Robert Lewandowski has been included in Barcelona’s squad to face Espanyol on Saturday after his three-match ban was temporarily lifted.
Lewandowski was initially suspended for a gesture which was deemed to ‘question the integrity of the official’ in Barcelona’s 2-1 win over Osasuna before the World Cup break, although the Blaugrana have always argued that the action in question has been misinterpreted.
A first appeal to La Liga failed, as did a second to Spain’s Administrative Court of Sport, but Barcelona have not given up and took the issue to the court of disputes in Madrid and have since been granted a temporary removal of the ban.
Lewandowski’s suspension is still under investigation but, while that process is ongoing, the Poland international is free to continue playing.
As a result, Xavi has included Lewandowski in his squad for Saturday’s Catalan derby against Espanyol, although the boss admitted he was unimpressed with the short notice given to him about the decision.
“We only found out when training was finished,” he said. “We prepared for the game without Robert.
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“It is great news, of course, but to find out a day before is not the best timing for us. But we are happy. Even he was surprised by the decision.”
Meanwhile, rivals Espanyol have cried foul over the suspension of Lewandowski’s ban, releasing a statement where it described the decision as an “injustice”.
The statement reads, “Espanyol finds it unusual that, 24 hours before the match against Barcelona, and after it was rejected by different competent bodies (competition, appeal, and CAS), a precautionary measure has been granted to a previously imposed sanction to the Barcelona player, Robert Lewandowski.
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“In this sense, as an indirectly involved party, we were only able to have access to the resolution after requesting it from different bodies and not because it was communicated to us, as established by the procedural regulations.
“However, we believe that the requirements are not met to justify the precautionary measure. Specifically, the appearance of good law is particularly indefensible as there are two sanctions of different types, three unfavourable administrative resolutions and an arbitration act with a presumption of veracity that support the sanction.
“Likewise, there is talk of irreparable damage to Barcelona without assessing the irreparable damage to its rivals and the competition without giving the possibility of any recourse.
“The club considers that this last-minute decision completely conditions this matchday, which started yesterday (Thursday), and the team’s preparation for this match. RCD Espanyol understands that it is a grievance and an injustice considering the precedents with other clubs.
“Despite this injustice and this unprecedented decision in the competition, our team tomorrow will compete 110 per cent to live up to the trust of our fans.“
