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| Full name | Mantova 1911S.r.l. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | I Virgiliani (TheVirgilians) I Biancorossi (The White and Reds) I Rossobandati (The Red-Banded) | |||
| Founded | 1911; 114 years ago (1911) asAssociazione Mantovana del Calcio 1994; 31 years ago (1994) asMantova Calcio 2010; 15 years ago (2010) asMantova Football Club 2017; 8 years ago (2017) asMantova 1911 | |||
| Ground | Stadio Danilo Martelli – Pata Stadium | |||
| Capacity | 14,884 | |||
| Chairman | Filippo Piccoli | |||
| Manager | Davide Possanzini | |||
| League | Serie B | |||
| 2024–25 | Serie B, 13th of 20 | |||
| Website | mantova1911.club | |||
 Current season | ||||
Mantova 1911, commonly referred to asMantova, is an Italian professionalfootballclub based inMantua (Italian:Mantova),Lombardy. Mantova had played consecutively in the ItalianSerie B from the 2005–06 season to 2009–10 asAssociazione Calcio Mantova (A.C. Mantova), when they were relegated after ending the season in 20th place.
Since 2010, the club went bankrupt twice and continuously played betweenSerie D,Lega Pro Seconda Divisione, and the newSerie C under the nameMantova F.C. and, since 2017, Mantova 1911. After another relegation to Serie D in 2023, the club was readmitted to the third division, winning it immediately and returning toSerie B in 2024 after 14 years.
Mantova was founded in 1911. They played inSerie A for seven seasons:1961–62,1962–63,1963–64,1964–65,1966–67,1967–68, and1971–72, being nicknamed in its initial period as "Little Brazil" ("Piccolo Brasile"). The green and yellow shirt actually remembered that period, by far the best one in the team history. Mantova has also played eight seasons inSerie B, winning the title1970–71.
Mantova was cancelled from the Italian football panorama in 1994 due toinsolvency.
Former famous players for the club includeDino Zoff,Angelo Sormani, Anton Alleman andKarl-Heinz Schnellinger.
Mantova was promoted fromSerie C2 to Serie B in two consecutive seasons, in 2003–04 as league champions, and in 2004–05 as runners-up and playoff winners. Mantova begun the2005–06 Serie B campaign introducing itself as a strong potential candidate for promotion to Serie A, despite its lack of players experienced with these levels (almost the same squad which promoted to Serie B the previous season) and a coach,Domenico Di Carlo, on just his second year as first team football trainer. The team led the Serie B table for a long part of the season, gaining an unexpected interest by the media. However, Mantova was not able to maintain the head of the league in the end, and the team concluded its season in fourth place, gaining a spot in the promotion playoffs. Successively, AC Mantova won its playoff semifinal againstModena after two ties (0–0, 1–1), qualifying because of its top placement in the regular season. The first playoff final, againstTorino, saw Mantova winning at home 4–2. However, Mantova was not able to maintain this advantage in the return match, lost 3–1 inTurin afterextra time, which allowed Torino to be promoted in Serie A because of a superior placement in the regular season.
During the2006–07 season, Mantova became the first club to beatJuventus in a Serie B match. They ended the season in eighth place, confirming themselves in the top side of the league table. Following Di Carlo's resignations, Mantova appointedAttilio Tesser as new head coach for their2007–08 Serie B campaign. As part of an ambitious summer transfer market, on 23 August 2007 Mantova signed formerItalian internationalStefano Fiore. However, the club's campaign proved to be disappointing as the team failed to break into the promotion playoff zone, resulting in the sacking of Tesser in the mid-season. He was replaced by Giuseppe Brucato, a young manager with no previous experience in the league, who guided the club to a mid-table finish in the season.
Brucato was confirmed as head coach of Mantova for the2008–09 season. As Fiore parted company with the club following an unimpressive season with thevirgiliani, he was replaced byTomas Locatelli. However, Mantova failed to assure themselves a place in the higher ranks of the league, causing the sacking of Brucato following a 1–3 home defeat toParma. The club successively appointed formerMilan defenderAlessandro Costacurta as its new head coach. Costacurta later resigned and was replaced byMario Somma, who led the club to a final 13th place, only two points ahead the relegation play-off zone.
For the2009–10 season, Mantova was guided by former Italian internationalMichele Serena. The financial situation of the club was deteriorated, which the club raised the short term profit by player exchange, but also raised the long term amortisation cost. The club had swappedStefano Mondini withChristian Jidayi on 30 June 2008 inco-ownership deal for€750,000, made the clubs had player selling revenue of €1.5 million. June 2009 also saw Jidayi return toCesena and Mondini back to Mantova; 50% of both players' rights were valued at €750,000.[1] However, it became a financial burden for both clubs, which Mantova had to amortise Mondini's value (€1.5 million) in instalments as amortisation. In June 2008 Mantova also swappedValerio Di Cesare (€1M) andSimone Calori (€0.5M) withRiccardo Fissore (€0.5M) andMattia Marchesetti (€1M).[2] Again, Mantova had to amortise €0.5M in for 3 seasons for Fissore (€166,667) and Marchesetti (€333,333).
