and sports manager who was the managing director and oversaw the youth sector at Benevento from 2006 until his death in 2010.[15]
Players
editCurrent squad
edit- As of 30 August 2024[16]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
editNote: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Coaching staff
edit| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  Gaetano Auteri
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| Assistant coach | Lorenzo Cassia
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| Goalkeeper coach | Antonio Chiavelli
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| Fitness coach | Andrea Molteni
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| Scouting First Team | Andrea Innocenti
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| Physiotherapist | Ernesto Galliano
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| Physiotherapist | Luca Lepore
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| Physiotherapist | Giorgio Policastri
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| Physiotherapist | Raffaele Marinaccio
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| Chief Doctor | Walter Giorgione
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| Club Doctor | Franco De Cicco
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| Club Doctor | Raffaele Fuiano
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| Club Doctor | Mario De Vita
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| Club Doctor | Luca Milano
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Notable former players
editWorld Cup players
editThe following players have been selected by their country in the World Cup Finals, while playing for Benevento.
Notable former managers
edit- Giuseppe Zilizzi (1935–36)
- Giuseppe Viani (1945–46)
Francisco Lojacono (1974–75)- Gastone Bean (1981–83)
- Giuseppe Materazzi (1984–85)
- Adriano Lombardi (1995–96)
- Massimo Silva (1996–98)
- Nello Di Costanzo (2002–04)
- Giovanni Simonelli (2006–08)
- Antonio Soda (2008–09)
- Leonardo Acori (2009)
- Andrea Camplone (2009–10)
- Leonardo Acori (2010)
- Giuseppe Galderisi (2010–11)
- Giovanni Simonelli (2011)
- Carmelo Imbriani (2011–12)
- Guido Ugolotti (2012–13)
- Guido Carboni (2013–14)
- Gaetano Auteri (2015–16)
- Marco Baroni (2016–17)
- Roberto De Zerbi (2017–2018)
- Cristian Bucchi (2018–2019)
- Filippo Inzaghi (2019–2021)
- Fabio Caserta (2021–2022)
- Fabio Cannavaro (2022–2023)
- Roberto Stellone (2023)
Honours
editReferences
edit- ^ "Italian Benevento Calcio". WeltFussballArchiv.com. 25 August 2007. Archived from the original on 2 December 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
- ^ "La Storia". Unofficial news portal of Benevento Calcio. 25 August 2007. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2007.
- ^ (in Italian) "Lega Pro: Benevento gained the Serie B". Corriere dello Sport, 30-4-2016
- ^ "Serie A: Benvenuto, Benevento! - Football Italia". www.football-italia.net. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
- ^ "Benevento 1-2 Sassuolo". BBC Sport. 19 November 2017. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
- ^ "Brignoli: 'Closed my eyes and jumped'". Football Italia. 3 December 2017.
- ^ "Benevento: Bottom of Serie A but now the most talked about team in Italy". BBC Sport. 7 December 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- ^ "Benevento hire Inzaghi: the official announcement". gianlucadimarzio.com (in Italian). Retrieved 25 July 2020.
- ^ "Filippo Inzaghi leads Benevento to Serie A promotion". The World Game. 30 June 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- ^ Harris, Charlie (8 June 2021). "A season in review: Benevento 2020/21". Forza Italian Football.
- ^ "Benevento season review: 2020-21". Football Italia. 27 May 2021.
- ^ "Benevento in Serie C: dal sogno Serie A all'incubo retrocessione". Goal.com. 13 May 2023.
- ^ "Stadio Ciro Vigorito".
- ^ "Stadio Ciro Vigorito | Stadio di Benevento | Foto, Storia, Costruzione e info | Eventi, Piantina, Capienza | Come arrivare allo Stadio | Campania Tour". Archived from the original on 26 May 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
- ^ "Ufficiale, lo Stadio Santa Colomba si chiamerà Ciro Vigorito". Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
- ^ "Rosa Giocatori - Benevento Calcio". www.beneventocalcio.club. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
External links
edit
- (in Italian) Benevento Calcio official website