Roma handed 3-0 loss for listing 23-year-old Diawara in U-22 section of the squad

A clerical error has cost AS Roma crucial three points in Serie A. The Italian side saw their opening day 0-0 draw with Hellas Verona overturned into a 3-0 defeat for an administration error over the registration of midfielder Amadou Diawara in the squad as an under-22 player. Diawara, who turned 23 in July, should have been included in the 25-man senior squad, according to the league guidelines. He played 89 minutes against Verona on Saturday.

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The statement issued by Serie A on Tuesday read, "The sporting justice has read the information relative to the Verona vs. Roma match and having considered that Roma fielded a player who wasn't included in the '25-man squad list' present on Sept. 14 at 12.14 p.m. CET (the deadline to register players in the senior squad)."

AS Roma penalised: Club plans to appeal Serie A punishment

Registering Amadou Diawara as an under-22 player affords an extra place for the club in the 25-man squad since U-22 players are not counted in the final 25 players. However, according to reports in Italy, AS Roma will appeal the decision stating their mistake was a genuine case of error and the club was not trying to make extra space in their matchday squad. Furthermore, Roma already had four empty slots available in the senior squad, which the club feels should be an indicator that they did not mean to intentionally violate the Serie A guidelines. 

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The club will also argue that the system should have sent them an alert when the error regarding Diawara's age was made in the first place. The club will request the league to confirm whether an alert was sent or not. Diawara, who has been playing in Italy since the age of 17, should also be classed as a homegrown player, something the club will likely use to defend their case.

A similar registration error in 2016 saw Sassuolo's 2-1 win over Pescara overturned into a 3-0 defeat. Sassuolo fielded new signing Antonino Ragusa against Pescara despite being not registered in the official list. 

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AS Roma have entered the 2020-21 season with struggles in the transfer market. The club was expected to complete the signing of Arkadiusz Milik from Napoli before the start of the season. However, complications meant the deal has since stalled and Roma started Edin Dzeko, who has been linked with a move to Juventus, as their striker. The Bosnian was an unused sub in Saturday's fixture. The club is also closely linked to Man United defender Chris Smalling. 

Roma will host Juventus next in Serie A, on Sunday, September 27. 

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(Image Credits: Amadou Diawara Instagram)