Barcelona Women face being kicked out of the Copa de la Reina after the Liga F leaders fielded an ineligible player in their 9-0 victory over Osasuna.
Barcelona started Geyse Ferreira against Osasuna, with the 24-year-old striker scoring the fourth goal in the commanding win.
But Osasuna have since claimed Geyse should have been suspended for the tie and have lodged an official complaint with the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).
Their complaint stems from a red card shown to Geyse last season, while still a Madrid CFF player. Geyse then transferred to Barcelona from Madrid CFF in the summer.
But Spanish rules stipulate that Geyse still needs to observe a suspension for the red card — much like Cristiano Ronaldo has been prevented from making his Al Nassr debut due to an FA suspension handed to him when he was still a Manchester United player.
The rules state: “When a competition has ended or the club concerned has been eliminated and a suspension match remains to be served, the sanction will be served in the following season. Irrespective of whether the sanctioned player changes clubs or division.”
Geyse has starred in Liga F for Barcelona, who sit seven points clear of Levante at the top of the table, but was making her first Copa de la Reina appearance for her new club.
Should it be ruled that Geyse was ineligible for the tie, Barcelona could be kicked out of this season’s Copa de la Reina, which they have won three times in succession.
In 2015, Real Madrid’s men’s team were thrown out of the Copa del Rey for fielding an ineligible player.
Denis Cheryshev scored the opening goal in a 3-1 victory for Real over Cadiz. But the Russia international, now of Italian side Venezia, should have been suspended after he received three yellow cards for Villarreal in the competition the preceding season.
Remarkably, Barcelona were not the only club to field an ineligible player in the Copa de la Reina this week.
Sevilla could also be kicked out of the tournament after they played Nagore Calderon in a 1-0 win over Villarreal.
Calderon was sent off against UD Granadilla Tenerife in the quarter-finals of the Copa de la Reina last season and so should have been banned from Tuesday’s game.
Barcelona coach Jonathan Giraldez said Geyse’s suspension did not appear on the RFEF website leaving the club in the dark over her ineligibility, leading some to question whether the governing body’s notifications system was working as it should before the round.
But it is believed Geyse and Calderon’s suspensions were listed on other RFEF documents.
The RFEF have told The Athletic that a decision will be made in a few days, with Barcelona yet to answer Osasuna’s complaint.
The Athletic has contacted Barcelona for comment.
The Athletic’s Spanish football coverage has expanded…
(Photo: Getty Images)
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