“The club understands that the participation of Inigo Martinez in yesterday’s match violated article 5 of Annex I of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players,” Osasuna said in a statement.
“(It) specifies that a player who does not join or leaves his national team for medical reasons may not play matches for his club during the five calendar days following the end of the international period.
“Osasuna believes that Inigo Martinez, whose absence from the Spanish national team was due to a medical leave, was not eligible to play in yesterday’s match in accordance with FIFA regulations.”
The result left Osasuna 14th in the standings, six points clear of the relegation zone.
Both clubs had appeals for the fixture to be postponed rejected, with Barca unable to field some of their players such as one of their top scorers Raphinha, who had just returned from international duty
Could Barcelona face a points deduction?
Barcelona are yet to respond publicly to the appeal from Osasuna, but if it’s found that they have broken the rules then a points deduction or forfeiting the match have been touted as potential punishments.
Ultimately, as stated in the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players rulebook, ‘Violations of any of the provisions set forth in this annexe shall result in the imposition of disciplinary measures to be decided by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee based on the FIFA Disciplinary Code.’
Additional reporting: Reuters
