The 2002–03 Serie B was the 71st season since its establishment in 1929. It is the second highest football league in Italy.
Teams Livorno, Ascoli, Triestina and Catania had been promoted from Serie C, while Hellas Verona, Lecce, and Venezia had been relegated from Serie A and Fiorentina had lost their national professional licence.
Personnel and sponsoring TeamManagerKit manufacturerShirt sponsorAncona Luigi SimoniDevisBanca MarcheAscoli Giuseppe PillonUhlsportCarisapBari Marco TardelliLottoasbari.comCagliari Gian Piero VenturaA-LineTerra SardaCatania Vincenzo GueriniGalexSP Energia SicilianaCosenza Antonio SalaSport PointProvincia di CosenzaGenoa Rino Lavezzini and Vincenzo TorrenteErreàCosta CruisesHellas Verona Alberto MalesaniLottoClermanLecce Delio RossiAsicsSalento d'amareLivorno Roberto DonadoniAsicsCR LivornoMessina Bruno BolchiAsicsJonax GroupNapoli Franco ColombaDiadoraPeroniPalermo Nedo SonettiLottoProvincia di PalermoSalernitana Franco VarrellaGarmanZip Jeans & CasualSampdoria Walter NovellinoAsicsErgSiena Giuseppe PapadopuloLottoMonte Paschi VitaTernana Mario BerettaErreàNoneTriestina Ezio RossiAsicsAcegasVenezia Gianfranco BellottoSportikaEmmezetaVicenza Andrea MandorliniBiemmeCaffè Vero
Final classification In June 2003, Catania was at the centre of a controversy that led to the enlargement of Serie B from 20 to 24 teams, known as Caso Catania. The club claimed that Siena fielded an ineligible player in a 1–1 tie, a result which saw Catania relegated, whereas the two extra points from a victory would have kept them safe. They were awarded a 2–0 victory before the result was reverted because the guilty player was a substitute which did not play the match, then Catania appealed to the judges of the Autonomous Region of Sicily who re-awarded the victory again. In August, the FIGC decided to let Catania, along with Genoa and Salernitana, stay in Serie B; the newly reborn Fiorentina were also added for the 2003–04 season. The ruling led to protests and boycotts by the other Serie B clubs that delayed the start of the season, until the intervention of the Italian government.
Results
Attendances
# Club Average 1 Napoli 28,599 2 Sampdoria 21,802 3 Palermo 16,282 4 Genoa 12,371 5 Catania 11,849 6 Hellas 11,163 7 Lecce 11,055 8 Livorno 10,886 9 Triestina 10,444 10 Ternana 8,872 11 Ancona 8,536 12 Salernitana 8,501 13 Ascoli 8,391 14 Cagliari 7,354 15 Messina 7,054 16 Vicenza 6,399 17 Siena 6,301 18 Bari 5,613 19 Cosenza 3,541 20 Venezia 2,889
Source:
References