Referee Daniele Doveri picked up an injury during today’s match between Lecce and Inter, so for the second time this Serie A round the fourth official had to take over.
The incident had already happened in Friday’s game when Rosario Abisso sprained his foot in the opening minutes of Bologna’s 2-0 win over Verona.
In that situation, the match had to be stopped for several minutes while Abisso received treatment and then switched over the communication equipment with his fourth official, Giacomo Camplone.
However, this evening at the Stadio Via del Mare it seems as if Doveri realised the ankle problem during the half-time break.
It made the pause last slightly longer than usual while the necessary changes were performed, giving Niccolò Baroni the role of referee and leaving Doveri to become the fourth official for the second half.
The 40-year-old was not entirely inexperienced at this level, as he officiated five previous Serie A games.
There was a curious moment when the news was announced at the Stadio Via del Mare and the Lecce fans, who were not pleased with Doveri’s officiating, cheered and applauded.