Spanish Supercup Mired in Controversy

Date: 12 August 2018 - 21:45

News ID: ۵۶۲۱۴

MADRID (Xinhua) -- The Spanish Supercup didn't kick off on Sunday night but it has already generated more controversy than most games long before it is due to be played.
The match between FC Barcelona and Sevilla is going to be decided in a one-off match in the Algerian city of Tangiers, rather than in the traditional home-and-away affair Sevilla had wanted.
The side who lost the Spanish Cup final to Barcelona in the spring has also been outraged by the decision by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to remove the usual restriction which limits the number of players with non-European union passports allowed to play in the game to just three.
Removing the restriction in the Supercup will in theory benefit Barcelona, who have signed Brazilian duo Arthur and Malcom over the summer, as well as Arturo Vidal, none of whom have EU passports. Philippe Coutinho is also without an EU passport.
The RFEF's decision will now allow all four to be on the pitch at the same time and Sevilla have reacted with a message saying the club was "surprised" by the RFEF's statement 24 hours before the Super Cup.
"The club's legal department is studying the matter and should FC Barcelona submit a team with more than three non-EU players, it would present possible grounds for the filing of a complaint on account of an improper line-up," reads the statement.
There is further possibility for controversy during the match which will use the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system for the first time in a competitive Spanish game.