The former owner of the club, which was excluded in 2021 for tax evasion: “Gone because of Covid, no one helped us. I felt useless, I even attempted suicide. Pellissier’s new Chievo? I’d have a coffee with him, if he offered me a role I’d have to think about it.”

Passion is not blind, it is visionary. Stendhal said it, and Luca Campedelli certainly agrees, thinking back on his greatest passion. Chievo. It was his family’s team, then it became everyone’s team because it was the protagonist of a wonderful story. And finally, it was no one’s team because it disappeared. Better yet, it was killed, according to Campedelli’s reconstruction of that era, emblematically titled: “Chievo, a perfect crime.” Beyond the pain, however, the passion remains: “I may be crazy, but I still dream of bringing ‘my’ Chievo back to life. For me, it’s an illness. I fell in love with soccer when I was three years old, and this sport gave me the opportunity to spend more time with my father and appreciate his humanity even more.”

Campedelli, why did you decide to tell your side of the story after six years of silence?

“Because it was right to reestablish the truth after so many falsehoods. I owed it to my father, without whom Chievo would never have existed, to my family, to myself, and to the history of the club.”

Was it really a perfect crime?

“Yes, because we had no chance to respond. No one wanted to take the victim’s side or ensure that justice was done in this case. The institutions simply said that Chievo had not challenged the FIGC regulations, but no one wanted to see that during the Covid period, the state had passed an unconstitutional law that effectively made it impossible for the club to register for the championship. Without Covid, Chievo would still be alive because we had no financial problems, and the players’ salaries had all been paid regularly. Chievo was wiped out in seven days when a measure was issued in September 2020 blocking all installment payments. If I had had more time, I would certainly have found a way, but no one listened to me or gave me a hand.”

Have you ever wondered what mistakes you made?

“Many times. The biggest one was not securing Chievo before I was suspended from the position of president because I was charged in the Forlì trial for capital gains. I should have gone to the tax office and paid the entire tax bill to avoid installment payments. I would like to point out that I was acquitted for capital gains, the two-year sentence is for false accounting, and I have already appealed.”

What have you been doing in recent years?

“I’ve been dealing with lawyers and dedicating myself to fencing. Until last year, I was coaching a team of disabled kids, taking them to training sessions and matches. Initially, they trained at Bottagisio, which, after Chievo’s bankruptcy, ended up at auction and was bought by Verona. It was a disgrace: it was as if Milan had bought Appiano Gentile. I would never have done that.“

What was the hardest moment?

”November 2021, when I attempted suicide. I felt like a burden, carrying all the guilt in the world. I saw no way out. I had lost all hope, but now I’ve found some of it again. Soccer is my life, but now I prefer amateur soccer, untainted by technology. I’ve only been to see Monza a few times. I’ve also stopped following Inter, the team I used to support: since Moratti left, it’s lost its magic. He was one of the few, along with Preziosi, who stood by me.”

Which Chievo match has remained in your heart?

“Milan-Chievo 3-2: it was my first time at San Siro, apart from Lupatelli, D’Angelo, and D’Anna, we were all in the opponent’s half. We played very well, we scored three goals, they scored one, and yet we lost. I still don’t understand why…“

Was there a great champion you were about to sign? ”Two. In 2002, Drogba was already with Chievo: the only condition was the transfer of Eriberto and Manfredini, which unfortunately fell through. In 2006, Cavani trained with us, but according to Sartori and some members of the staff, he wasn’t worth the €500,000. Giovanni is one of the top five European managers, but since he left, his behavior has made me realize that he didn’t care about Chievo. When he could have helped us, he hid behind the club.”

If Pellissier called you to offer you a role in the new Chievo, what would you say?

“I would gladly have a coffee with Sergio despite the misunderstandings of recent times. I would be pleased if he called me, but I would have to think about everything else. The new team is called Chievo, but for me it remains something else. Chievo is not just a brand: it is the cups, the jerseys I designed, the people who worked with me. I struggle to identify today’s Chievo with mine: that was soccer for the sake of playing, with no other interests, with a president who suffered for the team. We didn’t lift any trophies, but we won many Scirea Cups and Fair Play Cups: they mean a lot to me, and in fact, I bought them back when they were auctioned off. I couldn’t let them be lost.”