FCBARCELONA.CAT

11.03.2010 18:25

Ibra and Pep lose red card appeal

www.fcbarcelona.cat

Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Pep Guardiola have lost their appeal to have the red cards that they received during the game against Almería expunged and the duo will now serve a suspension against Valencia this weekend.

Barça took the case the league's Appeal Committee on Thursday afternoon but they were told that they had been unsuccessful and that the Football Federation's Competition Committee had agreed.

For that reason the club will not take their appeal to the Spanish Sports Disciplinary Committee (CEDD) and have instead accepted that Ibrahimovic cannot play and Guardiola cannot be on the bench this weekend.

Presidential consent

Joan Laporta may have been disappointed with the outcome but he explained that the decision had to be respected. "We have nothing more to say. We respect the decision. We appealed because we felt that we had reason to oppose the suspensions. If the committee did not feel the same way then we have to respect that," he said.