Physio and six teenagers replace the Italian team but lose 20-0

REUTERS: All their nightmares came together for the unfortunate Italian group Pro Piacenza, not only were they forced to play with seven players on Sunday, but they were also beaten 20-0 by rival C series Cuneo.

The first team and coaches of the club refused to travel for the match due to unpaid salaries, leaving the financially troubled team to start the match with six teenagers and a physio aged 39 – the minimum number required for A match can take place. .

Pro Piacenza was forced to play because he has already lost three league games this season and a fourth would have resulted in his third-place dismissal.

Hicham Kanis of Cuneo scored six goals and Edoardo Defendi scored five goals before conceding four goals after the break.

Among the Piacenza players who took the pitch were 19-year-old captain Nicola Cirigliano, who also registered as the team's coach for the day.

The physio, whose number was stuck to his back, was forced to act to ensure that at least seven players are on the ground from Piacenza, one of seven teenagers chosen to play having forgotten his identity papers .

Piacenza's figures in the field were briefly increased to eight while the missing documents were sent to the venue of the competition, but they quickly found seven players and the physio injured.

The captain of Cuneo, Fabiano Santacroce, who was playing for Napoli and Parma, was not amused by the events that took place on Sunday.

"Today's day was a parody of the match, there were children, some staff … maybe a physio, that's the result," said the defender. at RMC Sport.

"As a captain, before the game, I talked to the guys and told them not to make fun of the opposition. But they made us play in a match in these conditions and we played it, just by doing what we needed.

"To be honest after half an hour, I did not want to participate anymore, it was a mbadacre."

Pro Piacenza was sold last year at a symbolic price of one euro and faces serious financial difficulties. They had only eight points during the season and stayed at the bottom of the C / A Series after starting the campaign with an eight-point deduction.

(Report by Alasdair Mackenzie, edited by Pritha Sarkar)