Barcelona face the prospect of being thrown out of Spain's top domestic women's cup competition for fielding an ineligible player.
The Spanish champions, whose squad features England duo Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh, defeated Osasuna 9-0 in the Copa de la Reina last 16. But their opponents have now launched an official complaint after it was revealed Barca may have broken the rules around player eligibility.
Their forward Geyse Ferreira, who scored one of the nine goals, should have supposedly faced a one-match ban after she was sent off in the competition last season while at Madrid CFF. Osasuna have reported the incident to the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the authority that oversees the tournament, and are pushing for the game to be awarded to them rather than letting the original result stand. That would mean Barcelona, who have won the Copa de la Reina for the last three years on the spin, would be eliminated from the cup and unable to defend their crown.
The Catalonian giants currently sit top of Liga F with 13 wins from 13 games, seven points clear of nearest challengers Levante. They are also through to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Women's Champions League after topping Group D ahead of German side Bayern Munich.
But, remarkably, their hopes of a treble could be dashed by what appears to be an administrative error rather than losing a game on the pitch. Barca head coach Jonatan Giraldez confirmed after the match he was not aware of any suspension for Geyse, because it did not show up on RFEF records.
The Brazilian forward, also known as Pretinha and capped 34 times by her country, signed for Barcelona last June and has proven a successful buy, scoring 10 goals in 17 games since her arrival. But her involvement in the win on Tuesday may deny them a spot in the last eight of the competition.
Geyse did score before she was sent off in last season's quarter-final while at Madrid CFF, who were beaten 2-1 by Sporting de Huelva. This meant she should have been banned from appearing against Osasuna.
A decision from the RFEF is expected in the coming days, according to reports in The Athletic. Should Barcelona be thrown out, the 2021 Champions League winners would be unable to win every trophy available in Walsh and Bronze's first season at the club.
Real Madrid's men's side faced the same punishment back in 2015 when they fielded an ineligible player in the Copa del Rey. Russian international Denis Cheryshev played and scored in a 3-1 win over Cadiz, but it was later revealed he should have been suspended due to cards accumulated in the previous season's competition.
NEW! Our Year: European Champions 2022 - The Official England Winners Book
With a foreword by England manager Sarina Wiegman, this is the only official book of the historic triumph, reliving every kick of a thrilling tournament and telling the stories of the players who made it all happen.
Order from https://reachsportshop.com/book/our-year-european-champion-2022/
