The big news to break out of Spanish football today is that Robert Lewandowski will be free to face Espanyol in tomorrow’s Catalan derby against Espanyol.
Earlier, the Madrid Central Tribunal for Contentious Administration suspended Lewandowski’s sanctions, meaning that he is able to be included in Barca’s squad for the match.
The three-match ban that was previously applied to the Polish striker may still be enforced should the appeal be upheld, but he is free to play whilst the decision is made.
The decision has proved to be a big discussion point, and Espanyol has already released a statement condemning the verdict. Speaking to La Grada Ràdio, as per Diario AS, the club’s former president Joan Collet was also furious with the court ruling, stating that he feels that the decision was made to favour Barcelona.
“We all complain that politics is judicialized, and now football is being judicialized.
“It is a real shame what is happening at the moment in football. It’s always the same clubs that get help. Here in Catalonia, we have grown up hearing that Barcelona were the club most harmed by institutions, arbitrations, by everything. Let’s see what they say now.”
The backlash from this verdict is set to rumble on for a while, and will perhaps be even more heated should Lewandowski have a big impact in tomorrow’s derby.
Image via RCD Espanyol