Barcelona’s duo, Robert Lewandowski and Joao Cancelo, are at risk of suspension from La Liga following controversies over the yellow card they received during the 1-0 victory against Las Palmas over the weekend.
Both players entered this match with four accumulated yellow cards, knowing that their next punishment would automatically mean a one-game ban; the duo may have intentionally received the cards to serve the suspension against Cadiz. However, both players have been accused of deliberately being punished to ensure they don’t miss the match against Real Madrid a week later, a clear violation of La Liga’s disciplinary rules.
La Liga rules state that any player found to have deliberately manipulated suspension will be punished with an additional match ban.
If it is confirmed that Lewandowski or Cancelo were intentionally punished, then they would not be able to play in ‘El Clasico’.
Lewandowski’s gesture to be booked with a card surprised everyone. The Pole hesitated to leave the game, and for this reason, the referee decided that he was intentionally wasting time and showed him the card.
Just eight minutes after Lewandowski’s punishment, the Portuguese Joao Cancelo also received a yellow card. A disciplinary panel of La Liga will investigate both cases, and if it is confirmed that the duo were deliberately punished, they will miss the match against Real Madrid.
