Picture Credit: X
FC Barcelona recently came off a victory against Osasuna in La Liga, courtesy of goals from Ferran Torres, Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski after returning from the international break. While the victory takes them to the top of the table; three points clear of arch-rivals Real Madrid, they could face a possible point deduction due to a complaint filed by Osasuna regarding Barcelona’s line-up in the last match. The issue is with regard to Barcelona center-back Inigo Martinez, who recently came off a minor injury. Inigo Martinez has had a great start to life under Hansi Flick, and has become a defensive mainstay for the Blaugrana.
This great run of form meant that he was called up to the Spanish national team for the first time since November 2023. However, just before the commencement of the international break, Inigo Martinez picked up a small injury and was ruled out of the Spanish national team, with Dean Huijsen coming in as a replacement. The minor injury kept Inigo out for about two weeks before he started training again and also featured in the last match against Osasuna, playing the entire 90 minutes.
What is the ‘Five Day Rule’ in FIFA guidelines?
Officials at Osasuna have recognized a problem with this as it violates one of FIFA’s guidelines related to withdrawal from international duty. Commonly known as the ‘five-day rule’, FIFA states that if a player withdraws from international duty, he cannot play a match for his club for upto five days after the end of the international break. This is to prevent clubs from unfairly reserving players and not letting them participate in international matches.
The Spanish national team concluded their last match against Netherlands on March 24, meaning that Barcelona’s fixture against Osasuna was within four days of the same, causing the issue. However, there are some expectations to the rule, like the national federations themselves withdrawing the player before the FIFA dates, or a medically justified injury being involved; and therefore it will be seen whether Osasuna’s complaint will stand.
