Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 6y

Napoli president Auerlio De Laurentiis takes over Serie D side Bari

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has bought Bari and said his son would be taking the role of president there.

De Laurentiis had a bid for the club, in Serie D after being declared bankrupt at the end of last season, accepted ahead of an offer from Lazio president Claudio Lotito.

His takeover saw banners appear in Naples overnight, with one reading: "Don't stop with Bari -- buy other clubs too, just as long as you leave our city."

On Wednesday, De Laurentiis said Bari would not be a feeder club and would not take any of his focus away from Napoli.

"My son Luigi is going to deal with Bari," he said. "I convinced him after days of talks and discussions because he had never taken an interest in football up to now.

"One thing is for certain -- Bari will not be an appendix of Napoli, but they will be run as a separate entity, with separate efforts."

He said his aim for Bari was "to climb the ranks quickly to try to get back into Serie A," with former Napoli boss Edy Reja expected to be named as technical director with responsibility for appointing a coach.

"We need to change the rules that don't let you have two clubs in Serie A too," he added. "While that is a change which seems impossible now, it's got to become normality in future.

"One thing is certain, though -- we cannot mix Napoli and Bari, which are two separate cities, each with their own history and their own fans, who must be respected."

Responding to the banners calling on him to quit Napoli, De Laurentiis said: "I'm not going to let just a few dissidents, who come to the stadium and have antiquated ideas over club ownership, concern me."

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