Search icon

Football

07th Jan 2016

There could be another ban on the cards for Luis Suarez

Could be the first since bitegate

Ben Kiely

Luis Suarez may be penalised for “sparking tunnel brawl” against Espanyol

Barcelona defeated their Catalan rivals 4-1 in the Copa del Rey clash on Wednesday in what turned out to be a heated affair. Espanyol had two players sent off and were lucky not to see their goalkeeper remain on the pitch following his blatant stamp on Lionel Messi.

Suarez was also booked during the match, but Sky Sports are reporting that the Uruguayan could face a three match ban for his involvement in an incident that happened in the tunnel.

Referee Juan Martinez Munuera noted Suarez’ role in provoking a brawl in the tunnel in his report.

“Whilst all the Espanyol players climbed the stairs in the tunnel towards the dressing rooms, he (Suarez) waited for them and confronted them saying on various occasions: ‘Here I am waiting for you, come here; you are a waste of space’,”

“That provoked a clash between players from both clubs forcing security personnel present and the managerial staff from both teams to intervene.”

If Suarez was to receive a ban, it would mark his first since the four-month suspension he received for that infamous bite on Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup.