Mandragora gets blasphemy ban

By Football Italia staff

Udinese midfielder Rolando Mandragora has been given a one-game ban for using “blasphemous expressions” which were caught on camera.

In Italian, a blasphemous phrase is considered to be the worst kind of swearing, so the authorities take a hard line on such words being uttered by players and officials.

Today the Lega Serie A confirmed it had received an email “regarding the conduct of the player Rolando Mandragora” and, having reviewed television pictures, found he “used blasphemous expressions in the 48th minute of the second half” against Sampdoria.

While the Italian was “cursing without addressing any of those present” he was “clearly caught on camera using blasphemous expressions, identifiable beyond a reasonable doubt by lip reading”.

Mandragora has therefore been banned for one match.

Marlon Santos Da Silva of Sassuolo has also been banned for one match for his red card at the weekend.

Napoli have been fined €12,000 after fans threw a firecracker onto the pitch, as well as launching one at Milan fans.

The Rossoneri got a €10,000 fine of their own after their fans were caught singing anti-Neapolitan songs. Parma were hit with a €2,000 fine after fans set off a smoke bomb in their own sector.

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