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Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski has reacted angrily to being handed a three-match suspension for his sending off against Osasuna last time out in La Liga.
The Poland international picked up two yellow cards in the first half and was dismissed at the Camp Nou. Lewandowski made a gesture as he walked off the pitch, touching his nose and pointing towards the referee.
Lewandowski has since been banned for three matches by the RFEF who deemed the gesture disrespectful and arrogant. The veteran explained after the game the gesture was aimed at manager Xavi.
The striker has now been asked about the ban and feels it is too harsh a sanction and insisted once again that it was not aimed at the match official, as reported by Diario Sport.
“An excessive sanction, too severe. It’s too long,” he said. “But it wasn’t for him, it was for the coach, everyone knows it, because it was in his direction and not the referee.”
As things stand, Lewandowski is due to miss key matches against Espanyol, Atletico Madrid and Real Betis when La Liga resumes in December after the World Cup break.
The loss of the striker will be a big blow for Barcelona as he has been in superb form since joining in the summer from Bayern Munich. Lewandowski is La Liga’s top scorer and has netted 18 goals in all competitions this season.
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Barcelona Appeal Red Card
Barcelona have already confirmed they will appeal the decision to sanction Lewandowski for three games. Lewandowski is hopeful the appeal will prove successful and he will not be forced to sit out all three matches.
“I don’t think that the Committee that is in Madrid has sanctioned me with more games because they are important matches for Barcelona, against Espanyol and Atlético, I simply think it is too high,” he added. “I am confident that Barça will manage to reverse the situation.”
Lewandowski is currently with the Poland squad for World Cup 2022. The team will kick off their campaign against Mexico on Tuesday, November 22. Poland will also play Saudi Arabia and Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the group stages.
Who Will Replace Lewandowski If Ban Stands?
If Barcelona do not prove successful in their appeal then Xavi will have to find a replacement for Lewandowski. The coach does have plenty of options with the Barca squad full of talented attackers.
The most likely option would be teenage striker Ansu Fati, who is slowly finding his way back to full fitness and form after a long spell out with injury. Fati has scored three goals and picked up three assists for the Catalans so far this season and is now at the World Cup with Spain.
The attacker scored on his return to the Spain starting XI on Thursday in a friendly against Jordan and will be hoping he can make an impact at the tournament in Qatar after a frustrating time.
Xavi could also look to Memphis Depay or Ferran Torres to take over from Lewandowski, with Ousmane Dembele and Raphinha able to offer support from the flanks.
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