There’s been a penalty handed down to Xavi Hernández for his ejection last Sunday at the Metropolitano. As expected, the Barça coach has been suspended for two games and won’t be able to coach from the sidelines until the classic match at the Santiago Bernabéu on April 21.
The expulsion, as previously reported in MD, was noted in the referee’s report by Sánchez Martínez at the request of fourth referee Juan Antonio Campos: “In the 42nd minute, coach Xavier Hernández Creus was expelled for the following reason: For making remarks about one of my decisions, shouting, making disrespectful gestures, and after being warned by the 4th referee.”
Just before that, he had received a yellow card for commenting on one of the referee’s decisions. This adds to a new cycle of warnings for the Barcelona Football Club coach.
The disciplinary body has enforced article 127 of the Disciplinary Code regarding protests, which states: “Protesting the main referee, assistants, or fourth referee, as long as it’s not a more serious offense, will result in a suspension of two to three games or up to one month.”
This means he won’t be able to coach against Las Palmas at home and during the subsequent visit to Cádiz. However, he will be back for the classic match on the 21st at the Santiago Bernabéu. The disciplinary body did not consider the nature of repeat offenses. Barcelona now has ten days to appeal to the Appeals Committee.
The reasons given by the RFEF for the dismissal
After rejecting the videographic evidence presented by the Barça club, a decision was made. They argued that the coach did not shout or make disrespectful gestures towards the fourth referee. According to them, Mr. Hernández Creus only expressed surprise and disbelief at the referee’s decision, in a gesture that was not considered disrespectful. They also denied that he shouted at the fourth referee or any other member of the referee team. They pointed out that he accepted the referee’s decision immediately after reacting, showing that his behavior was not infringing. They believe that a natural and measured reaction to an arbitration decision should not be subject to disciplinary action.
The Competition Committee responded by stating that after reviewing the images multiple times, they could not definitively conclude that the action that prompted the decision was justified.
The expulsion didn’t happen the way the referee described it, and ultimately, it shows a significant error in the referee’s report. The footage only captures the final moments of the incident, not what led up to it. As a result, the disciplinary committee couldn’t determine if the coach was actually involved in the behavior the referee accused him of.
This content has been translated and adapted from the Spanish version of the digital newspaper
