Italy, region: Apulia
25 IV 2025 / SSC Bari - Modena FC 2018 1-2 / Serie B (= ITA level 2)
Timeline
- 1908 / A football pitch is laid out on the military parade ground in Bari, situated in the San Pasquale neighbourhood. This so-called Campo San Lorenzo is the breeding ground of football in Bari, with Bari FBC (founded in 1908), US Ideale (1908), and FBC Liberty (1909) all playing their matches at this venue.
- 1915 / Bari FBC, the oldest of the three main clubs in Bari, folds, ceasing all activities.
- 1924 / Bari FBC is re-established as FBC Bari.
- 1925 / With the Campo San Lorenzo being abandoned, the home matches of all three of Bari’s main football clubs move to the newly laid-out Campo degli Sports, which is in fact designed as well as owned by FBC Liberty’s chairman.
- 1927 / FBC Bari folds, ceasing all activities. That same year, FBC Liberty takes on the new name Bari FC.
- 1928 / Bari FC and US Ideale conclude a merger, resulting in the foundation of Unione Sportiva (US) Bari.
- 1934 / Moving away from the Campo degli Sports, US Bari settles at the newly constructed Stadio della Vittoria, inaugurated in September 1934 in the presence of Italy’s strongman Benito Mussolini.
- 1945 / Following the horrors of World War II, US Bari is taken over by a new consortium, which adapts the name of the club to become Associazione Sportiva (AS) Bari. The club continues to play its football at the Stadio della Vittoria in the following decades.
- 1984 / In December 1984, world football association FIFA takes the decision to give the organisation of the 1990 World Cup to Italy. Bari’s municipal authorities waste no time in indicating their interest to have Bari among the venue cities of the event, which provokes the question if the Stadio della Vittoria should be renovated or if a new stadium, to be built elsewhere, would be a preferable option.
- 1986 / Bari’s municipal council takes the decision to have a new stadium built, as the Stadio della Vittoria is deemed unsuitable as a World Cup venue as well as beyond renovation.
- 1987 / In October 1987, following a design by architect Renzo Piano, works get underway on the new-to-be-built Stadio San Nicola, situated on the far outskirts of Bari, alongside the road to Bitritto. Genoese architect Renzo Piano is the designer of several high-profile architectural works, most notably the Centre Pompidou in Paris. His original design for the stadium in Bari provides a lower ring in an artificial depression, topped by an upper ring in 26 different sectors, eight meters apart from each other. Apart from the optical effect, the separation of the top parts of the stands makes possible the isolation of groups of fans if need be. Moreover, a moat is envisaged between the lower ring and the playing field. In jest, the architect dubs his stadium design as Astronave or ‘Space Ship’. Originally, the projected capacity is 50,000, but, following a request by municipal authorities, an eight-lane athletics track is added to the set-up, resulting in a larger diameter of the stands and a total capacity of 58,270. On the downside, the roof above the structure now no longer protects the spectators in the front rows of the lower ring.
- 1990 / In May 1990, seven months later than originally planned, the new stadium in Bari is finally ready to be inaugurated – just in time for the 1990 World Cup, for which it is one of the selected venues. The ground – the largest football stadium in Southern Italy and the third-largest in Italy as a whole behind the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in Milan and the Stadio Olimpico in Rome – is given the name Stadio San Nicola, thus honouring the patron saint of the city. This name is the winner of a popular vote, organised by the local newspaper Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno, with the turned-down suggestions being Stadio Mediterraneo, Stadio Azzurro, Stadio del Levante, and Stadio degli Ulivi. In early June, mere days before the start of the World Cup, the new stadium is inaugurated with a friendly between AS Bari and Milan AC, resulting in a 2-0 win for the home side – and Lorenzo Scarafoni being the first-ever goalscorer at the venue. In the World Cup itself, the stadium hosts three matches in the group stage, all in Group B: Soviet Union-Romania (0-2, both goals by Marius Lăcătuș), Cameroun-Romania (2-1), and Cameroun-Soviet Union (0-4). Subsequently, the spectators in Bari see Czechoslovakia ease past Costa Rica in the first knock-out round (4-1), while the Stadio San Nicola also hosts the match for the bronze medal between Italy and England (2-1). For the start of the regular 1990-91 season, AS Bari, which had finished in a respectable tenth place in Italy’s top division, the Serie A, in the previous season, settles at the Stadio San Nicola, abandoning its old Stadio della Vittoria.
