FC Barcelona have announced that they will appeal UEFA’s decision to ban Andres Iniesta for one Champions League match for deliberately collecting a yellow card.
Iniesta was cautioned in the first leg of Barca’s quarter-final against Shakhtar Donetsk, for not retreating the required distance at a free kick. The yellow card meant that we missed the return game in Ukraine.
However UEFA officials at the match allege that Iniesta provoked the card so he could serve the standard one-match ban in the second leg and thus have a clean slate for the semi-finals.
“FC Barcelona believe that the arguments outlined in their appeal, based on the good faith of the player and the disproportionate nature of the proposed sanction will be sufficient to rebut these allegations,” the club said on their website (www.fcbarcelona.cat). “The UEFA disciplinary committee will make a decision on the case on Wednesday,” they added.
If the ban stands, Iniesta will miss the first leg of Barca’s Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu on April 27.