Fellow calcio lovers, it’s time to reveal the mysterious Serie A lineup from yesterday’s quiz!
These fellows wearing such stylish green jerseys are Avellino, who spent 10 seasons in the Italian top-flight between the 1970s and the 1980s. The Biancoverdi (white-and-greens), also known as the Wolves of Irpinia, used to be regular in Serie A and to give life to a hotly contested regional derby against Napoli.
Avellino is indeed the main town in the historical district of Irpinia, not far from Naples. Their home ground, which was known back in the days as the Stadio Partenio, was a small but almost impregnable fort that often proved fatal to many football powerhouses.
Winning in Avellino was so difficult that, during the 1980s, it was quite common to hear that a team had “submitted to The Law of the Partenio,” meaning that they came from Avellino empty-handed. The Law of the Partenio was one of the most common journalistic tropes back in the days.
Among the players who wore the Biancoverdi jersey, one can remember Brazilian internationals Dirceu and Juary, and Gerònimo Barbadillo of Peru. Goalkeeper Stefano Tacconi also spent a few seasons in Irpinia before moving to Juventus, and future Azzurro Fernando De Napoli also played in his hometown Avellino before becoming a Napoli starter.
Avellino were last seen in Serie A in the 1987-88 season. From then on, they have been mostly yo-yoing between the second and the third division, with a few unfortunate visits to the amateurish Serie D. They survived two bankruptcies and, as of today, they are second-placed in the Group C of Serie C, with good chances of making it back to the Serie B.