At the beginning of2010–11 season, Mantova went bankrupt and a new entity was admitted toSerie D. Mantova came first in Girone B and gained promotion to2011–12 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione. They finished 16th and only escaped relegation after beating bothLecco andVibonese in the playoffs. The first leg against Vibonese was a 0–0 stalemate away, leading to fears the club would not survive the second leg. However, Mantova went on to record a famous 4–0 victory. The home leg was viewed by over 3,000 spectators and Mantova enjoyed some of the strongest support of the 40 sides in Lega Pro Seconda Divisione. Throughout the 2011–12 season, Mantova sacked three managers and three sporting directors.
In the2012–13 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione, Mantova had a solid season, finishing in ninth place, nine points short of a promotion playoff place and 11 points above a relegation playoff place. In the off season, 70% of Mantova is sold to formerSambonifacese president Michele Lodi, who became the president of Mantova.
TheLega Pro Seconda Divisione underwent a reformatting. The first eight teams in each girone, plus one team winning the relegation playoff round from each division will remain in Lega Pro. The last six teams in each girone, plus three relegation play-out losers from each division will be relegated to Serie D. In all, eighteen teams will remain in Lega Pro, and eighteen teams will be relegated to Serie D.
In the2013–14 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione, Mantova finished eighth, which guaranteed them a spot in next season's2014–15 Lega Pro Divisione Unica, the new Serie C. The team was part of the "Group A".Mantova remained in the third tier until 2017.At the start of season, the club did not join the2017–18 Serie C, a successor club, Mantova 1911 S.S.D.,[3] was admitted to2017–18 Serie D instead.[4]
In 2018 it was taken over by Maurizio Setti, the holder ofHellas Verona, who invested in the club to be promoted to Serie C. Mantova lost the championship to Como despite reaching 83 points and was promoted the following year, despite the championship not being completed because of theCOVID-19 outbreaks in Italy. In the2020–21 Serie C Mantova placed 10th in their group, and placed 15th in thefollowing season. The third Serie C season under Setti's ownership ended with a relegation to Serie D after losing the relegation play-offs toAlbinoLeffe.[5]
In the summer 2023, Filippo Piccoli became the owner of the club, which managed to be readmitted to Serie C afterPordenone's exclusion. After a dominant league campaign, culminated in a 5–0 away win against the closest rivalsPadova,[6] Mantova clinched promotion and returned toSerie B after 14 years.[7]
Mantova played in a sky blue shirt with white shorts and sky blue socks until 1956, when OZO company became the club's main sponsor. Colours were changed from sky blue and white to white and red, the colours of the company, in an unusual scheme for Italian football: white with a red sash. Mantova debuted inSerie A with this kit.
In the late 1960s, when the club had poor results, a red shirt with white shorts and red socks was adopted as the home kit. The OZO Mantova kit was reintroduced by the owner Fabrizio Lori in the 2000s, and since then became the home kit.
In the last years the away kit has usually retained the home kit scheme, inverting the colours: a white sash on a red base.
Sky blue has been used mainly for third kits. During the 2010-11 campaign, a special sky blue shirt with a white and red sash was released to celebrate the club's 100th anniversary and was used as the first choice kit for the final part of the season.
During the Serie B years between 2005 and 2008 Mantova used a yellow kit with a green sash to remember the "Piccolo Brasile", the team who achieved three promotions in four years between the end of the 1950s and the start of the 1960s.
Mantova crest has always been characterized by two elements: the town's coat of arms and a light blue semicircle to remember the original colours of the team, combined in a round shape. The round element has been inserted in a red and white shield, with an upper white stripe in which the name of the club is written.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  Davide Possanzini |
| Assistant coach | Andrea Massolini |
| Fitness coach | Nicola Pasin Corrado Merighi |
| Goalkeeper coach | Michele Arcari |
| Technical coach | Emanuele Suagher |
| Match analyst | Nicolò Brenna |
| Medical area coordinator | Antonio Zanini |
| Health manager | Enrico Ballardini |
| Social doctor | Giuseppe Romeo |
| Physiotherapist | Christian Bodini Antonio Bottardi Simone Broglia Marco Fontanesi |
| Psychologist | Fabio Pansera |
| Driver | Stefano Di Giustino |
| Kitman | Marco Ferretti Dante Marsiletti Mauro Oro |
| Series | Years | Last | Promotions | Relegations | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 7 | 1971–72 |  5 (1923,1926,1965,1968,1972) | ||
| B | 16 | 2025–26 |  4 (1924,1961,1966,1971) | 4 (1928,1948,1973,2010✟) | |
| C | 43 +17 | 2023–24 | 4 (1946,1959,2005,2024) 5 (1986 C2,1988 C2,1993 C2,2004 C2,2014 C2) | 4 (1982 C1,1987 C1,1991 C1,1994✟) 2 (1954,2017✟) | |
| 83 out of 94 years of professional football in Italy since 1929 | |||||
| Founding member of theFootball League’sFirst Division in 1921 | |||||
| D | 10 | 2019–20 | 4 (1958,1997,2011,2020) | never | |
| E | 1 | 1994–95 | 1 (1995) | never | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
