Lazio duo suspended for remainder of season

Published November 20, 2014

Lazio will be without two key players for the remainder of the Serie A season as goalkeeper Federico Marchetti and defender Andre Dias received four and three match bans respectively.

The suspensions stem from Sunday's 2-0 defeat against Udinese as the Lazio defense stopped playing toward the end of the match because of a whistle from someone in the stands.

The Lazio players thought it had come from the match referee, allowing Udinese's Roberto Pereyra to score his team's second goal.

Dias was sent off for protesting to the referee while Marchetti made contact with the official as he voiced his complaint.

The Italian Football League declared on Monday that Marchetti's ban was handed down because he ""had violently pushed the referee, putting his hand on the official's shoulder."

Dias was hit with a three-match suspension "for his aggressive and strongly intimidating behavior toward the fourth official."

Marchetti has started 31 of Lazio's 35 league matches in goal this season, with Dias featuring in 23 Serie A contests.

Lazio is one of four teams level on 55 points in the race for the third and final Champions League spot.

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