Barcelona and Sevilla have been disqualified from the Copa de la Reina by the Royal Spanish Football Federation [RFEF] for fielding ineligible players
- Barcelona disqualified for fielding Geyse
- Sevilla brought on ineligible Calderon
- Barca to appeal the decision to Appeals Committee
WHAT HAPPENED? Brazil international Geyse was fielded by Barcelona Femeni in their round of 16 fixture against Osasuna, and got her name on the scoresheet in their thumping 9-0 victory. However, the 24-year-old was sent off in the quarter-finals of last year’s competition while playing for former club Madrid CFF, which made her ineligible to play in the Osasuna tie.
Meanwhile, Sevilla brought on Nagore Calderon from the bench in their 1-0 win over Villarreal. The midfielder was given her marching orders against UD Granadilla Tenerife in last season’s quarter-finals and her suspension carried over to the last 16 clash with Villarreal for 2022-23. The RFEF have now confirmed that both clubs have been disqualified from the latest edition of the Copa de la Reina and their places will be taken up by Osasuna and Villarreal respectively.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Along with disqualification, Barcelona have also been handed a fine of €1,001. The sanctioned clubs have a 10-day window to file a complaint against this decision to the RFEF’s Appeals Committee. According to ESPN, Barcelona will appeal as they insist that Geyse’s ban had not shown up on the RFEF’s website or the internal system used by clubs to check sanctions.
