Teams in Italy will try anything to get a result reversed, it seems.

The 2006 match-fixing scandal involving favourable referees is still on everyone’s minds and some clubs hope the authorities will come down hard even on minor offences.

Last month Palermo wanted a 1-0 defeat at AS Roma overturned or replayed because a ballboy had broken the rules by placing the ball on the corner spot, allowing Roma to take a quick corner from which Mancini scored. The Italian league quickly rejected their appeal. 

Now Catania have appealed against Marco Materazzi being allowed to play in Inter Milan’s 2-0 win over the Sicilians on Sunday.

The defender was included despite skipping Italy’s 3-1 friendly win over Portugal the previous Wednesday because of injury. The argument seems to be that Inter broke a rule designed to stop international pullouts for very minor injuries.

Catania’s appeal will probably have no effect but it adds to the controversy surrounding the game. Esteban Cambiasso was offside when he scored Inter’s first in the second half, the latest in a series of refereeing decisions which have gone the way of the league leaders recently.

There is certainly nothing untoward going on this time, but nobody trusts anybody in Serie A these days.

Mark Meadows, Milan