- 1991 / The Stadio San Nicola hosts the European Cup final between FK Crvena Zvezda (Red Star Belgrade) and Olympique Marseille (0-0 A.E.T., Red Star wins penalty shoot-out). Meanwhile, for the 1991-92 season, AS Bari signs a host of big-name players, the best-known of them being Aston Villa FC midfielder David Platt, who had been one of England’s stars in the 1990 World Cup.
- 1992 / Bari Coach Gaetano Salvemini fails to mould his all-star ensemble into a team and is replaced by former Polish international Zbigniew Boniek, but to no avail; AS Bari finishes in fifteenth place in Serie A, thus dropping back into Serie B along with Verona FC, US Cremonese, and bottom club Ascoli Calcio 1898. David Platt, who scored 11 goals in his 29 league matches for Bari and was called up for his country’s squad taking part in the 1992 European Championships in Sweden, leaves the club, signing a contract with Juventus FC. AS Bari signs Sebastião Lazaroni, Brazil’s coach in the 1990 World Cup, as its new trainer, but he is unable to bring Bari back to the top flight and leaves the club after the 1992-93 season. Also in 1992, Antonello Venditti is the first high-profile artist to give an open-air concert at the Stadio San Nicola; in subsequent years, he would be followed by Vasco Rossi, Adriano Celentano, Eros Ramazzotti, and many others.
- 1993 / Defender Giovanni Loseto, who had broken into AS Bari’s first team from the club’s youth academy eleven years previously, now leaves the club for Pescara Calcio. In total, Loseto played 319 official matches for the club, an all-time record at that moment.
- 1994 / Runners-up in Serie B, 5 points behind champions AC Fiorentina, AS Bari joins the Florentine club as well as Brescia Calcio and Calcio Padova in Serie A the following season. The successful coach is Giuseppe Materazzi. After five seasons at Bari, one of the darlings of the home supporters, Brazilian midfielder João Paulo, leaves the club, signing a deal with CR Vasco da Gama in his home country.
- 1995 / For the first time since the 1990 World Cup, the Stadio San Nicola is the venue for an international match, as Italy defeats Ukraine in a European Championships qualifier (3-1).
- 1996 / Coached by Eugenio Fascetti, who had replaced Giuseppe Materazzi as Bari’s coach in the course of the season, the club finishes in fifteenth place in Serie A, thus dropping back into Serie B along with Torino Calcio, US Cremonese, and bottom club Calcio Padova. Incredibly, given the bad placing of the club in the final ranking, Bari had a successful two-man forward line which scored 36 goals in total, Igor Protti (24) and Swedish World Cup star Kennet Andersson (12). Both of them leave the club, signing respective deals with SS Lazio (Protti) and Bologna FC (Andersson). Andersson’s departure is balanced by the arrival of another Swedish international, midfielder Klas Ingesson of Sheffield Wednesday FC.
- 1997 / Finishing in fourth place in Serie B, AS Bari manages an immediate return to Serie A along with champions Brescia Calcio as well as Empoli FC and derby rivals US Lecce. The successful coach is Eugenio Fascetti. In the summer of 1997, the XIII. Mediterranean Games are held in Bari, with the Stadio San Nicola being the main venue, with all athletics events as well as the final of the football tournament between the U23 teams of Italy and Turkey (5-1) taking place at the stadium. One of the other venues is the renovated Stadio della Vittoria.
- 1998 / After two seasons at AS Bari, Klas Ingesson leaves the club for Bologna FC. In the 1998 World Cup, held in France, two Bari players take part, Phil Masinga (South Africa) and Rachid Neqrouz (Morocco). In the early stages of the 1998-99 season, the UEFA Cup match between AC Fiorentina and HNK Hajduk Split (2-1) is played in Bari, due to Fiorentina not being allowed to play at its own Stadio Artemio Franchi following misconduct by their supporters during their 1996-97 Cup Winners’ Cup semifinal second leg match against Barcelona.
- 1999 / Bari defender Gianluca Zambrotta, who had signed for the club from Como Calcio two years previously, now joins Juventus FC, while also earning his first cap for Italy that same year. Zambrotta would wear his country’s deep-blue jersey on 98 occasions, being part of the squad which won the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
- 2000 / Bari players Yksel Osmanovski and Daniel Andersson are part of Sweden’s squad in the 2000 European Championships in Belgium and the Netherlands.
