Recently relegated SSC Bari are locked in a dispute with the Municipality of Bari over the use of Stadio San Nicola for the 2026/27 season – raising the possibility of the club playing outside the city.
The Municipality is preparing to award a new five-year concession for management of the iconic stadium, with Bari currently the only interested party. However, Mayor Vito Leccese has used the negotiations to increase pressure on club president Luigi de Laurentiis, demanding either a credible plan to relaunch the club following relegation to Serie C or a sale of the club itself.
Leccese has also requested clarity over the de Laurentiis family’s long-term intentions ahead of 2028, when Italian multi-club ownership rules will prevent them from owning both Bari and Napoli. Supporter frustration has simmered for years, with many fans feeling Bari have been treated as the lesser priority within the de Laurentiis portfolio. Relegation has now intensified scrutiny from the city authorities.
De Laurentiis responded defiantly, defending his eight years in charge and insisting he has no intention of stepping aside.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe situation will become increasingly urgent because Bari must confirm their home stadium for Serie C registration by 16 June. Leccese’s latest comments suggested the Municipality is prepared to use the stadium concession as leverage; he has now publicly advised the club to consider alternative venues.
As a result, Bari have opened talks with the Municipality of Altamura over a temporary move to the 3,000-seat Stadio Tonino D’Angelo, located around 40km from the city of Bari. It would be a farcical situation for Italy’s ninth largest city, with a population of 315,000.
And even that solution may yet prove complicated. When Team Altamura earned promotion to Serie C in 2024, they were forced to play at Stadio San Nicola while renovation work was completed on their own ground. Bari’s Municipality reportedly set the fee at €55,000 per match – a major financial burden for a club averaging only a few thousand supporters – with the money pocketed by SSC Bari as the stadium managers at the time. Bari could now face similar costs if they pursue a move in the opposite direction.
With the war of words escalating, the standoff between club and Municipality looks set to continue.
Calcio England 