Barcelona call for disciplinary action against La Liga president

10/28/2016

Barcelona have asked Spain's Court for Sport to impose disciplinary action against La Liga chief Javier Tebas for criticising the team's reaction to a bottle being thrown at them during a game in Valencia. Valencia were slapped with a fine for the issue, and the club went on to ban their supporter.

Spanish football federation's (RFEF) president Tebas said he would be "ashamed to pretend" the way some players went down “like a game of skittles" when an empty plastic bottle appeared to have hit striker Neymar when Barcelona were celebrating Lionel Messi's last-gasp winner that secured a 3-2 win in Valencia`s Mestalla Stadium.

Neymar fell over and remained on the pitch for a moment when the bottle hit him while Javier Mascherano and Luis Suarez also fell over.

Valencia were fined 1,500 euros by RFEF, who also criticized Barcelona players for goading Valencia's fans. In a report released on Wednesday, RFEF accused Barca's players of "unexemplary behaviour" and "feigning they had been struck by the object".

The Spanish champions hit back in a statement on Thursday that said: "Barcelona demands the TAD opens disciplinary proceedings against Javier Tebas, president of La Liga, and members of the RFEF`s Competition Committee for their ... reactions and judgements about Barcelona`s players when they were assaulted during last Saturday`s game against Valencia.

"Barcelona publicly reproaches Javier Tebas, as president of La Liga, and withdraws all their confidence in him for the time being."

Meanwhile, Valencia imposed a one-year ban from attending matches at Mestalla on the 17-year-old supporter who threw the bottle.