Cittadella free from forfeited loss, fined €10,000

The Lega B Sporting Judge has rejected Pisa’s appeal on Cittadella fielding an ineligible player in last week’s 1-1 draw.

In a press release announced on Thursday afternoon, Lega B officially recognized the 1-1 result that happened on Aug. 27 and imposed a €10,000 fine for Cittadella as well as a €2,000 fine for team manager Federico Cerantola. The Sporting Judge ruled that there was not enough to overturn the official result, and that the player in question had met the requirements to play in the match, the press release said.

Pisa presented an appeal three days after the match, claiming Cittadella had fielded an ineligible player who was not on the official squad list prior to the match. The player in question, Jacopo Desogus, entered the match as a substitute in the 71st minute as the game ended 1-1.

Cittadella uploaded a new squad list at 8:44 p.m. that included Desogus shortly after the game started, the press release said. Lega B’s press release also said that Cittadella violated “Rule No. 3 of the Regulations of the Game of Football,” which states that the list of players must be presented before the match starts.

The judge concluded that Cittadella will not face a forfeited 0-3 loss but will have to pay a €10,000 fine, as well as issuing team manager Federico Cerantola a fine of €2,000.

No changes will be made to the result or league standings, where Cittadella sit in 6th place with seven points, while Pisa remain with eight points in first place.

PHOTO: Massimo Felicetti