Osasuna have confirmed they have filed an appeal against Barcelona for fielding Inigo Martinez in yesterday’s 3-0 La Liga win at Montjuic.
Martinez played after recovering from a knee injury that ruled him out of the Spain squad for Nations League games against the Netherlands.
COMUNICADO OFICIAL | El Club Atlético Osasuna presenta un recurso por alineación indebida del Fútbol Club Barcelona en el partido de ayer.
— C. A. OSASUNA (@Osasuna) March 28, 2025
Osasuna say that Martinez should not have played because FIFA rules state he should have waited five days to return to action after Spain’s last game of the break against the Netherlands on Sunday.
Here’s the statement:
“The club believes that footballer Iñigo Martínez’s participation in yesterday’s match violated Article 5 of Annex I of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, which specifies that a player who does not join his national team squad for medical reasons, or leaves the squad, may not play for his club for five calendar days following the end of the international period.
“On March 17, the Royal Spanish Football Federation announced on its communication channels that footballer Iñigo Martínez had been removed from the squad for medical reasons, specifically due to “internal parameniscitis in his right knee, as reported in the report received from FC Barcelona.”
“Similarly, that same day, the withdrawal of footballers Marc Casadó and Bryan Zaragoza from the Spanish national team was also announced for medical reasons. Zaragoza was the only one who joined the Spanish national team training camp to be evaluated by their medical services. It is evident that, in compliance with the aforementioned FIFA Regulations, neither of these players were eligible to participate in yesterday’s matchday 27 of LaLiga EA Sports, as the deadlines established by the regulations were not met.
“Since a medical leave is the justification for the withdrawal, as communicated by the RFEF itself, Club Atlético Osasuna believes that this case cannot be considered an exceptional situation that would render FIFA regulations inapplicable. The Navarrese club does consider the release of players Gerard Martín, Pablo Torre, and Fermín López from their second match with the Spanish Under-21 national team as a separate matter, as their withdrawal was not justified by a medical reason.
“However, Club Atlético Osasuna believes that Iñigo Martínez, whose absence from the Spanish national team was due to a medical leave, was not eligible to play in yesterday’s match in accordance with FIFA regulations. In light of this, the Navarrese club has decided to file an appeal for improper fielding in defense of his rights, the fairness of the competition, and the equality of all participants.”
Martinez pulled out of international duty on March 17 and Barcelona are said to be “calm” about the situation and don’t think there’s any way forward for the complaint.