Italy: Bari football club (Serie B) officially declared bankrupt

AS Bari (Serie B, the Italian second division) was officially declared bankrupt by the Court of Bari on 10/03/2014. The Matarrese family, which has owned it since 1977, can no longer assume the debts of the club, estimated to be about €30m.

The AS Bari licence is set to be auctioned in April or early May by the two directors appointed by the court, Marcello Danisi and Gianvito Giannelli, as well as another club affiliated with the Italian Federation being allowed to register in Serie B before the deadline of 30/06/2014.

AS Bari is 17^th in Serie B (32 points) after 28 days.

Belgian, Roland Duchâtelet, chairman of Standard Liège (Jupiler Pro League, Belgium) may be interested in buying the Italian club, according to several Belgian media outlets.

Roland Duchâtelet is also the majority shareholder in five other European clubs: Charlton Athletic (Championship, English second division), Alcorcon (Spanish second division), Carl Zeiss Jena (German fourth division), Ujpest FC (Hungarian first division), and Sint-Truiden (Belgian second division).

• AS Bari was founded in 1908.
  • The club…