Napoli appeal against Higuain ban

Gonzalo Higuain's four-match ban is to be appealed by Serie A title hopefuls Napoli, the club's lawyer has confirmed.

Mattia Grassani said an application to the Court of Appeals will be made after Higuain was dismissed in his side's 3-1 loss at Udinese on Sunday.

The defeat left Maurizio Sarri's side six points behind league leaders Juventus, with Higuain hit with a four-game ban after the striker put his hands on the chest of referee Massimiliano Irrati following his red card and having to be restrained and led away by team-mates.

"We have asked to make an application to the Court of Appeals over Higuain's ban," Grassani told ANSA. "When we have the paperwork we can precisely delineate our defensive strategy.

"After we receive the documents we'll have seven days to appeal, by reading the content of the report."

Grassani added that the appeal is not expected to be heard until late next week, meaning Higuain will miss Napoli's match against Serie A's bottom side Verona on Sunday.