Roma in hot water: Young Giallorossi punished for referee abuse, threats, and four red cards | OneFootball

Italian regulators have punished several Roma U17 players after a heated clash with Fiorentina last week. Bans were handed after a crescendo of action came at the end of the game, when a contentious penalty settled the 1-0 result in La Viola’s favour.

Shortly after the 90th minute, referee Cosimo Papi sent off four Giallorossi players, as well as assistant coach Lorenzo Carinci. Among them was the star of the Under-17 national team, Gioele Giammattei, who had already been punished with a nine-match suspension last year.

As per La Gazzetta dello Sport, Lorenzo Dal Bon and Giampaolo Bonifazi received the heaviest punishments. They each received five-match bans for “threatening an opponent and, after being notified of his expulsion, making insulting remarks towards the referee,” according to the Sports Judge’s statement.

Daniele Paul received a four-match suspension (“At the end of the match, he stood in front of the referee to prevent him from leaving the pitch and made insulting remarks towards him”), while the team’s star player, Gioele Giammattei (“Sent off for making disrespectful remarks towards the referee, he returned to the pitch at the end of the match and repeated the same conduct even while being removed by his teammates”).

So, what of the moment of madness? Well, the penalty was firstly coolly dispatched by former Lazio youngster, Leonardo Clarizia, before the player’s emphatic celebration added to the boiling tension.

The first to be sent off on the pitch was Giammattei, who, along with other teammates, surrounded the referee and then threatened him after the match. These harsh punishments did not go unnoticed at Trigoria. The club will reportedly speak with the coaching staff to understand what happened and decide whether further internal action should be taken.

GIFN | Max Bradfield