Barcelona will not face punishment for fielding an ineligible player last month in their 3-0 win over Osasuna, after the Disciplinary Committee ruled in their favour. The case centred around an injury to Inigo Martinez.
Before the March international break, Inigo Martinez was called up by Spain for their Nations League games. However after picking up a knock against Atletico Madrid in the final game before the break, the 33-year-old was ruled out for two to three weeks.
Hansi Flick: “Leganés? If you see the results, you can see that they beat us and Atlético Madrid. They know how to defend, and have depth. It will be a difficult game.”
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) April 11, 2025
In the FIFA regulations, it states that any player who is injured and misses games in for their country as a result may not take part within five days of the final game for their nation. With Barcelona’s match against Osasuna rearranged for the Thursday after Spain’s clash with the Netherlands, the gap was just four days.
Hence Osasuna filed an appeal to the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), with Barcelona at risk of potentially being at risk of being awarded a defeat for the match. The Blaugrana were aware of Martinez’s potential breach in regulations, but after consulting with their legal team, decided to go ahead and start him all the same. Barcelona’s defence centred on a caveat in the regulations, which stated that if players are released by the international team, then the five-day limit does not apply.
As reported by MD, the RFEF have found in Barcelona’s favour. It means the Blaugrana will not face any sanctions for using Martinez, who promptly guided them to a clean sheet in the match.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick recently singled Martinez out for praise in his latest press conference, highlighting the Basque defender as the perfect example of how his side have adapted to his ideas. The 33-year-old has had his contract extended for a further year this season, and will begin a third season with the club next year.
