Editing SSC Bari (section)

==History==
{{main|History of SSC Bari}}

===Foundation===
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:FBC Bari 1908.jpg|thumb|left|FBC Bari originals in 1908]] -->
'''Bari Foot-Ball Club''' was founded in the city on 15 January 1908.<ref>[http://amobari.altervista.org/archivio/storia.html AmoBari.org] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090507120449/http://amobari.altervista.org/archivio/storia.html |date=7 May 2009 }}</ref> Like the majority of early Italian football clubs, foreign people were involved in the foundation of the club. Amongst the main founders were German Floriano Ludwig, Swiss Gustavo Kuhn, and a native trader of Bari called Giovanni Tiberini.<ref>[http://www.ininternet.org/bari_calcio.htm In Internet]</ref> Originally, the club wore red shirts with white shorts; early on, they would play against English sailors at the San Lorenzo field in the San Pasquale area of Bari.

Although the club was founded early on, clubs from Southern Italy were not significantly represented in the early Italian football championships; due to that, Bari did not immediately participate in the early national leagues. During [[World War I]], the original club became inactive before being reorganized in 1924 under the same name.

By this time, other clubs from the city had begun playing too, including ''Foot-Ball Club Liberty'' which originally wore blue and white stripes and were founded as a dissident club from the original Bari in 1909<ref>[http://espresso.repubblica.it/dettaglio-local/E-la-citta-ritrova-il-Liberty-Abboniamoci-in-10mila/1619027 Repubblica.it] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071118223024/http://espresso.repubblica.it/dettaglio-local/E-la-citta-ritrova-il-Liberty-Abboniamoci-in-10mila/1619027 |date=18 November 2007 }}</ref> and their rivals ''Unione Sportiva Ideale'' who wore green and black stripes and was founded in 1908. It was FBC Liberty who became the first ever side from the [[Province of Bari]] to take part in the [[Italian Football Championship]]; this was during the [[Italian Football Championship 1921-22 (C.C.I.)#Apulia|1921–22 CCI season]] when the main clubs in the country had a falling out with [[FIGC]].

The [[Italian Football Championship 1922-23|following season]] Ideale became the first side from Bari to progress to the Southern Italian semi-finals round but lost out to [[SS Lazio|Lazio]]. All three clubs featured in the championship for the first time in [[1924–25 Prima Divisione|1924–25]]; while FBC Bari were relegated and ceased to exist again in 1927, Liberty, on the other hand, reached the Southern semi-finals before losing out heavily to [[AS Roma|Alba Roma]].

===Unione Sportiva Bari===
During the 1926-1928 period, the whole of Italian football was changing and beginning to become more organized. Several mergers were taking place in [[Naples]], [[Florence]], and Rome around the same time. FBC Liberty opted to change their name to Bari FC and first used it on 6 February 1927 in a match against [[Taranto Sport|Audace Taranto]]; then, on 27 February 1928, Bari FC merged with US Ideale to create '''Unione Sportiva Bari'''. The US Bari retook the red and white colours of FBC Bari.

After the Italian Championship of [[1928–29 Divisione Nazionale|1928–29]], the league system was reorganized and Bari was placed in [[Serie B]]. One of their players was called up in the [[Italy national football team]] that season for the first time, in the form of [[Raffaele Costantino]]; this made Bari the first Serie B club to contribute a player and a scorer to the national side.<ref>[http://www.homestead.com/forza_azzurri/clubs_prof_A.html Forza Azzurri&nbsp;– Bari]</ref>

===Between Serie A and Serie B===
The 1930s and 1940s were Bari's golden age, spending much of that time in [[Serie A]], with a finish of seventh in 1947 being the best they achieved.

In the 1950s, Bari went into a sharp decline and an equally rapid revival towards the end of the decade to spend three more years in Serie A (1958–61). Stars of the team in this period included [[Biagio Catalano]] and [[Raúl Conti]]. The club returned to Serie A twice more in this period (1963–64 and 1969–70), with the latter proving especially harrowing with only 11 goals scored, the lowest of any top-flight club. In 1974, Bari descended to [[Serie C]], finishing that season with only 12 goals scored and 26 conceded in 38 games.

[[File:1970–71 Associazione Sportiva Bari.jpg|thumb|left|1970–71 AS Bari]]
By the late 1970s, Bari were back in Serie B and on something of an upward swing, narrowly missing promotion in 1982. They managed promotion to Serie A in 1985 and acquired English players [[Gordon Cowans]] and [[Paul Rideout]], but they were unable to prevent an instant return to [[Serie B]].

