It's not just Bernal: Pellegrini faces possible punishment after tense Barcelona match
The Chilean coach criticised some of the refereeing decisions
Referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea confirmed in his report that Uruguayan midfielder Facundo Bernal struck Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal twice with his head during the two sides' match at La Cartuja, after Abde Ezzalzouli had scored Betis's second goal.
Barcelona rolled on. A 5-2 win over Real Betis on Saturday made it nine from nine in La Liga and kept their perfect record intact.
Read also
Enrique announces injury to Paris Saint-Germain star ahead of Barcelona clash
Sendings off and minutes a man down: a vast gap between Real Madrid and Barcelona
Moroccan star Abde Ezzalzouli had just pulled Betis back to 3-2 when Bernal lost his head, went for Yamal and walked for a straight red.
It all started with Betis goalkeeper Alvaro Valles yanking Fermin Lopez up off the turf in unpleasant fashion as the Barcelona man lay in pain after a challenge for the ball.
Yamal waded in to defend his team-mate. Bernal grabbed him by the neck and struck him twice with his head in the face. The referee had no choice.
The referee's report
The referee's report stated: "In the 54th minute, player number 6, Facundo Bernal Cruz, was sent off for the following reason: during a confrontation, the player grabbed an opponent by the neck and struck him twice in succession with his head in the face, while the ball was not in play."
De Burgos Bengoetxea also noted that the opposing player did not require medical assistance and was able to continue the match. Article 103 of the disciplinary code allows for a ban of between four and 12 matches for assaults committed when the ball is out of play, according to the Catalan newspaper "Sport".
Bernal apologised to his team-mates and the club's supporters after the match, saying: "I want to apologise to my teammates and to the Real Betis fans, because I left the team with ten men today. I am not used to reacting in this way, and I should have controlled myself in that passage of play. I take responsibility, and it will not happen again."
Four matches looks the minimum. Whether Chilean coach Manuel Pellegrini also faces disciplinary action will emerge later, after his comments on the disallowed Lo Celso goal in the first half and Bernal's dismissal in the second.
Pellegrini said in press comments after the game: "They were incomprehensible decisions, I could not understand them. A goal was disallowed for a handball that Cucho did not commit deliberately, after the ball struck his hand. There was also a push and provocation from Lamine Yamal (in the Bernal sending-off incident). These were decisions that had a very big impact."
