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Real Madrid's Pepe escapes punishment over alleged stamp on Barcelona's Lionel Messi
The Spanish football federation's (RFEF) Competition Committee will take no action over the incident because there was no mention of it in the referee's report
25-Jan-2012 2:34:00 PM
By Mark Doyle
Pepe - Real Madrid
Real Madrid defender Pepe has escaped sanction over his allegedly deliberate stamp on Barcelona's Lionel Messi during last week's Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The Portugal international appeared to intentionally tread on his rival's hand during the second half of the Copa del Rey clash in the Spanish capital.
The incident was caught on camera and Pepe's actions were widely condemned within the footballing community, even though he maintained that the contact had been purely accidental.
The Spanish football federation's (RFEF) Competition Committee has now revealed that they will take no action against the player because there was no mention of the incident within the referee's report.
Consequently, Pepe, having already been included in the Madrid squad to face Barca on Wednesday night, is now free to play in the second leg of the quarter-final tie at Camp Nou.
However, that might not be the end of the affair because, according to La Jornada, a Barca socio, Stefan Froreich, has filed a legal complaint against Pepe in a Barcelona court.
The paper claims that the German, who lives in Catalunya, has accused the centre-half of causing criminal harm under Article 147 of the Penal Code.
The Portugal international appeared to intentionally tread on his rival's hand during the second half of the Copa del Rey clash in the Spanish capital.
The incident was caught on camera and Pepe's actions were widely condemned within the footballing community, even though he maintained that the contact had been purely accidental.
The Spanish football federation's (RFEF) Competition Committee has now revealed that they will take no action against the player because there was no mention of the incident within the referee's report.
Consequently, Pepe, having already been included in the Madrid squad to face Barca on Wednesday night, is now free to play in the second leg of the quarter-final tie at Camp Nou.
However, that might not be the end of the affair because, according to La Jornada, a Barca socio, Stefan Froreich, has filed a legal complaint against Pepe in a Barcelona court.
The paper claims that the German, who lives in Catalunya, has accused the centre-half of causing criminal harm under Article 147 of the Penal Code.
Starting in November and continuing through to the middle of February, Goal.com is publishing exclusive extracts from Graham Hunter's highly-anticipated new book, 'Barca: The Making of the Greatest Team in the World'. Friday's extract looks at how Barca suffered rare disappointment at the hands of Real Madrid in a gripping finale to last season's Copa del Rey. Don't miss it!
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