Napoli supporters have made an impossible demand, but nonetheless it is a bold statement that cannot be brushed aside.

This week, a large group of them called on lawyer Gaetano di Cicco to seek legal advice on whether they could initiate proceedings to call for a repetition of the Italian Super Cup final, played last month in China.

Juventus had won that match 4-2 in extra-time, and only after Napoli had finished the game with nine men after the red cards shown to players Pandev and Zuniga. Even Napoli coach Mazzarri had been sent off. These Napoli fans are insisting that the match should be replayed because the game was marred by refereeing errors which favoured Juventus. Specifically, they are contesting the said expulsions which conditioned the game.

The lawyer has filed a report on the issue in the law courts of Parma and Rome, with a copy sent to the Italian federation.

It is impossible that the demands made by the Napoli fans are accepted. It would set a precedent that would make it possible for all fans, not to mention clubs, to call for a replay if things go wrong or they feel a referee blundered heavily against them.

But the initiative taken by the Napoli supporters continues to throw even more bad light on Italian football. It stimulates even more suspicions that the game in Italy is still to overcome the bad publicity that it has received over the past years due to several scandals.

Juventus were relegated to the Serie B in 2006 after a scandal that rocked Italy at the time, and their present coach Antonio Conte recently received a 10-month ban for his wrongdoing in a betting scandal when he was managing Siena two seasons ago. Suspicions that Juventus get preferential treatment flare up each time they get a penalty – and they got one in all of the three games played so far in the Serie A this season, apart from what happened in the Super Cup game against Napoli – although it must be said that they are not always justified.

Of course, there are complaints about refereeing blunders from all quarters and about any controversial decision taken. Any club which is at the wrong end of an official’s blunder speaks out savagely against referees. Sometimes the complaints are acceptable; at other times they are not.

Various efforts are being made for referees to commit as few mistakes as possible, and one initiative taken by Italy is to have two line judges to help out in matters pertaining to the penalty area, in particular the goal-line.

Still, the action taken by these Napoli fans goes a long way to expose what kind of atmosphere surrounds Italian football these days.

It is certainly not a healthy one.