Real Betis appeal four-game Facundo Bernal suspension after Lamine Yamal incident

Real Betis midfielder Facundo Bernal has been suspended for four matches by the Spanish Football Federation’s disciplinary committee following his clash with Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal in Sunday’s La Liga match.

The Uruguay international was sent off after confronting Yamal shortly after Barcelona scored their second goal, which put the home side 3-2 ahead. The disciplinary committee classified the incident as an assault and rejected the appeals submitted by Real Betis.

Bernal’s suspension will cover one Copa del Rey fixture and La Liga matches scheduled before the Seville derby.

Real Betis have confirmed they will appeal against the punishment before the Appeals Committee, arguing that the four-match ban is disproportionate to what happened on the pitch.

Manager Manuel Pellegrini had already criticised the decision to dismiss Bernal. The Real Betis boss believes the midfielder should have received a yellow card rather than a red, as he felt Yamal should have been.

Bernal later apologised for his actions in a social media post. Real Betis believe that apology should have been taken into account when the disciplinary committee decided the length of the suspension.

The club also faces further disciplinary action following the match.

Real Betis sporting director Manu Fajardo has been banned for two matches because of conduct judged to have breached sporting regulations.

Pellegrini was given a warning over comments he made about the officials after Real Betis’ defeat by Barcelona.