Suspensions in league and Super Cup: rules and who’s at risk

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·14 December 2025

Suspensions in league and Super Cup: rules and who’s at risk

As the 2025 Italian Super Cup approaches, scheduled in Saudi Arabia with the Final Four format, a recurring question among professionals and fans becomes central: do suspensions incurred in the league also apply in the Super Cup?

Suspensions between the league and the Super Cup: what the regulations say and who is really at risk

The tournament will involve Napoli, Milan, Bologna, and Inter, who will compete in the semifinals on December 18 and 19, with the final set for December 22. The Serie A League has clarified the regulatory framework through a specific regulation, introducing important distinctions between competitions.

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The general principle: league and Super Cup do not overlap

The 2025 Italian Super Cup regulation provides a partial exemption from Article 19 of the Code of Sports Justice (CGS). In practical terms, disciplinary sanctions do not automatically transfer from the league to the Super Cup, except in particular cases.

In summary:

Suspensions imposed in Serie A are not served in the Super Cup;
These sanctions are instead served in the first league match following the conclusion of the Super Cup.

Excluded from this exemption are only the time-determined suspensions, as provided by Article 9, paragraph 1, letter f) of the CGS.

Warnings and cautions: beware of post-Super Cup effects

Another relevant aspect concerns warnings. The regulation states that:

Warnings received during the Super Cup have effects on the league;
A player already on caution who is warned in the Super Cup will trigger a suspension, to be served in the first subsequent Serie A match.

This mechanism makes the Super Cup a competition far from neutral from a disciplinary standpoint.

Suspensions incurred in the Super Cup

Sanctions imposed during Super Cup matches follow a distinct criterion:

If possible, they are served within the same edition of the tournament;
If not entirely servable (e.g., for expulsion in the final), the remainder is transferred to the league.

These sanctions are added to any league suspensions not yet served before the start of the Super Cup.

Practical cases provided by the regulation

To avoid ambiguous interpretations, the Serie A League has indicated some applicable examples:

A player or coach expelled in the last league match before the Super Cup will serve the suspension only in Serie A, after the tournament;
A cautioned player warned in the Super Cup semifinal or final will be suspended in the next league match;
A cautioned player warned in both the semifinal and final will serve a one-match suspension in the league and, once returned, will resume with a warning count that includes both sanctions;
A player expelled in the semifinal will serve the suspension in the final, unless there are additional matches to serve in the league;
A player expelled in the final will serve the entire suspension in subsequent league matches.

The regulatory framework of reference

For everything not expressly regulated by the Super Cup regulation, the following apply:

the Internal Organizational Rules of the FIGC (NOIF);
the Code of Sports Justice;
the Statute and regulations of the Serie A League, to the extent that they are applicable.

Why the regulation is crucial for Napoli, Inter, Milan, and Bologna

In a concentrated and high-intensity tournament like the Super Cup, disciplinary management becomes strategic. Coaches and managers will need to carefully evaluate cautions, risks of suspension, and rotations, knowing that the consequences could directly impact the league.

A regulatory detail that, as often happens, can have a concrete impact on the season.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.