Plasmati's shorts-down tactic

Catania forward Gianvito Plasmati has defended the decision to drop his shorts to distract the goalkeeper when a free-kick was taken during their 3-2 win against Torino on Sunday.

The 25-year old was standing in a three-man Catania wall that was in an offside position in front of Torino's Matteo Sereni and he pulled his shorts down to reveal his underwear just before Giuseppe Mascara curled a free-kick into the net to give the Sicilians a 2-1 lead.

Although Plasmati's actions don't directly contravene any law, referee's chief Pierluigi Collina has said it was "an unsporting act."


"It was just a little prank and it certainly wasn't me lacking respect for the opponents or the fans," Plasmati insisted on Rai Due.

"The credit for the goal goes completely to Mascara. He produced the magic, while our wall just created some space.

"What I did isn't against the rules. Was it an obscene act? No, I wasn't naked," he concluded.

Source: C4 Football Italia