The world footballer Robert Lewandowski from FC Barcelona, who was actually banned for three games, is surprisingly allowed to play on New Year's Eve. City rivals and opponents Espanyol have no understanding for the suspension being lifted - and are challenging the result in the league.
In the city derby in La Liga against Espanyol (1-1) on New Year's Eve, FC Barcelona dropped points for the third time this season. The game could still have an aftermath for the Catalans and top striker Robert Lewandowski. The city rival has made good on his threats and has since contested the result in writing. According to Espanyol, Barça used an ineligible player in Lewandowski because he played despite being suspended.
Background: In the last game before the World Cup break against Osasuna, the Pole was shown a yellow card after just 31 minutes after hitting David García with an elbow. After the dismissal, Lewandowski also made a derogatory gesture towards the referee. When leaving the lawn, he put his index finger to his nose and pointed to the referee. The association subsequently issued a three-game ban against the national player. He actually would have missed the game against Espanyol and the next two games.
Until the very end, Barca resisted the punishment, which was perceived as excessive. On Friday, an arbitration court in Madrid finally lifted the ban for the time being, after it had initially been confirmed by the national sports tribunal TAD. There will probably only be a final legal clarification now. Espanyol argues that this approach has disadvantaged them. If the club is proven right, the game at the green table could be counted for Espanyol.
"Espanyol will - as announced on the night of the game - use all the resources at their disposal to defend our interests and those of our fans. We feel that this outrageous injustice calls into question the spirit of the competition and that the injustice rests on a hasty dissolution is based on obvious legal misconduct," the association said in a statement. In Espanyol's opinion, only the additional two-game ban should have been annulled, but not the yellow-red ban.
From a sporting point of view, the game ended without a winner on Saturday afternoon. Marcos Alonso (7th) gave Barca an early lead. Joselu (73', penalty kick) equalized for the guests. Barca's Jordi Alba (78') and Espanyol's Vinicius Souza (80') each saw the yellow-red card.
