Real Betis intend to appeal before the Appeals Committee of the Royal Spanish Football Federation against the four-match suspension handed to their Uruguayan midfielder Facundo Bernal. He was sent off with a direct red card in La Liga against Barcelona, following his clash with Lamine Yamal, the star of the Catalan side.
According to the Spanish network "COPE", the Andalusian club announced its intention to lodge the appeal the moment the Spanish Federation's Disciplinary Committee informed them of the decision. The committee sanctioned Bernal based on the referee's report, which explained the dismissal like this: "The player grabbed an opponent by the neck and delivered two consecutive headbutts to his face, while the ball was out of play. The opposing player did not require medical assistance and was able to continue the match."
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Betis had submitted a memorandum in defence of their player, but the committee rejected it. The club argued that the referee's report contained a clear error, claiming it did not sufficiently reflect the clash that preceded the incident, nor the intervention of the opposing player, whom the referee merely booked with a yellow card, in a way that does not allow for an accurate assessment of the assault described in the report.
The Disciplinary Committee reviewed the footage, dismissed the Andalusian club's arguments and deemed the incident an assault warranting punishment under Article 103 of the Disciplinary Regulations. It handed Bernal a four-match ban.
Under the decision, the Uruguayan midfielder will miss Betis's matches against Celta Vigo, Málaga and Elche, as well as the derby against Sevilla, unless the club succeeds in reducing the sanction through the appeal.
Betis will not, however, appeal the two other sanctions issued on the back of the match. Sporting director Manu Fajardo was suspended for two matches for conduct breaching the sporting code, after he struck the ball towards the fourth official during a VAR review. Manager Manuel Pellegrini also received a caution for his objections to the refereeing crew, according to the Catalan newspaper "Mundo Deportivo".