Osasuna are considering filing an appeal against Barcelona for allegedly breaking FIFA rules over a player's return after the international break.
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Osasuna planning to file complaintBelieve Barca broke FIFA rules in 3-0 winMartinez may not have been eligible for clashFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Inigo Martinez has rediscovered his form this season under Hansi Flick and was called back into the Spanish national team this month. However, the centre-back had to pull out of the duty with La Roja due to a knee injury and was replaced by Bournemouth's Dean Huijsen in the squad. Nevertheless, the veteran defender was able to start in Barcelona's 3-0 win in their rescheduled match against Osasuna on Thursday.
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Spanish publication now report that Osasuna are considering filing an appeal against Barcelona for supposedly breaking FIFA's rules regarding players featuring for their clubs having pulled out from international duty. They believe that Martinez should not have been eligible for their match on Thursday evening.
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Per FIFA rules, players who withdraw from duty for their country cannot play for their clubs until at least five days after the end of the international break unless the participation had been officially cleared by the federation, in this case, the RFEF.
WHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA?
As the rules stipulate, if Martinez's participation is deemed ineligible, Barcelona could potentially be docked points from the win against Osasuna as the match may stand as a forfeit. However, other reports in Spain claim Barca are not worried about the situation.