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.
