Lavezzi loses appeal

New video footage means Napoli forward Ezequel Lavezzi’s three-match suspension will stand.

The Argentine striker was hit with the ban after he was caught on camera spitting at Roma defender Aleandro Rosi in the Naples-based club’s 2-0 away win at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday.

Lavezzi, who netted at Anfield in the Europa League and has five Serie A goals this season, launched an appeal against the ban, insisting Rosi had spat at him first.

But Lavezzi’s hopes of avoiding suspension were set back when new video footage was released.

“We ran into a strange and unexpected situation during the appeal,” Napoli lawyer Paolo Rodella told Sky Sport Italia.

‘There was new footage. We don’t know why the court rejected our appeal, so cannot say whether this new footage swayed their judgment.”

“If that was the case, the footage could not be considered, because it was not used in the original inquest.”

Lavezzi will now miss league matches against Catania, Brescia, and crucially, the match against table-toppers AC Milan on February 28.

The absence of the 25-year-old will place more pressure on the likes of Edinson Cavani, who has scored 20 goals in 25 Serie A appearances this season, and Slovakian Marek Hamsik.