Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick has said that the situation regarding Inigo Martinez and his potential ineligibility for Thursday’s La Liga clash against Osasuna is ‘out of his hands’.
On Friday, Osasuna launched an official appeal to the Spanish Football Federation, claiming that Martinez was not eligible to take to the field for Barcelona in Thursday’s La Liga game between the two sides.
Martinez returned from a knee injury to take to the field for the first whistle, but Osasuna are claiming that the Spain international was not eligible for the fixture, having withdrawn from the La Roja squad ahead of their UEFA Nations League two-legged quarter-final with Netherlands.
According to Article 5 of FIFA regulations, if a player withdraws from their national team due to injury, they must not play for their club team until five days after their nation’s most recent match, but the second leg of Spain’s quarter-final was played just four days before the Osasuna match.
Barcelona were initially due to take on Osasuna on March 8, but the match was postponed at the final moment, with the Catalan outfit’s first-team doctor Carles Minarro Garcia tragically passing away in the hours before the fixture.
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Osasuna have lodged an appeal to the Spanish Football Federation
In a statement, Osasuna said: “Club Atletico Osasuna believes that Inigo Martinez, whose absence from the Spanish national team was due to a medical leave, was not eligible to play in yesterday’s match in accordance with Fifa regulations.
“In light of this, the Navarrese club has decided to file an appeal for improper fielding in defence of his rights, the fairness of the competition, and the equality of all participants.”
Flick was asked about the situation on Saturday, with the German previewing Sunday’s La Liga clash with Girona.
The 60-year-old said that he has “no information” about the situation, as he is focusing on football matters, while the club deal with everything else at a vital stage of the campaign.
“I think all clubs go through the same thing. I can’t say anything about it, I don’t know. That’s the way things are, that’s the way it is. We have won three points and the rest is out of my hands,” he said.
“I haven’t spoken to the club, I always focus on the next game. We always analyse the previous game, the opponent for the next game. We don’t have time to think about other things. We can only wait and if something changes, the club will communicate it. I have no information about it.”
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Will Barcelona face a points deduction?
Barcelona were 3-0 winners over Osasuna on Thursday, with the result moving them three points clear of second-placed Real Madrid at the top of the La Liga table, on the same number of matches.
In theory, Barcelona could face a points deduction, while the result of the match may be overturned, but the Catalan giants are said to be confident that no breach occurred.
Indeed, permission from Spain would mean that Martinez was eligible for the game, and there is not believed to be any genuine concern from the division leaders regarding the delicate matter at this stage of proceedings.
