At the start of the 2010–11 season, Sorrento were top of the table Serie C1 by November, and faced a strong possibility of promotion to Serie B. This was largely due to the goals scored by Paulinho Betanin who had weighed in with 24 league goals (in 29 games) by the end of the season. Promotion was not forthcoming, however, and by finishing the season in second place Sorrento qualified for the Play-offs. Betanin was injured for the final games of the season and did not feature in the play-offs. For the Semi-final they drew Hellas Verona and were unlucky to lose the first leg 2–0 away at the Bentegodi. The second leg saw a 1–1 draw at Stadio Italia and by losing 3–1 on aggregate Sorrento did not qualify for the Play-off final. While Sorrento had not played well enough over the two legs to reach the final, the second leg was marred by controversy. According to a local newspaper the visiting fans of Hellas Verona (a team strongly associated with hooliganism in Italy) disrespected the minute's silence for fallen Italian soldiers in Afghanistan and proceeded to shout racist chants at Sorrento's Senegalese Player Niang. Then following the game, as recounted in the local newspaper Positano news, many local shops were apparently the scene of violence as the Verona fans rampaged the streets. Sorrento failed in their bid for promotion to serie B.