Spanish FA reject Barcelona’s appeal to have Lionel Messi’s two-match ban overturned

Lionel Messi‘s two-match ban for placing an opponent within the Tremendous Cup last has been upheld after the Spanish FA rejected Barcelona‘s enchantment to have the punishment overturned.

The Catalan giants made the bid to have the suspension dismissed regardless of footage displaying Messi lashing out at Athletic Bilbao’s Asier Villalibre within the last moments of the 3-2 last defeat.

The suspension means Messi will now miss Barcelona’s LaLiga conflict with Elche on Sunday, having already served the primary a part of the ban by sitting out Thursday’s win over Cornella within the Copa del Rey.

Lionel Messi two-match ban have been upheld by the Spanish FA regardless of Barcelona’s enchantment

Messi’s sending off on the weekend was his first pink card of his Barcelona profession, and can miss the membership’s essential league conflict on the weekend.

Referee Gil Manzano mentioned in his match report that Messi hit his opponent with ‘extreme pressure’ whereas the ball was not close to him. 

Messi was confronted with lacking a good portion of the home season, with Ronald Koeman’s facet third within the desk and already seven factors again of leaders Atletico Madrid – who’ve two video games in hand. 

Messi misplaced his head as Koeman’s males hurtled in direction of one other damaging defeat of their first last underneath the Dutchman’s management.

Messi was despatched off within the one hundred and twentieth minute of defeat by Athletic Bilbao for hitting Asier Villalibre

Barca had been main till the ultimate minute of regular time earlier than Villalibre pressured an additional half-an-hour.

The winner got here three minutes into additional time when Iker Muniain’s move reached Inaki Williams and he wrapped his proper foot across the ball, curling it previous Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Koeman backed his star man on Sunday night time, saying Messi’s frustration at being repeatedly fouled all through the sport unsurprisingly boiled over.

‘I can perceive what Messi did,’ the Dutchman mentioned after the match. 

‘I do not know what number of instances they fouled him, and it is regular to react after they hold making an attempt to foul you as a participant who’s trying to dribble with the ball, however I must see it once more correctly.’ 

The Argentine was given his marching orders with the Catalan outfit on the verge of defeat 

Messi misplaced his head in additional time as the sport slipped away from Ronald Koeman’s workforce

Questions have been requested about whether or not Messi ought to even have began within the cup last, as he had missed the semi-final victory over Actual Sociedad earlier within the week via harm.  

Koeman, nonetheless, let Messi make the ultimate determination on his health, and stood by his name. 

‘I feel after so a few years on the prime stage, he is aware of when he can play and when he cannot,’ Koeman mentioned. ‘I spoke with him and he mentioned he was match sufficient to begin the sport.’