A return to Serie A in 1989 with stars including stalwart defender [[Giovanni Loseto]], midfielder [[Pietro Maiellaro]] and Brazilian striker [[Sérgio Luís Donizetti|João Paulo]] saw a respectable 10th-place finish in 1990, their last season at the [[Stadio della Vittoria|Della Vittoria]]. The following season saw Bari move to the [[Stadio San Nicola|San Nicola stadium]], built for the [[1990 World Cup]], but by 1992, despite the signing of [[David Platt (footballer)|David Platt]], they would be relegated once more.

Promotion in 1994 saw another two-year stay in Serie A with [[Igor Protti]] clinching league topscorer in [[1995–96 AS Bari season|1995–96 season]], and another promotion in 1997 saw the emergence of promising youngsters like [[Nicola Ventola]], [[Gianluca Zambrotta]], [[Antonio Cassano]] and [[Diego De Ascentis]]. This time, they managed a four-year stay in Serie A under the guidance of [[Eugenio Fascetti]], despite his uneasy relationship with many sections of the club's support. The club has since had a generally indifferent spell in Serie B. However, having been near the top of the Serie B table for much of the 2008–09 season, they gained promotion to Serie A on 8 May 2009, under the guidance of [[Antonio Conte]].

In November 2009, a take-over bid was rejected.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.asbari.it/societa/archivio-news/2333-rifiutata-lofferta-meleam-per-lacquisto-della-as-bari-spa.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101026022321/http://asbari.it/societa/archivio-news/2333-rifiutata-lofferta-meleam-per-lacquisto-della-as-bari-spa.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 October 2010|title=RIFIUTATA L'OFFERTA MELEAM PER L'ACQUISTO DELLA AS BARI SPA|date=27 November 2009|access-date=14 March 2011|work=AS Bari|language=it}}</ref> A [[Texas]]-based company JMJ Holdings also gave an intent to take over in August 2009.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.asbari.it/societa/archivio-news/1303-jmj-holdings-announces-intent-to-purchase-as-bari-football-team.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101026132024/http://asbari.it/societa/archivio-news/1303-jmj-holdings-announces-intent-to-purchase-as-bari-football-team.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 October 2010|title=JMJ Holdings announces intent to purchase AS Bari football team|date=18 August 2009|access-date=14 March 2011|work=AS Bari|language=it}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.asbari.it/societa/archivio-news/2190-lad-salvatore-matarrese-oggi-scadenza-improrogabileq.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091002232912/http://www.asbari.it/societa/archivio-news/2190-lad-salvatore-matarrese-oggi-scadenza-improrogabileq.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 October 2009|title=L'Ad Salvatore Matarrese: 'Oggi scadenza improrogabile|date=20 September 2009|access-date=14 March 2011|work=AS Bari|language=it}}</ref>

With [[Leonardo Bonucci]] and [[Andrea Ranocchia]] as centre-back and [[Paulo Vitor Barreto|Barreto]] as striker, Bari performed well in the first half of the season. Eventually, Bari finished 10th. However, Bari lost €19 million in 2009 financial year,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.asbari.it/societa/archivio-news/2748-assemblea-dei-soci-approvato-il-bilancio-della-societa.html|title=Assemblea dei soci: approvato il bilancio della Società|date=28 May 2010|access-date=14 March 2011|work=AS Bari|language=it}}</ref> which meant Bari was quiet in the 2010 summer window and in the January 2011 transfer window, they failed to find a replacement of Bonucci and Ranocchia. The company recovered from negative equity due to an increase in TV income, as well as the sale of Bonucci (a profit of €6.45 million). Bari had a positive equity of €870,653 on 31 December 2010 and a net income of 14 million in the 2010 calendar year due to extraordinary income from selling the brand.<ref>AS Bari Report and Accounts on 31 December 2010 {{in lang|it}}</ref>

Bari were relegated to [[Serie B]] after the 2010–11 season, finishing 17 points short of 17th placed [[US Lecce|Lecce]]. During the season, manager [[Giampiero Ventura]] was replaced by [[Bortolo Mutti]] in a failed attempt to save the club from relegation. On 4 March 2011, Bari played its 1,000th game in Serie A.

