The president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), Gabriele Gravina, rejected the request made by Juventus for Pierre Kalulu, who will thus have to serve a one-match suspension following his expulsion in the match against Inter. The player received two yellow cards in just ten minutes, with the first being deemed excessive and the second nonexistent. Juventus had requested the annulment of the punishment, claiming a 'manifest injustice' in the controversial double booking that led to the French player's expulsion at San Siro. The Turin club appealed directly to Gravina after the Sports Appeals Tribunal rejected their initial appeal. The tribunal's decision was based on the fact that regulations do not allow for the reduction of the automatic one-match suspension resulting from an on-field expulsion. Therefore, hopes of having Kalulu available for the match against Como were virtually nil from the outset. It is worth noting that there has only been one pardon, granted to Lukaku in 2023, also in a match between Inter and Juventus, in the Coppa Italia. At that time, the federation president, Gabriele Gravina, stated that the measure was taken 'as an exceptional and extraordinary case.' The situation was different, as Lukaku's second yellow card, although formally correct, was a reaction to racist chants from the stands, making the situation exceptionally delicate. In that specific instance, the pardon did not pertain to the suspension itself but rather to the second yellow card.
Italian Football Federation Gabriele Gravina remains central to this story.
Italian Football Federation Gabriele Gravina remains central to this story.
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