Former Juventus and Italy midfielder Antonio Conte has been
named coach of Serie B side Bari, replacing Beppe Materazzi who
resigned Friday morning.
Bari are 15th in Serie B with 20 points from 18 games.
Conte, 38, was born further down the Puglia coast from Bari in
Lecce, where he began his footballing career.
He was a Juve mainstay through the 1990s and played for Italy in
the 1994 World Cup and the 2000 European Championships.
Conte played 89 times for Lecce between 1985 and 1992, and 295
times for Juve between 1992 and 2004, where he scored 29 goals.
He was part of the Juve side beaten on penalties in the 2003
Champions League final by AC Milan.
He started his managerial career as assistant coach at Siena in
2005 before moving to another Serie B Tuscan club, Arezzo, the
following year.
Arezzo sacked Conte after its relegation to Serie C last
year.
(Xinhua News Agency December 29, 2007)