Moments of tension and suspense are not exactly uncommon for FC Barcelona. Whether these come in the form of on-field issues or even away from it, they seem to be a regular headache for Barça. However, the latest of such headaches could end up being quite costly for the Catalans.
After the last outing against Las Palmas, two Barcelona stars were sanctioned with yellow cards. Both of them, Robert Lewandowski and Joao Cancelo, will now be forced to miss the next encounter against Cadiz due to an accumulation of yellow cards. However, there is yet another twist in the tale that must be worried about.
As per the rules of the disciplinary code, in the event that a player who is in danger of missing an upcoming game tries to deliberately get an additional booking to alter their punishment as per their most favorable schedule, the punishment of the sanction can be increased upto two games.
In this case, both Lewandowski and Cancelo are possible culprits for having gotten ‘deliberate’ bookings. However, fortunately for them, Mundo Deportivo reports that the likelihood of both players being sanctioned beyond the Cadiz game is highly unlikely.
This is because, in the original report of the official referee from that game, Mateo Busquets Ferrers, there is no mention of the players having deliberately gotten that booking for ill intentions.
Instead, the referee’s report states that Lewandowski, for instance, got booked for time-wasting after he was asked to leave the field having been substituted.
For Barcelona, in the event that neither Cancelo nor Lewandowski end up having to serve additional sanctions, this would be some great news. Both players are crucial to Xavi’s team, and their presence against Real Madrid will be vital. However, they will indefinitely have to miss the Cadiz game up next.
On the other hand, this should give Xavi an excuse to give time to players who have been less fortunate this season. The likes of Vitor Roque, Marc Guiu, Ferran Torres, and Hector Fort are just some of the names at Barcelona who could take advantage of the absence of two unquestionable starters for Barcelona.
