By James Richards
North-South divides are common. They fall into a number of categories ranging from political, economic, topographical, cultural or even sporting – and no north-south divide is quite as pronounced as the one that exists in Italian football.
In the history of the Italian top flight, dating back to 1898, only two teams south of Rome have won the Scudetto and only one of them heralds from the Italian mainland.
Cagliari, thanks to the fierce left foot of Gigi Riva, won it in 1970 and Napoli, inspired by Diego Maradona, triumphed in 1987 and 1990.
The gulf between the regions is getting bigger with only Napoli resembling anything of a force in Serie A this year. Palermo, the only other southern representative, are fighting to avoid relegation.
It is not through lack of talent that the south is so poorly represented in the honours list. Southern clubs have been rich feeding grounds for the northern giants with talented players being snapped up on a regular basis.
The easy answer is that the north is where the money is and that is true to a point. Even the better-funded southern clubs struggle to hold on to their top talent. Palermo are a case in point with players like Luca Toni, Amauri, Edison Cavani, Javier Pastore and, most recently, Paulo Dybala all being sold after only one or two good seasons with the Sicilian club.
There are signs that things maybe about to change. In next season’s top flight there will definitely be at least four southern clubs. Napoli, who finished runners-up to Juventus, and Palermo remain in Serie A, while Cagliari ensured an immediate return with surprise package Crotone joining them.
If one of Trapani, Pescara or Bari manage to successfully negotiate the play-offs, then a quarter of the teams in Serie A will be classified as southern. This is at least respectable and a big improvement on the last three seasons that saw southern representation fall to three teams in 2013-14 and then to a 12-year low of just two this season!
Among the southern play-off hopefuls stirs a sleeping giant. With an average attendance of more than 20,000, Bari, who play at the impressive 58,000-capacity (fourth largest in Italy) Stadio San Nicola, have the potential to become a real force in Italy but, as Newcastle fans will tell you, it takes more than good gates and a large stadium to bring success.
The fact the club still exists is remarkable in itself. In 2014 the club were moments away from folding before Bari-born, former Serie A referee, Gianluca Paparesta led a consortium to take control of the club. They haven’t looked back since.
Renamed FC Bari 1908, the club managed to squeeze into the play-offs in 2013-14 thanks to the new Serie B format that allowed six teams to qualify so long as they were within 14 points of third place.
In the preliminary round, Bari beat Crotone to set up a two- legged tie against third-placed Latina. The first leg, in Bari, saw a sell-out crowd of over 50,000 attend, quite a turnaround considering only 1,000 were attending games before the takeover!
The match finished 2-2, meaning Bari had to win in Latina to progress.
Again, massive crowds gathered across the city to watch the second leg on big screens but, alas, it was not to be as the return also finished 2-2, meaning Latina progressed due to their higher finish in the league.
Bari finished tenth in 2014-15 but are firmly entrenched in the play-off places this term and no doubt the city will be on tenterhooks again.
There are not many teams in Serie A, let alone Serie B, that can command the support Bari receive. Even when playing away, the team are followed by a large group of vociferous, banner-toting, flag-waving ultras.
If the club can become established in Serie A, then there is no reason why they can’t become another ‘big’ southern outfit, a role which Napoli have stoically held alone for the past few years.
For now, though, Galletti fans will be hoping only for a return to the top flight and a chance to rub shoulders again with Italy’s elite clubs.
There is no doubt the club have massive potential and if Leicester City have taught us anything, it is that nothing is impossible.
With the right tactics, team chemistry and a strong work ethic, you can go a long way.
Bari may not be challenging the dominance of Juventus any time soon but they can dare to dream and maybe, just maybe, another Scudetto will be heading south in the not so distant future!
