Barcelona to appeal against Competition Committee’s decision to uphold Vitor Roque’s suspension

Barcelona were dealt with a major blow earlier today when the Competition Committee in Spain decided to deny their appeal against Vitor Roque’s suspension.

It was a disappointing decision from Barça’s perspective, as it means Roque will remain suspended for the club’s upcoming league game against Granada.

However, as per SPORT, Barcelona are not ready to give up just yet and are expected to appeal once again, against the decision from the Competition Committee.

What happened?

The entire merry-go-round began when Vitor Roque was handed two yellow cards and was thereby shown a red card against Alaves in the last game.

The forward had come on as a second-half substitute and shortly after coming on, he even scored a goal for his team.

However, moments later, the former Athletico PR striker picked up a booking for his unintentionally elbowing an Alaves player. A few more minutes later, referee Martinez Munuera handed the forward a second yellow for a foul on Rafa Marin.

Vitor Roque remains suspended vs Granada (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Vitor Roque received a red even though it appeared that he only slightly brushed the foot of the Alaves star.

Barcelona’s strategy ahead

Xavi Hernandez was livid with the decision and didn’t shy away from calling out the referee after the game.

Xavi’s comments were doubled down by sporting director Deco and as it was planned, Barcelona filed an appeal to the Competition Committee against the suspension.

However, the same committee has decided to uphold Vitor Roque’s suspension and has backed the referee, who had argued that Roque’s tackle was ‘reckless’.

Unhappy with the judgement, Barcelona will challenge the decision from the Competition Committee. But as things stand, Vitor Roque remains suspended for the upcoming league game against Granada.