An Italian third division club which lost 20-0 on Sunday has been thrown out of the competition by Lega Pro, the governing body of Serie C.

The club,Pro Piacenza, which has financial problems and hadn’t paid its players or staff, patched together a seven-man team for the game to avoid being kicked out.

Pro Piacenza had a last chance to present a team for the match, having already forfeited three previous matches due to its financial and staff crisis.

Pro Piacenza’s first team squad and coaching staff refused to travel for the game at Cuneo due to unpaid wages, leaving the team to start with six teenagers and a 39-year-old physiotherapist – the only players they could find.

After ruling on Monday that some of the players were not registered for the match, Lega Serie C’s disciplinary committee disqualified the team from the competition and handed Cuneo a walkover 3-0 win.

The Italian football federation (FIGC) later said the club had been disaffiliated due to “the serious regulatory violations which occurred at the Cuneo-Pro Piacenza match added to the other numerous documented irregularities.”

Pro Piacenza were bottom of the North and Central West group of Serie C, which is split into three 20-team regional groups. (NAN)