Barcelona backed by FIFA rules in Iñigo Martínez eligibility case | OneFootball

FC Barcelona returned to action after the March international break on Thursday as they beat Osasuna in the La Liga game for matchday 27 which was previously postponed. The Blaugranes emerged victorious in this match with a 3-0 scoreline.

However, this game was marred by controversy after its end, as Osasuna believed that the defender Inigo Martinez should not have been on the pitch as he was not eligible to play, and have filed an appeal against this match.

A report by Mundo Deportivo provides recourse to the Annex to the FIFA Regulations on the Transfer Status of Players, whose Article 5 Osasuna believe to have been breached, and claims that Martinez’s inclusion in the lineup was not illegal.

This Article goes as:

“A player called up by their association for one of its representative teams does not have the right, unless their association agrees otherwise, to play for the club to which they belong during the period of their release, as stipulated in this annex, plus an additional period of five days.”

FIFA then explains that a player cannot refuse joining if he has been called up by his national team. Furthermore, the player is ineligible to play for his club during the timeframe for which he has been called up by his national side, irrespective of whether he has been released by his club or not.

But if the club refuses to release a player due to injury, he cannot play for his club side for another five days in addition to the time for which he would have been with the national team.

Thus, the condition not to play for five additional days after the international commitments apply only if a player refuses to join the national team or a club refuses to release him due to injury.

However, the Barcelona defender was authorised by RFEF and was already a part of the list published by Spain, and it was only after his injury that he was replaced by Dean Huijsen. Thus, Martinez was eligible to play against Osasuna as neither he nor Barcelona refuse the call-up.

But for now, the matter is still pending in the Disciplinary Committee and a decision can be made by Wednesday. Meanwhile, the body can also request information from the Blaugrana club or the RFEF.