AS Bari, the bottom club in Serie A, have cancelled the contract of coach Giampiero Ventura by mutual consent and appointed Bortolo Mutti as his replacement.

The decision comes with the Biancorossi nine points adrift of safety and on a run of seven successive losses in all competitions. Ventura, 63, had guided Bari to a tenth-place finish last season having replaced Antonio Conte in summer 2009.

The 56-year-old Mutti, who has signed a contract until the end of the campaign, had been out of work since failing to keep Atalanta BC in Serie A last term. His first match at the helm is a home game against Genoa CFC on Sunday.