Barcelona coach Xavi is surprised that Real Madrid defender Nacho had his suspension for a red card, received in the top match against Girona, reduced to two games on appeal. The coach mentioned this on his press conference on Friday.
The reduction in punishment means that the Madrid player, who has already served his first match suspension, only needs to sit out during his teammates' game in and against Sevilla on Saturday evening. A week later, during the Clásico, Nacho will be available for his coach Carlo Ancelotti. Xavi finds the situation strange, he said, and brought up another example.
'Yes, that's surprising. Last year, Robert Lewandowski was also suspended for three matches because he touched his nose, and that suspension was not reduced,' Xavi complained. Lewandowski received a red card last November and left the field making a gesture where he tapped his nose. The Spanish federation found 'contempt' and 'lack of respect' towards referee Gil Manzano and suspended the Polish top striker for three matches.
Xavi believes Nacho's offense is worse. 'That's a tackle that endangers an opponent. As a sportsman, this surprises me, yes. It was very dangerous, Nacho could have really injured him,' the coach repeated. Barcelona plays at home against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday evening and hosts Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Wednesday before facing off against Los Blancos the following Saturday.
Updated: 03:27, 20 Oct 2023
