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Osasuna’s Appeal Regarding Inigo Martinez Dismissed
Osasuna’s attempt to contest the eligibility of Barcelona defender Inigo Martinez has been officially rejected. This ruling comes in light of the defender’s absence from the Spain national squad during the recent international break due to a knee injury.
According to FIFA regulations, a player who does not report for national team duty after being called up cannot return to club play within five days without explicit permission from their national football association. This rule was at the center of Osasuna’s objection following Martinez’s participation in a match against them.
Barcelona secured a convincing 3-0 victory over Osasuna in La Liga, a match that was postponed from March 8 due to the passing of club doctor Carles Minarro Garcia. This fixture took place just one day after the conclusion of the international window, and only four days after Spain’s Nations League match against the Netherlands.
Martinez featured prominently in the match against Osasuna, contributing the entire 90 minutes on March 27. Osasuna’s management filed an appeal with the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) the following day, citing a potential breach of eligibility rules.
However, the RFEF’s competition committee found no wrongdoing on Barcelona’s part, asserting that Martinez’s withdrawal from the national team was handled in accordance with the stipulated regulations. Following this decision, Osasuna announced their intent to escalate the matter by submitting a second appeal to the RFEF’s appeal committee.
As the season progresses, Barcelona currently holds a four-point lead at the top of La Liga, while Osasuna sits in 13th place, illustrating the differing fortunes of the two clubs in the league this season.
Source
www.bbc.com