Napoli descend in complete chaos as an appeal is prepared against Gonzalo Higuain's ban.
The Argentinian was handed a four-match ban for aggressively protesting the referee's decisions in the match against Udinese, and will skip Verona, Inter, Bologna and Roma.
Napoli descend in complete chaos as an appeal is prepared against Gonzalo Higuain's ban.
The Argentinian was handed a four-match ban for aggressively protesting the referee's decisions in the match against Udinese, and will skip Verona, Inter, Bologna and Roma.
The club is now preparing an appeal through lawyer Mattia Grassani, who will attempt to prove that the striker was not pushing the referee but only holding him back as he advanced, and that his protests did not include any obscenity.
Grassani will make a similar case with regards to Coach Maurizio Sarri's protests, who was also banned for one game. However, the fact that Sarri has already been banned in the past for similar incidents makes Grassani's case difficult.
The appeal cannot be presented until next week. Should it be successful, it will reduce Higuain's ban to two or three matches rather than four.
In the meantime, the Neapolitan environment is descending into chaos.
Gianpaolo Tosel, the sports judge who decided on Higuain's ban, was the subject of a prank call by a Napoli radio, who attempted to interview him before the ban itself was made public.
The judge's interaction with the Press constitutes a breach of protocol, as the contents of a disciplinary decision should not be communicated to the Press before the release of an official statement.
Tosel now faces disciplinary action himself, and many believe the radio's trap was deliberate. However, he will attempt to demonstrate that the contents of his statement were not controversial and were in line with protocol requirements.
At the same time, social media are being inundated with the protests of Napoli fans, who claim that Juventus player Leonardo Bonucci was given preferential treatment by comparison with Higuain when involved in a similar incident.
Many fans have reportedly cancelled their subscriptions to the football channels, believing them to be biased in favour of Juve.
A massive protest is expected at the Stadio San Paolo on Sunday, when Napoli meet Verona.