- 2001 / Finishing bottom of the Serie A table with coach Arcangelo Sciannimanico, who had replaced Eugenio Fascetti in the course of the season, AS Bari drops back into Serie B after four seasons, along with Reggina Calcio, Vicenza Calcio, and SSC Napoli. Defender Antonio Cassano, who had broken into Bari’s first team from the club’s youth academy in 1999, leaves the club, signing a contract with AS Roma. Cassano would go on to wear the colours of Real Madrid CF, UC Sampdoria, AC Milan, Internazionale, and Parma FC. Moreover, Cassano won 39 caps for Italy. Another player to leave Bari following the relegation in 2001 is midfielder Simone Perrotta, who joins AC Chievo Verona. Perrotta, who won a total of 48 caps for Italy, was part of his country’s World Cup winning squad in 2006.
- 2002 / Replacing Attilio Perotti in the early stages of the 2002-03 season, former Juventus FC and World Cup legend Mario Tardelli becomes head coach at AS Bari. Tardelli would be sacked in the early stages of the following season, being replaced by Giuseppe Pilon.
- 2004 / Finishing in joint twenty-first place in Serie B with Venezia FC, AS Bari meets the club from Venice in a relegation tie-breaker, going on to suffer a 2-1 (aggr.) defeat. As such, the club is relegated to the third level of the Italian football pyramid, Serie C1, along with Pescara Calcio, US Avellino, and bottom club Como Calcio. Eventually, however, due to bankruptcies at US Anconitana (Serie A) and SSC Napoli (Serie B), AS Bari and Pescara Calcio are re-admitted in Serie B for the new season.
- 2006 / After supporters’ misconduct in the derby game between Reggina Calcio and FC Messina Peloro, Reggina has to play its final league game of the season against Juventus FC away from its own Stadio Oreste Granillo. With Bari’s Stadio San Nicola being chosen as the replacement venue, Juve goes on to win the match (0-2) as well as the Italian title, only to see the trophy being taken away weeks later due to the so-called Calciopoli bribery scandal, which sees the club from Turin being punished with relegation to Serie B. Later in 2006, Juventus returns to the Stadio San Nicola for its Coppa Italia R1 away match against AC Martina 1947 (0-3). Martina chose Bari’s ground as its own stadium was deemed unsuitable to receive its high-profile opponent.
- 2007 / After twelve years, the Stadio San Nicola plays host to an international match again, as Italy defeats Scotland in a Euro qualifier (2-0). Prior to the match, Bari’s municipal authorities have the missing and broken seats in the stadium replaced as well as the scoreboard restored.
- 2009 / After several difficult years in Serie B, AS Bari now clinches the title in the antechamber of Italian football, 4 points ahead of runners-up Parma FC. As such, the club wins promotion to Serie A along with the aforementioned club as well as AS Livorno Calcio. The successful coach is former Italian international midfielder Antonio Conte, who would leave the club following the title to join Juventus FC. Conte would go on to have coaching spells at the Italian national team as well as Chelsea FC, Internazionale, Tottenham Hotspur FC, and SSC Napoli. With its new coach Gian Piero Ventura, Bari would have a stable first season back in the top flight, finishing in tenth place in Serie A. The year 2009 also saw the Stadio San Nicola play host to the World Cup qualifier between Italy and Ireland (1-1), while a strong mistral destroyed parts of the roofing construction over the away end – with the construction only being brought in order three years later. More damage to the roofing construction – and subsequent renovation works – occurred in the following years.
- 2010 / The first-ever Bari player to be called up for the Italian World Cup squad, defender Leonardo Bonucci is part of his country’s team taking part in the 2010 World Cup. The defender, who had signed from Pisa SC the previous year, left the club in the summer of 2010 to join Juventus FC. Another Bari player to be called up for the World Cup tournament in South Africa is Honduran midfielder Edgar Álvarez.
- 2011 / Coached by Bortolo Mutti, who had replaced Gian Piero Ventura in the course of the season, AS Bari finishes bottom of the Serie A table, thus dropping back into Serie B along with UC Sampdoria and Brescia Calcio. Following the relegation, Belgian goalkeeper Jean-François Gillet leaves the club to sign a deal with Bologna FC. Gillet, who had spent two spells with Bari (ten seasons in total: 2000-03 & 2004-11) broke Giovanni Loseto’s club record of 319 official matches, as he defended the Apulian club’s goal in 353 matches in total – an all-time record. Also in 2011, the Stadio San Nicola hosted the international friendly between Italy and World Cup winners Spain (2-1).
