Barcelona to appeal Mascherano dismissal

Barcelona have claimed it is the club’s “legal and moral duty” to appeal the red card shown to Javier Mascherano during their 3-1 victory over Eibar at Camp Nou on Saturday.

Mascherano was shown a straight red card with seven minutes to go in the Liga clash following a rant directed at a linesman, in which the former Liverpool man reportedly used the phrase “the c*** of your mother”.

The Argentina international was defended by coach Luis Enrique following the game, and Barcelona vice president Jordi Mestre confirmed the Catalan giants will now appeal against any impending ban.

“We have not received the official sanction,” he said at a media conference on Monday. 

“But we have asked the player what happened and he says that it was no more than an act of frustration and that he never had any intention of insulting anyone. 

“It is our legal and moral duty to present an appeal in order to defend the player.”

Should Barcelona’s appeal fail – and depending on the severity of a potential ban – Mascherano could miss El Clasico against Real Madrid on November 21.