If the Cockerels win promotion to Serie A, it will be a dream for the fans - and a nightmare for the owner

Bari haven't been playing in Serie A since getting relegated in 2011. The club from the south of Italy boasts a proud history but also a turbulent decade. They could return to the top flight this weekend if they win or draw with Cagliari at home in the Serie B play-off final second leg, but that win could put their owners in big trouble.

The fans just want to return to the big-time, and that's perfectly understandable. The club from the Stadio San Nicola endured playing in the fourth tier of Italian football just four years ago. They suffered bankruptcy, uncertainty, and ownership changes. The latter is now proving significant because Aurelio De Laurentiis, who also owns Napoli, took control of Bari in July 2018. Although the club had to drop down to Serie D, the fourth tier in Italy, it was the start of something better. A glimmer of hope. Fast forward to June 2023, and Bari are just one result away from Serie A - and a series of legal conundrums.

Formally, Bari owner is not Aurelio, but his son Luigi De Laurentiis. But it makes no real difference to the story. The law says not even relatives can be owners of clubs playing against each other - and besides: Aurelio is the true owner of Bary anyway.

Should the Cockerels get promoted, it would mean De Laurentiis would have to sell the club and give up control because one man (and his relatives) cannot own two clubs in the same division. If Bari celebrate promotion on Sunday night, their owner would have just a couple of months to find a buyer for the club. If he doesn't do so, he might be given six months more, but then he'd have to accept just about any offer and sell the club way below its actual market value.

It's what happened to Claudio Lotito, the Lazio owner. He also took control of Salernitana, the club he never believed would reach Serie A. But two years ago, that's exactly what happened. Long story short, he was forced to sell the club for just $10 million, way below his initial asking price of $60 million. For a businessman like Aurelio De Laurentiis, it would be agony to have to accept such a loss.

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So what is the deal? Should he cheer for Cagliari on Sunday? Well, no. The Italian media claim that the wily old businessman already has potential new owners waiting in front of his door, ready to become owners of a Serie A club with a big stadium and a fanbase starved of top-flight football. It should be an enticing proposition, right?

But it all hinges on the big clash with Cagliari this weekend. The 1-1 draw away on Sardinia means that the team better-placed in the table would go through should the second game end in a draw. And that it Bari. So they need to win or draw - and they will give their owner a lot to think about!