AS Roma Striker Mattia Destro's three-match ban for hitting Cagliari defender Davide Astori in the face was upheld Thursday.
The incident, which escaped the referee's notice, was a test case for sporting justice.
Usually cases are only eligible for post-match review if TV replays capture an incident the referee did not see.
In this case, however, the referee saw Destro and Astori tangle with each other.
But the referee told the sporting judge that, while he saw the incident and awarded a free kick to Roma, he missed Destro's violent conduct.
Roma will be without Destro for the last five Serie A games where the Gialorossi have a slim hope of overhauling reigning champion Juventus's eight-point lead.
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