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Bari soccer fans show passion
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Published: September 13, 2009
ROME
It didn't take long for Tim Barton to realize the impact he was making by becoming the first American to buy a top Italian soccer team.
When Barton, a Texas-based entrepreneur, landed in Bari last month to sign off on the $35.8 million deal, 1,500 fans surged past security and onto the tarmac to greet him, temporarily closing down Bari's airport.
"Only European football can create passion like that," Barton said in a telephone interview from Dallas, recalling that his Aug. 17 arrival coincided with his birthday. "There's nothing like having 1,500 fans singing Happy Birthday."
The excitement grew six days later when Bari rallied for a 1-1 draw at the home of four-time defending Serie A champion Inter Milan -- a great day for a team playing its first match in the top division in eight years.
Barton was in Bari to attend the team's home opener, a 0-0 tie with Bologna. He will need Bari to stay in Serie A to become successful, since the bottom three clubs at the end of the season move to the second division.
Barton signed a preliminary deal last month to acquire Bari from the Matarrese family that has controlled the team for the past 32 years. After due diligence, the transfer of ownership is to be completed by Oct. 31, when Barton will become club president.
The Matarrese family wants to get the deal done.
"We have a saying that goes, ‘A guest is like a fish after three days, he starts to stink,' " said Bari CEO Salvatore Matarrese, the son of longtime president Vincenzo Matarrese. "(Barton) is showing himself off too much. If he intends to direct the club then it's useless to wait until October. He should move up the closure date."
It's little wonder the Matarrese family is ready to finish the sale. Running Italian teams can be a risky business.
Serie A clubs totaled $2 billion in cumulative operating losses over the 10-year span ending in 2007-08 -- the last season for which full records are available, according to London-based accounting firm Deloitte. English clubs gained nearly $2.87 billion over the same period.
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