Virtus Verona

Virtus Verona
Full nameAssociazione Virtusvecomp Verona
Nickname(s)Virtussini
Rossoblù
(The Red-Blues)
I Borgo-Veneziani
(The Borgo-Venetians)
I Ribelli Veronesi
(The Veronan Rebels)
Founded1921 (1921)
GroundStadio Gavagnin Nocini,[1][2]
Verona, Italy
Capacity1,200
ChairmanLuigi Fresco
ManagerLuigi Fresco
LeagueSerie C Group A
2024–25Serie C Group A, 9th of 20
Websitehttp://www.virtusverona.it/

Virtus Verona, founded as Unione Sportiva Virtus Borgo Venezia in 1921, sometimes referred to as Virtus Vecomp Verona for sponsorship reasons, is an Italian association football club located in Borgo Venezia, a district of Verona, Veneto. It currently plays in Serie C.

History

The club was founded in 1921 as Unione Sportiva Virtus Borgo Venezia.

Virtus Verona, the third football club in Verona behind Chievo and Hellas Verona, is a unique case in Italy of a club whose chairman, Luigi Fresco, had also been the head coach of the first team for over 41 years, since 1982, after the other historic president Sinibaldo Nocini, who was in charge for 20 years. The club is also notable for being the only Italian professional football team to field a reserve team in the regional amateur divisions.

The club was promoted into professionalism for its first time ever at the end of the 2012–13 season, after winning the national playoff tournament in which they were qualified as fourth-placed in the Girone C of Serie D. At the end of the 2017–18 season, the club return into professionalism, in Serie C, the third tier of Italian football.

Colours and badge

The social colours are red and blue, traditionally arranged in vertical stripes.

The club’s historical badge is an ancile red palate, closed externally by a white crown, suitable to contain the social name (sometimes written in abbreviated form).

In 2014 this badge was replaced by a shield, in which the corporate name is simplified in Associazione Virtus Verona: the first and third words are placed in the palate field, while the second (coloured red) is placed in a curved white band placed in a shield.

Current squad

As of 1 July 2025[3]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  ITA Enrico Alfonso
4 DF  ITA Riccardo Lodovici
5 MF  ITA Dino Mehić
6 DF  ITA Manuel Daffara
7 MF  ITA Marco Amadio
8 MF  ITA Antonio Metlika
9 FW  ITA Gianluca Contini
10 MF  ITA Leonardo Zarpellon
11 DF  ITA Gianni Manfrin
12 GK  ITA Gabriele Fortin
14 FW  ITA Michael De Marchi
16 MF  ITA Matteo Bassi
17 FW  NGA Smith Oghosa Oni
18 FW  ITA Paul Ojeh
No. Pos. Nation Player
21 FW  ARG Juanito
22 GK  GAM Sheikh Sibi
23 MF  ITA Francesco Toffanin
25 MF  ITA Nicolò Filippi
30 MF  ITA Christian Gatti
32 MF  ITA Fabio Rispoli (on loan from Como)
44 FW  ITA Mattia Pagliuca
47 FW  ITA Edoardo Cuel
74 FW  ITA Samuele Lerco
75 DF  ITA Tommaso Cielo
85 DF  ITA Nicolas Fiori
90 MF  ITA Christian Odogwu
96 FW  ITA Michael Fabbro
97 MF  ITA Emanuele Souza Dos Santos

Supporters

Virtus Verona supporters are known for their hardline anti-fascist and left-wing leanings. The group Virtus Fans created in 2006, was split up in 2015, from which 2 new groups emerged: Virtus Verona Rude Firm 1921 and the Lost Boys. The Virtus Verona Rude Firm 1921 have friendships with antifa supporters groups all over the world: Livorno Calcio, Cosenza Calcio, Wrexham, Olympique Marseille, FC St. Pauli, RSV Goettingen 05.[4][5]

References

  1. ^ "I nostri Campi". Archived from the original on 27 March 2014.
  2. ^ "Picture of the grandstand" (JPG).
  3. ^ "Virtus Verona squad". Soccerway. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  4. ^ Virtus Verona Antifascista
  5. ^ Virtus Verona Rude Firm 1921