Roma given defeat by Serie A for using ineligible player

Serie A side AS Roma have been penalised with a 3-0 defeat for irregularly fielding player Amadou Diawara in the 0-0 draw against Hellas Verona last weekend, the league said in a statement on Tuesday.

Midfielder Diawara, who turned 23 in July, had not been included in the senior player list at the beginning of the season, even though he was no longer eligible for the under-22 list where he was named.

Despite this, the Guinean featured in Roma’s opening game of the season at Verona’s Marcantonio Bentegodi stadium last Saturday.