Lecce v Bari to be played behind closed doors: Ridiculous

Derbies in Italy are always great to watch. Whether its the clash of European giants in Milan v Inter or the passion on display in Lazio v Roma, it's never dull. This year in Serie A saw the return of the Lecce to Serie A which meant one thing and one thing only, the return of the Southern derby between Lecce and Bari. It represents an extremely passionate derby highlighted by events in recent years which saw former Lecce player and then Bari manager Antonio Conte attacked on a beach by a mindless set of Lecce fans while more recently last month current Lecce player Souleymane Diamoutene was accosted in training by Lecce Ultras on the pretext of his Bari history. Both incidents were mindless, both not in the spirit of sport. But, was simply banning anyone attending the best option? The answer is clearly no, for one being that it is a defeat for sport and for the so called wonderful fancard which once again has been shown to be utterly pointless. Prior to the ban only Bari fans with the fan card would be allowed to attend in the away section. Now none of them will as what should have been a colourful and passionate affair will  now be nothing more than a damp squib in the South of Italy unless minds are changed.