Barcelona’s appeal to reject the booking shown to Gerard Pique against Leganes has been rejected and the defender will miss Sunday’s top-of-the-table La Liga clash against Valencia.
After reviewing the video footage put forward by the Catalan club, the Royal Spanish Football Federation’s competition committee decided to stick with the original ruling made by referee Undiano Mallenco.
Pique was cautioned for grappling with Nordin Amrabat and Barca coach Ernesto Valverde said after his side’s 3-0 victory that he felt the decision was “excessive” and could quite easily have gone the other way.
However, Barca striker Luis Suarez has had his yellow card from the same game revoked after the competition committee agreed that his tangle with goalkeeper Ivan Cuellar was not worthy of a booking.
Pique will now miss this weekend’s trip to unbeaten Valencia, who are second in La Liga, four points back from early pacesetters Barca.
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