Roma forced to forfeit Serie A opener after Diawara registration error

Roma have been punished with a 3-0 defeat for fielding an ineligible player against Hellas Verona in their Serie A opener on Saturday.

Lega Serie A announced on Tuesday that Roma used a player over the age of 22 who had not been registered on their 25-man list with the league.

Guinea midfielder Amadou Diawara turned 23 in July but was mistakenly included in the under-22 section of the club’s squad for the season. Under-22 players don’t count towards the total of 25, meaning an extra player could be included in the squad.

The game at the Marc'Antonio Bentegodi finished goalless but Roma will return to zero points for the season following their sanction.

"Roma have employed a player not registered in the 25-man squad communicated by certified email on September 14, 2020, despite having become over 22," a Lega Serie A statement read.

"[Serie A] resolves to sanction Roma with the sporting punishment of the loss of the game with a 0-3 score."

Verona head coach Ivan Juric was also fined €5,000 for giving his team instructions from the stands while serving a touchline ban.