In brief
Luigi and Aurelio De Laurentiis are under investigation for false accounting and fraudulent bankruptcy; searches were conducted at Bari, Napoli, and Filmauro offices.
Bari sold goalkeeper Elia Caprile to Napoli for 2.2 million euros in 2023 without a sell-on clause; Napoli later sold him to Cagliari for about 8 million, keeping the entire profit.
Bari accumulated around 30 million euros in losses from 2019 to 2025, leading to a request for judicial liquidation after relegation to Serie C.
The De Laurentiis family said they were astonished by the allegations and expect the case to be dismissed, citing an independent valuation of the transfer.
The federal prosecutor may open a case under sporting justice rules; penalties could range from fines to points deductions, but proving illicit intent remains difficult.
- 2025Napoli sells Caprile to Cagliari for about 8 million euros, booking a 7 million euro capital gain.
- 22 MayBari relegated to Serie C after playout against Sudtirol.
- 7 JulSearches at Bari, Napoli, and Filmauro; Luigi and Aurelio De Laurentiis indicted.
The investigation
On 7 July 2026, Italy's financial police searched the offices of SSC Bari, SSC Napoli, and Filmauro as part of a probe into the bankruptcy of Bari. The Bari public prosecutor's office has indicted Luigi De Laurentiis, sole administrator of SSC Bari, and his father Aurelio De Laurentiis, president of Napoli and legal representative of Filmauro, for false corporate communications and fraudulent bankruptcy. The charges stem from the club's 2024 balance sheet and a request for judicial liquidation due to insolvency.
The Caprile transfer
At the centre of the case is the transfer of goalkeeper Elia Caprile. Bari bought Caprile from Leeds United, then sold him to Napoli for 2.2 million euros in July 2023. Investigators say the deal included no sell-on clause, so when Napoli later sold Caprile to Cagliari for about 8 million euros, the entire 7 million euro capital gain went to Napoli. The prosecutor argues this deprived Bari of a fair share and contributed to its financial distress. Searches also targeted three former sporting directors and Caprile's agent, though they are not indicted.
Financial troubles and relegation
The investigation found that Bari accumulated losses of around 30 million euros between 2019 and 2025, leaving the club with a significant deficit and no concrete recovery plan. After Bari was relegated to Serie C on 22 May 2026 following a playout against Sudtirol, the prosecutor requested judicial liquidation for insolvency. This would be the club's third bankruptcy in just over a decade.
De Laurentiis family response
The De Laurentiis family issued a statement saying they were "astonished" by the allegations and confident their position would be quickly clarified. They stressed that the Caprile transfer was valued by an independent expert before completion and that Bari's losses, common in football, are routinely covered by the owners' own resources.
“Bari, Napoli, Aurelio and Luigi De Laurentiis learned with astonishment of the allegations raised in the search and seizure decree issued by the Public Prosecutor's Office at the Court of Bari and executed this morning.”
Potential sporting consequences
The federal prosecutor's office is expected to request documents from the ordinary courts. Under the sporting justice code, possible violations include Article 31 on management and economic matters, which can lead to fines or points deductions only if the offence directly affects championship registration (not the case for Napoli), and Article 4 on sporting loyalty, a discretionary rule applied in serious cases. Past precedent shows the difficulty of proving illicit conduct without clear evidence of intent, as seen in the Juventus capital gains case.