Barcelona’s comfortable 3-0 win over Osasuna on Thursday evening that left them three points ahead of their rivals in LaLiga now rests on a knife-edge after their visitors revealed that they are considering reporting a rule infringement.
The match, played at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, was won by the Blaugrana thanks to Ferran Torres, Dani Olmo, and Robert Lewandowski.
However, Osasuna are now reportedly questioning whether Barcelona employed an ineligible player, which will lead to an official complaint and possible deduction of points.
Although it is not very clear in what manner the alleged infringement is, Spanish media indicates that Osasuna are considering whether Barcelona infringed competition rules—possibly by signing an unauthorized player or through a suspension mistake. In which case, LaLiga and Osasuna would overturn the result with a 3-0 victory.
LaLiga is rule-governed as well, and already there have been cases where clubs have been punished for administrative mistakes.
In 2021, Atlético Madrid’s win against Osasuna was almost overturned by a similar ineligible player scandal, but the match was ratified after investigation.
Barcelona have not issued any official statement on the news. The club will attempt to plead that all the players were duly registered and eligible but, if they do get an official complaint, LaLiga can open the case for investigation.
If Barcelona are guilty, they may:
• Remove the 3-0 score (giving Osasuna a 3-0 default win instead).
• Risk dropping points, denying their title challenge with Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid.
For now, the win stands, but the scandal adds an additional layer of drama to a dramatic LaLiga season. Barcelona will hope the scandal dies away quickly, but Osasuna’s grit may turn this humdrum win into a costly mistake.
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