Over in the lower recesses of the Italian league, Serie D side Turris Calcio will be without Giovanni Liberti for the next five matches after the midfielder was found guilty of erroneous urination during a recent match.
The Serie D disciplinary board have punished Liberti for aiming his mighty stream at – at, not on – Sarnese supporters during the 3-3 draw between the two sides on 15th October.
As per the official statement released today (via Football Italia), Liberti “urinated in the direction of the away section, making absence and vulgar gestures to his genital organ”.
However, Turris president Antonio Colantonio is planning to appeal the decision on the basis that Liberti didn’t in fact piss everywhere, he was simply stood next to a drinking fountain that made it appear that way.
Unfortunately, once again, we find ourselves faced with an injustice.
Our player Liberti absolutely did not do what is alleged. Quite simply in the warm-up area there’s a fountain near the wall and the player, ready to come onto the pitch, was drinking and adjusting his shirt, which by regulation should be inside his shorts.
The serious thing is that in support of this ban there is only the testimony of the assistant referee positioned on the opposite side of the pitch.
The visiting club confirmed to us that our player did not do anything of the sort. I’m bitter about the decision of the sporting court, against which we will appeal.
Rather wonderfully, Football Italia also report that Liberti’s suspension wasn’t the only five-match ban metered out in Serie D this week, with Francesco Ferrieri of Frattese being handed the same punishment for, and we quote, “kicking and punching the Nardo masseur”.
Sounds like Serie D is the place to be.