Clarets set for Flying Donkeys

We'd already arranged for a tour round the impressive Marcantonio Bentegodi Stadium, home of the two Verona clubs, Serie A club Chievo and Serie B club Hellas, not for one moment thinking that we could be lining up against one of them in one of our games.

But news broke on Thursday that we are hoping to arrange a friendly against Chievo, the side that has just finished seventh in Serie A and has, for the second time in its history, qualified for European competition.

Chievo are an incredible modern day success story, and have had a rise up Italian football similar to that experienced by Wimbledon in England, although there is no evidence at all that they will be moved down south in a franchise deal to be called Napoli Chievos.

They were formed in 1929 and played regional football under the name of Ond Chievo, the name Chievo being taken from the suburb of Verona in which they played. I think we can think along the lines of Unibond League football here at best, and nothing much happened to them until they were disbanded in 1936, only to return to action in 1948.

Probably the most significant of years for them was 1964 when the owner of the local Paluani cake company Luigi Campedelli became chairman, but even then progress was slow. However, following a successful 1974/75 season, ironically the season non-league Wimbledon dumped us out of the FA Cup, they were promoted to Serie D.

Now to get this into some sort of perspective, and to show just how far down the ladder Chievo were even then, this was the league in which a couple of years ago Amadou Sanokho was starring in whilst playing for Sanguistese.

For the next eleven years they played at this level before another promotion in 1986 saw them reach Serie C2. By now playing under the name of Paluani Chievo they needed to move to a bigger venue and this was when they first played at the Bentegodi, home of Hellas.

The fans of the bigger club didn't like this move and labelled their rivals Mussi Volanti (Flying Donkeys) and suggested that donkeys would fly if Chievo ever played in Serie A. Much like we have done with the derogatory Dingles label, Chievo have turned it round and now even sell toy flying donkeys.

The successes continued, 1989 saw them reach Serie C1 and a year later came the last name change to Chievo Verona. The chairman died suddenly in 1992 but his young son assumed control and within two years they had won yet another promotion to Serie B, where for the first time they would play Hellas in league football.

The donkeys had to prepare to fly in 2001 – Chievo won their promotion to Serie A but weren't content to make up the numbers. They led the league for six weeks during that first season, finished fifth and qualified for the UEFA Cup, although they went out at the first time of asking to Red Star Belgrade.

One season apart, they have continued to do well, that one poor season in 2004/05 saw them come close to relegation. They have recovered and under new coach Giuseppe Pillon they have finished seventh this year and next season will play European football again.

They are not a team of stars, and they haven't had one player selected by the Italians for the World Cup, although former player Simone Barone, now with Palermo is in the squad. And it is fair to say their best known player former player is a German.

Oliver Bierhoff ended his career with Chievo in 2003 after a long career that saw him make history by scoring the first ever golden goal to win a major tournament when he netted for Germany against the Czech Republic at Wembley in the Euro 96 Final.

For Chievo though, they have now completed five years as a top flight club, something no one expected when they were promoted. And all because of the help of the local biscuit company.