- 2014 / Finishing in seventh place in Serie B, AS Bari qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club knocks out FC Crotone in R1 (0-3), following which it manages a 4-4 (aggr.) draw against US Latina in the semis – not enough to progress to the following round, as Latina wins the ticket to the final based on having scored more points in the regular season. By that time, Bari’s failing to win promotion ranks as a minor problem, as the club had been declared bankrupt on March 10th, 2014, pressed down by a debt exceeding 30 million euro. With the club’s patrimony being purchased by an investor group gathered around former referee Gianluca Paparesta, Bari is allowed to keep its place in Serie B with a new name, FC Bari 1908. Also in 2016, Italy defeats the Netherlands in a friendly played at Stadio San Nicola (2-0).
- 2016 / Finishing in fifth place in Serie B, FC Bari 1908 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated in R1 by Novara Calcio (3-4 A.E.T.). Also in 2016, Italy suffers its first-ever defeat in an international match played at Stadio San Nicola, losing 1-3 against France in a friendly.
- 2018 / In spite of being deduced 2 points due to financial problems, FC Bari 1908 finishes in seventh place in Serie B, enough to qualify for the promotion play-offs. However, in those play-offs, the club is eliminated in R1 by AS Cittadella (2-2 A.E.T. & Cittadella progresses based on having scored more points in the regular season). Following the 2017-18 season, with the new board having proved unable to solve the club’s grave financial difficulties, FC Bari 1908 is dissolved. Subsequently, the club is re-established as an amateur team, Società Sportiva Calcio (SSC) Bari Società Sportiva Dilettantistica (SSD). SSC Bari SSD is admitted to Serie D, the fourth tier of Italian football, for the 2018-19 season.
- 2019 / Runaway champions in Serie D Group I, 11 points ahead of closest followers ASD Turris Calcio, SSC Bari SSD wins promotion to Serie C with its coach Giovanni Cornacchini. In June 2019, the club sheds its amateur (‘dilettante’) status, abbreviating its name to become SSC Bari.
- 2020 / Runners-up in Serie C Group C, 9 points behind champions Reggina 1914 on the basis of 30 of 38 matches played - with the 2019-20 season being cut short by the first COVID lockdown in March 2020 -, SSC Bari qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club knocks out Ternana Calcio in the quarterfinals (1-1 & better league finish), going on to qualify for the final following a 2-1 (A.E.T.) win over Carrarese Calcio 1908 in the semis. However, in the final against Reggio Audace FC, played at the Stadio Città del Tricolore in Reggio Emilia, Bari suffers a 1-0 defeat, thus ultimately missing out on promotion. Also in 2020, the seats at the western and eastern sides of the Stadio San Nicola are replaced – with both short ends undergoing the same renovation two years later.
- 2021 / Finishing in fourth place in Serie C Group C, SSC Bari is knocked out in R1 of the promotion play-offs by Feralpisalò (1-0 aggr.).
- 2022 / Champions in Serie C Group C, 8 points ahead of runners-up US Catanzaro 1929, SSC Bari wins promotion to Serie B along with play-off winners Palermo FC. The successful coach is Michele Mignani. Bari’s Moroccan striker Walid Cheddira is called up for his country’s squad in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
- 2023 / SSC Bari has an excellent first season in Serie B, finishing in third place and qualifying for the promotion play-offs. Knocking out FC Südtirol in the semis (1-1 aggr. & qualification based on better league result), the club goes on to suffer a 2-1 (aggr.) defeat against Cagliari Calcio in the final, thus narrowly missing out on a second promotion in a row. Also in 2023, the Stadio San Nicola plays host to Italy’s Euro qualifier against Malta (4-0).
- 2024 / Finishing in seventeenth place in Serie B, SSC Bari only avoids relegation by defeating Ternana Calcio in a relegation tie-breaker (4-1 aggr.). The club’s Romanian striker George Puşcaş is called up for his country’s squad in the 2024 European Championships in Germany. In the first three months of the 2024-25 season, Team Altamura, a club which had won promotion to Serie C for the first time, groundshares with SSC Bari at the Stadio San Nicola while its own Stadio Antonio D’Angelo is upgraded to meet Serie C requirements.
Note - Below, a compilation of photos of two different visits: pictures 1-2 = non-matchday visit, April 22, 2025 / pictures 3-29 = match visit, April 25, 2025
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