Benevento Calcio

The 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.

The 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.[4] They 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 in Serie A, although they ultimately won six of their last 23 games.

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

No. Position Player DF Gianluca Di Chiara (at Perugia) DF Luca Sparandeo (at Virtus Francavilla) DF Salvatore Tazza (at Arzignano) MF Alessio Donnarumma (at Picerno) MF Cy Goddard (at Pafos)

No. Position Player MF Guilherme (at Yeni Malatyaspor) MF Giovanni Volpicelli (at Arezzo) FW Samuel Armenteros (at Crotone) FW Pietro Iemmello (at Perugia)