===The end of the Matarrese reign===
On 13 June 2011, President Vincenzo Matarrese and the rest of the board of directors resigned after 28 years of controlling the club. [[Vincenzo Torrente]] was brought in to manage the side in the summer of 2011, and much of the playing roster was let go due to financial difficulties at the club and replaced by young players. Despite six and seven-point penalties in the following two seasons, Bari under Torrente was able to achieve mid-table Serie B finishes; however, disconcertingly, attendances continued to dwindle. In the summer of 2013, Torrente resigned and was replaced by [[Carmine Gautieri]], who also resigned after two weeks. The top job was then assigned to Roberto Alberti Mazzaferro.

The financial position of the club continued to decline, and the Mattarese family reduced the amount of money they put into the club. The club's debt reached €30m in February 2014. The club was declared bankrupt on 10 March 2014. The first bankruptcy auction, on 18 April 2014, was declared deserted due to the lack of a bid that met all of the criteria. The second auction, on 12 May 2014, also failed to find a successful bidder. The club was in real danger of disappearing.

===FC Bari 1908===
[[File:FC Bari 1908.png|thumb|left|120px|FC Bari 1908 logo used between 2014 and 2016]]

The third bankruptcy auction was held on 20 May 2014 with an asking price for the club of just €2m.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}} A consortium '''FC Bari 1908 S.p.A.''' led by former Serie A referee [[Gianluca Paparesta]] successfully acquired the club assets and sports title. A strong spell of form towards the end of the season, where the club lost just two of its last 15 Serie B matches, meant that Bari qualified for the 2013–14 Serie B play-offs. Bari met Crotone in the quarter-finals and won 3–0, setting up a clash against Latina, the side that finished 3rd in the regular season. The first leg of the play-off semifinal was a sell-out with over 50,000 people attending the match, an incredible achievement considering the club recorded an attendance of less than 1,000 just a few months earlier. Bari were knocked out due to two draws (2–2 and 2–2).

In 2014–15, the team ended the season in 10th place. In 2015–16, Bari gained 5th place in the league and subsequent access to the play-off preliminary match against [[Novara Calcio|Novara]] but lost 3–4 after [[extra time]] at Stadio San Nicola.

In December 2015, Cosmo Giancaspro acquired 5% of Bari's shares.<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://fcbari1908.com/cambio-assetto-societario-5-giangaspro/|title=Cambio di assetto societario: il 5% a Cosmo Giancaspro|date=15 December 2015|access-date=20 January 2018|publisher=FC Bari 1908|language=it}}</ref> In April 2016 [[Noordin Ahmad]] signed a preliminary agreement to acquire 50% shares of the club<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.fourfourtwo.com/my/features/noordin-ahmad-malaysias-mystery-man-bari|title=Noordin Ahmad: Malaysia's mystery man at Bari|date=20 April 2016|work=FourFourTwo|access-date=31 August 2017|language=en-MY}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|url=https://fcbari1908.com/comunicato-stampa-f-c-bari-1908/|title=[no title]|date=11 April 2016|access-date=19 November 2017|publisher=FC Bari 1908|language=it}}</ref> but the deal collapsed; In June 2016 Cosmo Giancaspro became the sole director ({{langx|it|Amministratore Unico}}) of the club, after the entire share capital were acquired by an Italian company Kreare Impresa S.r.l.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.fcbari1908.club/cosmo-antonio-giancaspro-amministratore-unico-della-fc-bari-1908/|title=Cosmo Antonio Giancaspro Amministratore Unico della FC Bari 1908|date=23 June 2016|publisher=FC Bari 1908|language=it|access-date=19 July 2018}}</ref> According to ''[[La Repubblica]]'', Kreare Impresa was owned by Giancaspro, but both Giancaspro and his company was involved in a money laundering investigation.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/2018/01/21/soldi-e-crac-le-manovre-di-giancasproBari03.html|title= Soldi e crac, le manovre di Giancaspro |date=21 January 2018|access-date=19 July 2018|newspaper=La Repubblica|language=it|first=Mara|last=Chiarelli|location=Rome|publisher= GEDI Gruppo Editoriale|issn=2499-0817}}</ref>

