Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Barcelona, Champions League, La Liga, Spain
Ryan Smart
Barcelona could be forced to forfeit a La Liga game they won 3-0 amid an investigation into 'potential rule breaches', it has been revealed.
Hansi Flick's side are currently top of La Liga with 63 points from their 28 matches.
They defeated Osasuna 3-0 on Thursday night - a fixture that manager Flick criticised for taking place under 48 hours since some of his players had played while on international duty.
Still, Barca managed to pick up the victory through goals from Ferran Torres, Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski.
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However, they could lose the win entirely and be forced to forfeit the game if 'potential rule breaches' are proven.
That's according to Cadena COPE, who report that Osasuna are conducting an investigation over whether Barcelona fielded an ineligible player.
Centre-back Inigo Martinez played the full 90 minutes on Thursday night, but had pulled out of Spain's international squad at the beginning of the international break due to a knee injury.
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FIFA regulations state that a player cannot play for his club for five days after the last match of an international window if he has withdrawn from his national team squad.
The official FIFA regulations state that an international window is defined as 'a period of nine days starting on a Monday morning and ending on Tuesday night the following week'.
Spain's last fixture of the international break was against the Netherlands on Sunday, with only four days having elapsed between that fixture and the Osasuna clash.
The full Article 5 regulation reads: "A player who has been called up by his association for one of its representative teams is, unless otherwise agreed by the relevant association, not entitled to play for the club with which he is registered during the period for which he has been released or should have been released pursuant to the provisions of this annexe, plus an additional period of five days."
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Osasuna are said to now be studying whether the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) released Martinez because of a medical report into his injury, or whether they agreed with Barca to allow Martinez to play in their next fixture.
SPORTbible has contacted the RFEF for comment.