Barcelona make Osasuna blunder that could hand Real Madrid LaLiga title

Tom Weber

Updated: 28 Mar 2025 14:21 GMT
4 min read

Hansi Flick, Carlo Ancelotti, Barcelona, Real Madrid — © IMAGO/FootballTransfers

Osasuna have lodged a complaint with the Competition Committee of the Royal Spanish Football Federation to charge Barcelona with violating a little-known FIFA rule.

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The Blaugrana and Osasuna faced off in a highly-controversial LaLiga match on Thursday evening in which the Catalans ran out comfortable 3-0 victors to march three points clear of Real Madrid at the top of the table.

The game was rescheduled to take place immediately after the international break as Barcelona's team doctor Carles Minarro Garcia had passed away on March 8, the original date of the match.

LaLiga decided to shoehorn the fixture between the international break and Sunday's games, which will see Barcelona take Girona and Osasuna play Athletic Club. Given the incredibly short turnaround, it was a decision that left both clubs unhappy.

However, the story doesn't end there as Osasuna now charge Barcelona with having violated a FIFA rule.

Barcelona were not allowed to play Martinez

Osasuna allege that Barcelona's centre-back Inigo Martinez was not eligible to play Thursday's match due to having withdrawn from international duty with Spain for fitness reasons.

"Club Atletico Osasuna has today filed an appeal before the Competition Committee of the Royal Spanish Football Federation for improper alignment of the Barcelona Football Club in the match played last night at the Lluis Companys stadium," an official statement read.

"The entity understands that the participation of footballer Inigo Martinez in yesterday's match has violated article 5 of Annex I of the FIFA Statute and Transfer Regulations, which specifies that a player who does not join the call of his selection for medical reasons, or leaves it, will not be able to play matches with his club during the five calendar days following the end of the international period.

"On March 17, the Royal Spanish Football Federation published in its communication channels that footballer Inigo Martinez was absent from the call for medical reasons, specifically for 'an internal parameniscitis in his right knee sent in the report received from FC Barcelona.'

© IMAGO - Ronald Araujo and Inigo Martinez

"Likewise, that same day, the Spanish national team also announced the recall of footballers Marc Casado and Bryan Zaragoza for medical reasons, the latter being the only one who joined the concentration of the Spanish national team to be evaluated by its medical services.

"It is evident that, in compliance with the aforementioned FIFA Regulations, none of these players were able to participate in the match that took place yesterday corresponding to the 27th matchday of LaLiga EA Sports when the deadlines established by it were not met.

"Since a medical leave is the justification for the recall, as communicated by the RFEF itself, Club Atletico Osasuna understands that this case cannot take advantage of any exceptional situation that makes the FIFA Regulations inapplicable.

"The Navarrese entity does value as a different issue the release of its second commitment with the Spanish U21 team of the players Gerard Martin, Pablo Torre and Fermin Lopez, since the cancellation of them was not justified by a medical cause.

"However, Club Atletico Osasuna understands that Inigo Martinez, whose non-appearance with the Spanish national team was limited to a medical leave, was not eligible to play yesterday's match according to what is espoused by the FIFA Regulations.

"In view of this fact, the Navarrese entity has made the decision to file an appeal for improper alignment in defence of its rights, the fairness of the competition and the equality of all its participants."