Osasuna have submitted a formal complaint to the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) regarding Barcelona’s use of defender Inigo Martinez in the 3-0 LaLiga victory on Thursday due to the use of player from FIFA regulations perspective.
Martinez, who missed Spain’s Nations League lineup with a swollen right knee, played the entire 90 minutes for Barcelona. Osasuna contend that this contravenes Article 5 of Annex I of FIFA’s Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, which effectively prevents players who miss international duty for medical reasons from playing for their clubs within five days of the closure of the international window.
“Osasuna considers that Inigo Martinez was not eligible to play according to FIFA regulations,” the club said in a statement.
The game was originally set for March 8 but was postponed after the death of Barcelona’s club doctor. It was rescheduled for March 27 — four days after Spain’s last game. Both clubs’ requests for a further postponement were rejected, forcing Barcelona to field a team missing key players, including Raphinha, who had just returned from international duty.
Osasuna are now 14th in LaLiga, six points higher than the relegation zone, while Barcelona are three points clear at the top.
