Bari is sailing by sight: four questions for Luigi De Laurentiis

Four voices to tell the story of Bari. To better understand the state of mind that is going through the city in a delicate moment for the red and white team, the voices of four well-known faces from the social, cultural and professional panorama of the city emerge: the actor and well-known comedian Nicola Pignataro, the artist and author of the Bari anthem Sabino Bartoli, the pianist and music teacher Emanuele Arciuli and the lawyer and essayist on justice and organized crime Giovanni Di Cagno. The same four questions were asked to each one, with the aim of gathering impressions and reflections from those who live football with passion, but from different perspectives than the common fan.

On the eve of the public speech by President Luigi De Laurentiis, a general expectation of clarity and responsibility has emerged. The questions that our interlocutors would like to ask him mainly concern the long-term vision of the club, the sustainability of the sports project and the relationship with the fans. The expected answers? Concreteness, transparency and a strong signal of discontinuity with respect to the recent past. On the front of popular discontent, many fans have announced their intention to desert the stadium next season. The opinions collected show different sensitivities: there are those who understand the protest as a form of civil pressure and those who, while sharing the disappointment, believe that the absence from the stands could further weaken the team.

In view of Wednesday's press conference, which will feature sports director Magalini alongside new coach Fabio Caserta, attention is also focused on market strategies. Despite a reduced budget, a targeted transfer campaign is hoped for, based on motivated profiles that are functional to the technical project, with particular attention to the development of young people.

Finally, the figure of Fabio Caserta arouses cautious enthusiasm. His experience in difficult contexts and his ability to create a team identity are recognized. According to our interviewees, the coach will be able to make an important contribution in terms of mentality, organization and team spirit only if the right qualitative resources are made available to him.

1. After a very long silence, President Luigi De Laurentiis returns to speak on Monday. What questions would you ask him and what answers do you expect?

Nicola Pignataro: «I don't want to get into the argument between fans and club. People are shocked by the situation. The questions to ask would all be rhetorical, having the answer implicitly in themselves. The crowd is against the management, having been a slave for a couple of years. I would only ask Luigi De Laurentiis why he doesn't leave. But he never will, because there are too many economic interests. I would rather say something to those who allowed him to do them».

Emanuele Arciuli: «I don't envy Luigi De Laurentiis because, while a year ago the fans were very angry and the journalists were softer, now there are questions that require urgent answers. I would ask the president if he intends to officially distance himself from the statements made some time ago by his father in the famous Senate hearing in which he defined Bari as Napoli's second team. And, again, that in 2028 - at the end of the law on timeshare - either they will sell Bari in the face of a powerful offer, or they will lead it to bankruptcy. Well, I would ask if this risk of collapse really exists and therefore if they are ready to offer guarantees to avoid this from happening by selling the club in time to reliable people. Bankruptcy would be a grave shame».

Giovanni Di Cagno: «The disillusionment is total. I don't see the light at the end of the tunnel other than the sale of the company in 2028. An unbearable time horizon. Aurelio De Laurentiis expressed his thoughts with extreme clarity. Which we don't like. Everything that is happening is the result of this entrepreneurial position of Filmauro. All the big teams in Serie A have a second team. For Napoli it is Bari. Luigi De Laurentiis has shown that he has no consideration for the Bari fans. I have nothing to say to him. If no one does anything at a political level from the Municipality, nothing will change for the next three years. During the concessions and post-bankruptcy agreements, commitments were established that, to date, Filmauro has not fulfilled. The agreement with De Laurentiis must not be renewed, otherwise Napoli's second team will go and play in Campania».

Sabino Bartoli: «I think something good will come out of Monday's press conference. De Laurentiis can no longer hold the usual press conference. The time for rhetoric is over. People are tired. I expect the announcement of some corporate news. I would ask the father Aurelio the question. In fact, I would invite him to leave us free».

2. Many fans are threatening to desert the stadium next year. What choice will you make and what do you think about this form of protest?

NP: «It would be right from a practical point of view, but not ethical. In the end, it will be enough to lower the ticket prices to return to the stadium. Fan support is a disease and it cannot go away».

EA: «I am for freedom. Everyone must do what they want and no one can force others to leave the stadium, as happened at the end of last season. Whatever line is taken, it will be totally irrelevant for the club that has always shown that it doesn't give a damn about the fans».

GDC: «I will not pay for a ticket without returns in favor of the team. Therefore, it makes no sense to go to the stadium. The Municipality, I repeat, must ensure that Ssc Bari does not play at the San Nicola».

SB: «I partly agree with the position of those who intend to desert San Nicola. In my heart, however, I feel that I cannot do without Bari. Therefore, I do not know if I could stay away from the team. Perhaps, with much suffering, it will happen. In the end, there is no team. In the anthem we sing "We will never leave you alone". I hope this resolution always comes true».

3. Next Wednesday, ds Magalini will speak at the press conference to present the new coach Fabio Caserta. Given a reduced budget, what should be his next strategies on the market?

NP: «Dreams are just wishes. Let's forget it. I expect another season of sure suffering. When the apple is rotten it is difficult to recover it. We need to change the fruit. Everything must change».

EA: «Due to the reckless choice of the club, Bari is now a provincial team and will behave as such. The team cannot afford anything other than to remain in the category. The only viable objective is safety. It is humiliating for Bari to think in these terms, but that's how it is. Being relegated to C terrifies me. A hell from which it would be very difficult to recover».

GDC: «What could poor Magalini possibly say? We'll listen to the usual people, we'll see and try. If we can't even keep good Mantovani, who was a reserve in the relegated Ascoli, what are we talking about?».

SB: «To be honest, I would focus on the president's words in the first press conference on Monday. We will understand everything from there. If the budget is reduced, it means that the long-awaited change will not happen and we will find ourselves faced with the usual mockery. That is, in the direction of yet another year zero. I do not expect anything significant from the market. At that point, it will be right to desert».

4. How much do you love the figure of Fabio Caserta? What can the coach from Reggio give to the cause of Bari?

NP: «Due to work commitments with the theater, I am not interested in the technical affairs of the red and whites. My mind is elsewhere. Before Caserta, many arrived. He will not go to the middle of the field, but the players. Caserta may be good, but if you don't buy good actors it is of little use. I haven't been to the stadium for a long time. At the San Nicola, the fan doesn't feel involved in the game like they did at the Della Vittoria. This Bari makes you neither laugh nor cry. Intelligent people have understood that there is little left to do. At the funeral of the deceased you can only bring flowers».

EA: «Instinctively, Caserta doesn't inspire much empathy in me. I hope he's good. At the moment, they need about twenty players and the loan rules are becoming restrictive».

GDC: «I read that the new coach wants to focus on young players arriving from Sassuolo, Atalanta, Juventus. They will be loaned out and this way we will not get anywhere. Longo was celebrated because he immediately told the truth about his ambitions. It would have been better to continue with him and invest the money from Caserta with technical additions. Instead, we want a coach who can make a wedding with dried figs».

SB: «The coach is important. And even more so the men who go on the pitch. I like the idea that he can play with three strikers. If only we had them. It's already difficult to find strikers in the national team, let alone in Serie B. If the raw material isn't there, what can Caserta do? Can we still go ahead with the bets? Tutino's name is circulating. It would be reheated soup, I don't like it. I would focus more on young people».