Elche’s club leadership stands by its warning and openly contests a perceived misalignment ahead of the match
Elche CF has formally requested that the RFEF Competition Committee review an incident it views as a misalignment involving a Barcelona player during the game held at the Martínez Valero, where Barcelona defeated Elche by four goals to nil. The club submitted its complaint three minutes before the deadline, a move reported by Cadena COPE, signaling Elche’s intent to question the legitimacy of the result and seek a formal ruling on the alleged issue. The filing prompts the competition authorities to examine the claim and determine whether it warrants action under the federation’s rules and regulations.
The basis of Elche’s claim rests on Article 141 of the Royal Spanish Football Federation’s regulations, which governs licensing and eligibility. It states that a player whose license has been revoked is prohibited from playing again in the same season with the license that had previously been cancelled. This rule is intended to prevent a player from re-entering the competition under a cloud of administrative issues within the same campaign.
Barcelona, on the other hand, presents a contrasting interpretation. Club sources argue that there is no breach of licensing procedures and that the relevant precautionary measures connected to the player in question were addressed in a manner consistent with the federation’s norms. They contend that a license adjustment, rather than cancellation, occurred and that this adjustment does not constitute a revocation that would trigger the same-season restriction cited by Elche. According to Barça, the league and federation authorities acted within their remit by reactivating the player’s license rather than cancelling it, which would mean there was no formal cancellation to reference in Elche’s complaint.
Barça’s position is that the sequence of administrative actions, as interpreted by the club, falls under a temporary administrative adjustment rather than a permanent revocation. In this view, the club maintained compliance with federation rules, while Elche’s challenge hinges on a strict interpretation of licensing status at the time of the match. FC Barcelona maintains that the broader regulatory framework supports their treatment of the player’s status and that the actions to restore or reactivate the license were properly handled within federation procedures.
With the case now in the hands of the RFEF Competition Committee, a careful assessment will determine whether any licensing irregularity affected the match outcome and whether Elche’s challenge has potential validity under the applicable regulations. The committee will study the documentation, review the license history, and assess whether any procedural violations occurred that would merit a corrective measure or a reopening of the result. Until a ruling is issued, both clubs remain focused on their competitive duties while analysts and supporters watch closely for the committee’s decision and its implications for the season’s regulations and for future licensing actions.
Notes: The details above reflect reported statements and positions from the involved clubs, as they emerged through early reporting and official regulatory channels. The final determination rests with the federation’s competition authorities after a formal review process.