Serie A captains rebelling over standardized armbands

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ROME (AP) — Led by a dedication to deceased Fiorentina defender Davide Astori, several Serie A players are rebelling over the introduction of standardized armbands for captains.

The Italian league announced on Tuesday that if captains don't wear the standardized armbands — plain white strips with blue borders featuring the words, "capitano," and the Serie A logo — they will start receiving fines.

Fiorentina fullback Cristiano Biraghi says an armband dedicated to Astori worn by captain German Pezzella "represents us and should never be put up for discussion."

Biraghi adds, "If the league judge fines us we'll pay the fine."

Astori, Fiorentina's former captain, died in March of a suspected cardiac arrest.

The armband being worn by Pezzella has Astori's No. 13 printed on it, surrounded by symbols of the four historic neighborhoods of Florence.

Roma captain Daniele De Rossi and Atalanta counterpart Alejandro "Papu" Gomez have also been defying the rules by wearing personalized armbands.

De Rossi has been wearing one featuring the words of a chant sung by fans in the Stadio Olimpico's curva sud (southern end). Gomez recently posted on Instagram a selection of the many armbands he has created and worn, adding that "unfortunately in football today, the players count for less and less."