Barcelona Cleared in Inigo Martinez Dispute

Osasuna announced on Friday that their appeal against Barcelona fielding defender Inigo Martinez in their LaLiga encounter last month was turned down after he missed Spain’s game due to injury.

Declaring Barca should not have fielded Martinez technically after he withdrew from the Spain squad for their Nations League games owing to a swollen knee, Osasuna appealed with the Spanish football federation (RFEF).

Four days after Spain’s game, Martinez subsequently participated the whole ninety minutes in Barcelona’s 3-0 victory on the rescheduled encounter on March 27. Following the death of Barcelona’s club doctor, the planned March 8 fixture was postponed.

Osasuna appealed on grounds that Barca broke Article 5 of Annex I of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players.

This means that a player who quits his national team for medical reasons might not participate in matches for his club during the five calendar days following the end of the international term.

Osasuna said they were told the appeal’s rejection along with the rationale for the ruling.

“The RFEF is implicitly expressing its desire not to apply said prohibitive rule,” the verdict noted, letting the players depart the training camp free from any form of restriction and thereafter issuing the certificate of dismissal.

Osasuna object, claiming neither the RFEF’s public statement nor messages to the clubs mentioned reference not applying the restriction, and will appeal with the Appeal Committee.

Both teams appealed to have the fixture moved off-peak denied.