HIGHLIGHT
Barcelona said it will appeal Luis Suarez’s second yellow card given to him during against Atletico Madrid.
Barcelona have confirmed they will appeal the second yellow card shown to Luis Suarez against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday in a bid to free him to play in the Copa del Rey final.
They will also appeal the booking received by Sergio Busquets, who returned to action as a second-half substitute following two weeks sidelined with sprained ankle ligaments.
Suarez became the third player to be sent off — following Sergi Roberto and Yannick Carrasco — in a bad-tempered affair when he tangled with Koke in the 90th minute.
Therefore, pending this appeal, he will be suspended for the final against either Alaves or Celta Vigo, as will right-back Roberto.
“Barcelona will appeal the booking given to Suarez in the Copa del Rey semifinal second leg after competing for the ball with Koke,” a statement on Wednesday read.
“According to the referee’s report, Suarez was shown a second booking for ‘striking an opposition player with his arm recklessly while fighting for the ball.’
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“As for Sergio Busquets, he was booked after kicking the ball out of play when there were two on the pitch.
“According to the referee, he was cautioned for ‘removing the ball from where it was due to be placed to resume play as a sign of his disagreement.’”
Suarez, who had never previously been dismissed in a Barca shirt, said after the game that the booking was “laughable” and both he and his coach Luis Enrique urged the club to appeal the decision.
However, using previous appeals as examples, Luis Enrique suggested he was not hopeful of being successful.
Busquets’ booking will not lead to a suspension and nor will it be carried over into next season’s cup, but the club were keen to appeal it as a sign of their disapproval at referee Jesus Gil Manzano’s performance.
Suarez had scored the opening goal of a 1-1 draw as Barca progressed to the final courtesy of a 3-2 win on aggregate.
Barca, meanwhile, confirmed that Javier Mascherano suffered a hamstring injury against Atletico.
