Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 9y

Italian player, physio banned for five years after referee attack - reports

A player and physiotherapist of Italian amateur club Atletico Cavallino have been banned for five years each for assaulting a referee, reports La Gazzetta dello Sport.

The pair were picked out as the main culprits of an attack on 17-year-old official Luigi Rosato, which led to the abandoning of the Apulian league game against Cutrofiano -- a game Cavallino were winning 2-1 when a penalty was awarded to the opposition.

That spot kick was never taken as Rosato, after being attacked by fans, staff and players of the hosts, ended up in hospital with a series of cuts and bruises.

Cutrofiano have also been awarded a 3-0 win while Cavallino -- whose president Rosario Fina is also under a separate investigation for saying the referee had got off lightly and that he "would have killed him" if he had got his hands on him -- have been fined 2,500 euros.

Fina is no stranger to controversy either having previously been banned for 13 months for headbutting a referee in January 2013.

"What happened is shocking," said Vito Tisci, president of the local amateur football association (LND) on the Apulian FA's website. "I can't find any other words to describe it. Certain people should not be allowed to set foot in the world of football.

"I hope that the disciplinary committee opts for the maximum punishment suggested by the referee's report, but it depends on what he writes. For a club who behave in such a way, we need a sentence which sets an example."

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