Hellas Verona FC

Overview

Hellas Verona Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Hellas Verona (Italian: [ˈɛllaz veˈroːna]), is an Italian professional football club based in Verona, Veneto, The club will compete in the Serie B, following relegation from the Serie A. Hellas have been crowned Italian champions once, in the 1984–85 season, and is the only team from a city that is not a regional capital to have won the top-flight championship. They have also won the second-tier Serie B on three occasions. Founded in 1903 as Associazione Calcio Hellas, the club was a founder member of the Serie B in 1929–30. Hellas won their first promotion to the Serie A in 1957. The 1980s were the most successful period in the club's history, during which it also reached the Coppa Italia final twice consecutively (out of three total appearances) and played several matches in European competitions, including one appearance in the European Cup and two in the UEFA Cup. Hellas's colours, yellow and blue, are based on the city's coat of arms, which are actually gold and azure. The team's nicknames are "the Mastiffs" and "the Scaligeri", referring to the Della Scala family that ruled Verona between the 13th and 14th centuries. The Scaligeri coat of arms is reflected in the club's badge as a stylized image of two mastiffs facing in opposite directions. The club has been associated with politically far-right ultras since at least the 1970s, and has repeatedly had racist incidents occur in the stands over the decades. In January 2025, it was announced that the club was acquired by American private equity Presidio Investors.