Martinez insisted that he was absent from the Spanish internationals and that he had to guide Osasuna and bring out a Lariga encounter.
Osasuna has filed an appeal with the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF). Barcelona said they should not have protected defender Inigo Martinez in Lariga’s match over specialism as he went to a Spanish match due to injury.
Martinez, who retreated from the Spanish team for a Nations League match due to swelling in his right knee, played the 90 minutes of Barcelona’s 3-0 victory on Thursday.
“The club understands that Inigo Martinez’s participation in yesterday’s match violated Article 5 of Annex I of the FIFA Regulations on Player Status and Transfer,” Osasuna said in a statement Friday.
“[It] A player who does not join or leave the national team for medical reasons specifies that he will not play his club’s matches for five calendar days from the end of the international period.
“Osasuna believes Inigo Martinez, who was due to medical leave due to absence from the Spanish national team, is not entitled to play in yesterday’s match in accordance with FIFA regulations.”
Barcelona’s Inigo Martinez will pass the ball while under pressure from Osasuna’s Raul Garcia during Lariga’s match on Thursday [Clive Brunskill/Getty Images]
As a result, Osasuna was 14th in the ranking, releasing six points from the safety zone.
Barcelona originally intended to play Osasuna on March 8th, but the death of a doctor at the Barca club forced them to reschedule the match until March 27th, just four days after the Spanish match.
Both clubs were urging fixtures to be postponed. Barca was unable to send some of the players, including Rafina, one of the top scorers who had just returned from international obligations.
