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Inigo Martinez played in Barcelona's 3-0 win over Osasuna. |
In the match of round 27 of La Liga, everything seemed to be going smoothly for Barcelona as they consolidated their position at the top of the rankings with a convincing 3-0 victory over Osasuna. However, the unexpected situation occurred when Osasuna announced that they had filed a complaint with the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) regarding the case of Martinez, who started for Barcelona in the above match.
Osasuna claim that centre-back Martinez is ineligible to play for them. The club claim that the 33-year-old centre-back was called up to the Spain squad for the March training camp, but did not join the squad due to a knee injury.
According to FIFA regulations, a player who is called up but returns to his club because of injury will not be allowed to play for 5 days after the training session. This rule was introduced by FIFA to prevent players from faking injuries to avoid playing for the national team.
The match between Barcelona and Osasuna took place just four days after Spain's UEFA Nations League match against the Netherlands. After the match, Osasuna released an official statement: "The club considers that the participation of central defender Inigo Martinez in the match is a breach of Article 5, Annex I of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players.
"The regulations state that any player who withdraws from the national team due to medical reasons - or leaves the training camp for the same reason - will not be allowed to play for his club for five days after the end of the international break," Osasuna stressed.
On March 17, the RFEF announced that Martinez had withdrawn from the Spanish squad with a diagnosis of “inflammation of the inner tendon of the right knee,” according to reports from Barcelona. On the same day, midfielder Marc Casado and striker Bryan Zaragoza were also removed from the squad due to health issues, but only Zaragoza was examined by the Spanish team’s medical team.
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Barcelona in trouble. |
Osasuna argued that all three players were ineligible to play in the La Liga match, having not met the mandatory waiting time. If Martinez is found guilty, Osasuna will be awarded a 3-0 win, overturning the previous loss.
Mundo Deportivo said the key lies in FIFA's interpretation of this rule. In the case of Inigo Martinez, the centre-back was called up to the Barcelona national team, but the RFEF later agreed to send him back to the club on the morning of March 17 and replaced him with Dean Huijsen.
Therefore, in the match between Barcelona and Osasuna, Martinez met the requirements to play according to Article 248 of the RFEF Regulations. The RFEF Disciplinary Committee is expected to make a decision on April 2. However, based on the above factors, it is likely that the RFEF will refer the matter to Barcelona so that the club can make a counter-argument and request further clarification.
Source: https://znews.vn/kich-ban-barcelona-bi-xu-thua-osasuna-0-3-post1541674.html
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