Former referee Tiziano Pieri sparked fears that Inter’s impressive 3-0 win over AC Milan earlier today could be wiped out, after mistakenly suggesting the Nerazzurri had broken substitution rules.
The Nerazzurri thrashed their city rivals in the Derby della Madonnina to go four points clear at the top of the table, courtesy of a brace from Lautaro Martinez and a Romelu Lukaku strike.
Appearing in the studio to offer analysis during a live broadcast on Italian television station Rai, Pieri suggested that Inter had used one too many substitution windows, going over the allotted three across a single match.
“An episode happened during the derby. Most likely Inter made a mistake, as they used an extra window for changes,” Pieri claimed.
“I wouldn’t want to make a mistake. In the 78th minute, [Matteo] Darmian came on with [Roberto] Gagliardini. First slot. Then [Alexis] Sanchez came on. Second slot. Then [Ashley] Young, for the third slot.
“The fifth change, [Arturo] Vidal came on in a fourth slot that is not allowed, and so the match could be overturned,” Pieri suggested.
However, it was soon clarified that the former official had indeed been mistaken and that Inter had only used three substitution slots, with Sanchez coming in at the same time as Darmian and Gagliardini.
The Chile international took the place of Lautaro Martinez before play had restarted after Darmian and Gagliardini had entered the pitch, ensuring Inter had remained within the regulations.
