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)