Published: September 24, 2021 5:53 pm
Last Updated: September 24, 2021 5:59 pm
FC Barcelona have seen their appeal against the decision to send off Frenkie de Jong versus Cadiz rebuffed by La Liga.
Barca faltering
Ronald Koeman’s men returned to action on Thursday night.
The Blaugrana, fresh off the back of an altogether hit-and-miss opening to the new campaign, made the trip to minnows Cadiz, desperate for a much-needed 3-point haul.
When all was said and done at the Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla, though, again, Barca came up short.
An altogether underwhelming display, during which the Catalan giants were restricted to a handful of half chances by their stubborn hosts, ultimately saw both sides forced to settle for a share of the spoils.
How has Depay missed this 😲 pic.twitter.com/b5PTzR2jFa
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 23, 2021
De Jong ruled out
The woes of Barcelona, though, did not end with simply the disappointing eventual result in the southwest of Spain.
The Blaugrana were also dealt a pair of concerning blows on the personnel front.
First up came the altogether controversial dismissal of star midfielder Frenkie de Jong, on the back of a pair of yellow cards picked up in the space of five minutes early in the 2nd-half:
Frenkie de Jong sees 🔴 (Important to note that he did touch the ball first)
Is this a harsh call on de Jong? 🗣
Ronald Koeman’s reaction says it all 😳 pic.twitter.com/hoo0iEKB2v
— International Champions Cup (@IntChampionsCup) September 23, 2021
And a further red card was then brandished following the full-time whistle on Thursday night, this time to Ronald Koeman, who had made no secret of his disillusionment with the sending off of his fellow countryman half an hour prior.
As night turned to day in Catalunya, though, the decision was made at the Camp Nou for appeals to be launched against both de Jong’s red, and a late booking handed to Sergio Busquets by referee Carlos del Cerdo Grande.
ℹ️ The Club to appeal against De Jong red and yellow for Sergio Busquetshttps://t.co/M7EJj3UdxA
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) September 24, 2021
But, in a further blow amid an altogether concerning opening to the season, La Liga have firmly knocked back Barca’s appeals.
In turn, de Jong will be forced to sit out the club’s meeting with Levante this weekend, whilst Koeman faces a spell in the stands for both Sunday’s clash, and the ensuing trip to the Wanda Metropolitano to face Atletico Madrid.
One match ban for Frenkie De Jong; he’ll miss Barcelona’s match against Levante on Sunday.
Koeman has been handed a ban of two games and will also miss FCB’s outing to the Metropolitano next week.
Is it possible that we never see him on the Barça bench again?😕#LLL
🧡🇪🇸⚽️ pic.twitter.com/25M9MJm9Tb— La Liga Lowdown 🧡🇪🇸⚽️ (@LaLigaLowdown) September 24, 2021
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