The Stadio San Nicola or the Saint Nicholas Stadium is a multipurpose stadium, primarily used for football located in Bari, Italy. The design of the stadium resembles a flower and was designed by the maestro Renzo Piano.
To emulate this particular design, the stadium has 26 'petals' and upper tiers of the higher ring which are separated by 8-metre empty spaces, enough to guarantee satisfactory security conditions. The stadium has a capacity to hold 58,270 people.
History
The stadium was built in 1990, for the 1990 FIFA World Cup. The construction of this stadium took three years.
The first match it hosted was the one between Soviet Union and Romania in the Group B of the World Cup. Romania outperformed the Soviets and achieved a 2-0 victory.
Major Matches
Stadio San Nicola hosted five matches in the 1990 World Cup. Out of these, three were group stage matches in which teams of Group B played against each other.
In the Round of 16 match, Czechoslovakia achieved a massive 4-1 victory over Costa Rica which guided them to the quarter finals. However, the most interesting match of the tournament was the one played between the hosts Italy and England for the third Place. In a thriller of a game, to the delight of the crowd, the hosts beat the English 2-1.
It hosted the 1991 European Cup Final in which the Red Star Belgrade of former Yugoslavia beat the French side Marseille in penalties.
Controversies
The Stadio San Nicola hosted Italy's 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification against the Republic of Ireland on 1 April 2009. Italy were booed off the field after Ireland shocked the nation by scoring in the 87th minute. The match ended in a 1–1 draw.
The stadium is occupied by the Italian team F.C. Bari which was recently on the verge of bankruptcy. After a failed auction, it was finally acquired by its new owners. The club faced a serious and imminent threat of disappearing.
Recent Matches
In the most recent match played in the Stadio San Nicola, home side F.C. Bari had a goalless draw against the Parma in the Serie B. Prior to a 3-0 defeat at home at the hands of Palermo, Bari won three consecutive home games.
The stadium has not hosted any international match since the 2010 World Cup qualifier game.