===A new beginning: SSC Bari===
On 16 July 2018, Bari were excluded by Co.Vi.Soc. from participating in [[2018–19 Serie B]] due to financial reasons.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://bari.repubblica.it/cronaca/2018/07/16/news/bari_calcio_c_e_la_cordata_per_salvare_la_societa_ma_giancaspro_diserta_l_incontro-201891225/|title=Bari, salta l'iscrizione al campionato in B: addio al calcio professionistico dopo 110 anni|date=16 July 2018|newspaper=La Repubblica (Bari edition)|language=it|access-date=19 July 2018|first=Francesca|last=Russi|publisher= GEDI Gruppo Editoriale}}</ref> The shareholders also tried to recapitalize the club<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://fcbari1908.com/errata-corrige-del-comunicato-pubblicato-stamattina-alle-ore-8-00/|title=Errata corrige del Comunicato pubblicato stamattina alle ore 8.00|date=12 July 2018|access-date=15 July 2018|publisher=FC Bari 1908|language=it}}</ref> and appeal the exclusion to Collegio di Garanzia of [[Italian National Olympic Committee]] (CONI), however, it was rejected.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.coni.it/it/news-attivita-istituzionali/148-collegio-di-garanzia/15237-sezioni-unite-decisione-rinviata-su-istanza-cautelare-per-commissariamento-figc,-respinta-richiesta-del-bari-1908.html|title= Sezioni Unite: decisione rinviata su istanza cautelare per Commissariamento FIGC |date=31 July 2018|access-date=1 August 2018|publisher=Italian National Olympic Committee|language=it}}</ref>

Thanks to the [[Article 52 of N.O.I.F.]], [[Aurelio De Laurentiis]], the owner of football club [[SSC Napoli|Napoli]] and film company [[Filmauro]], had won the rights to establish a phoenix club of Bari and restart in [[2018–19 Serie D]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/31-07-2018/bari-de-laurentiis-riparte-lui-serie-d-2801060785826.shtml|title= Il Bari è di De Laurentiis! Riparte con lui dalla Serie D |date=31 July 2018|access-date=1 August 2018|newspaper=La Gazzetta dello Sport|location=Milan|publisher=RCS MediaGroup|language=it}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Bari to restart in Serie D|url=https://www.football-italia.net/124586/bari-restart-serie-d |access-date=17 July 2018 |agency=Football Italia}}</ref> He also re-established the current Napoli in 2004. The new club will be named ''SSC Bari'', with De Laurentiis stating his intention to return it to Serie A as soon as possible.<ref name="bari_delaurentiis" /> The club was subsequently assigned to Group I of [[2018–19 Serie D]], traditionally destined to teams from Sicily and [[Calabria]].<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://seried.lnd.it/it/seried-news/news-serie-d/27078-i-gironi-2018-2019|title= Gironi 2018/2019 |date=30 August 2018|access-date=31 August 2018|publisher=Lega Nazionale Dilettanti|language=it}}</ref>

On 23 August 2018, as part of a press conference, Aurelio De Laurentiis announced his eldest son, film producer Luigi De Laurentiis Jr.,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2071741/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm|publisher=IMDB.com |title=Luigi De Laurentiis Jr. |access-date=31 August 2018 }}</ref> as the new Bari chairman.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/22-08-2018/luigi-delaurentiis-bari-ritratto-290387118872.shtml |title=Luigi De Laurentiis, un innovatore a Bari |language=it |access-date=31 August 2018 |date=23 August 2018}}</ref>

Bari was promoted to [[2019–20 Serie C|Serie C]] at the end of the 2018–19 season. In the following seasons, the club was always touted as a major contender for promotion to Serie B.

In the 2019–20 campaign, Bari ended the season in second place behind [[Reggina 1914|Reggina]] and then made it all the way to the playoff final, where they were defeated by [[AC Reggiana 1919|Reggiana]] after extra time, thus missing on immediate promotion to the Italian second division. Following a fourth-place finish in the next season, the club hired [[Michele Mignani]] as head coach and strengthened the squad even further: this proved to be successful, as Bari won Group C and gained promotion to Serie B on 3 April 2022, with four games yet to go.<ref>{{cite web |language=it |accessdate=10 April 2022 |date=3 April 2022 |publisher=La Gazzetta dello Sport |url=https://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/altri-campionati/03-04-2022/bari-serie-b-promosso-l-1-0-latina-4302149127718.shtml |title=Festa Bari: è Serie B! I pugliesi ritornano tra i cadetti dopo 4 anni}}</ref> In their first season return to Serie B, Bari made it to the promotion playoff finals at home, lossing to [[Cagliari Calcio|Cagliari]] due to an injury-time goal by [[Leonardo Pavoletti]], thus missing out on a second consecutive promotion.