Lionel Messi could be suspended for up to four games after receiving the first red card of his career at Barcelona in the 3-2 Spanish Super Cup defeat on Sunday to Athletic Bilbao.
Two goals from Antoine Griezmann seemed to put Barça on their way to the first trophy of the Ronald Koeman era, but Asier Villalibre’s goal in the 90th minute took the game into overtime.
Inaki Williams gave Athletic, who beat Real Madrid in the semifinal, the advantage in the 94th minute, and with time running out and Barça losing 3-2, Messi was sent off for frustration at Villalibre.
The competition committee of the Royal Spanish Football Federation will meet this week to decide the length of the Barça captain’s suspension.
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Messi, 33, is sure to lose two games, but that can be doubled, depending on how the competition committee classifies the expulsion. The ban will apply in La Liga and Copa del Rey.
Therefore, he will miss the World Cup trip against third division Cornella and next weekend’s game against Elche in La Liga. If the suspension is longer, he could also lose the next round of the Cup if Barça qualify and the match against Athletic at Camp Nou on 31 January.
Sunday’s red card was the first that Messi received while playing for Barca’s top team, a length of 753 matches. However, it was the fourth of his career, after a resignation by Barça B in 2005 and two by Argentina, including one in his international debut that same year.
Koeman said after Sunday’s defeat that he empathized with Messi’s frustration.
“I can understand what Messi did,” said Koeman. “I don’t know how many times they missed it, and it’s normal to react when they try to miss it like a player who wants to dribble with the ball, but I need to see it again correctly.”
Barça reached the final on Sunday after a series of nine games without losing in all competitions and driven by Messi passing a late fitness test after losing the semifinal victory over Real Sociedad.
Two Griezmann goals seemed set to extend that series to 10 matches, but the Frenchman’s goals were canceled by Oscar De Marcos and then Villalibre, before Williams scored a brilliant winner.
“I am upset, angry, angry,” Griezmann told reporters after the defeat, which denied him his first silver piece since joining Barça from Atletico Madrid in 2019.
“I have all the bad feelings that I may have after losing a final. We made mistakes in set pieces, we defend badly, we don’t talk about free kicks. These are important details.”
Koeman tried to be brave despite the defeat.
“We are sad and disappointed, but I still think we are on the right track and we are improving,” added Koeman.
“We have to improve defensively. We must be more committed. We cannot let the players turn, kick and pass. But I am giving everything. I am not the worst coach now. [after a defeat] just like i’m not the best after a win, but it’s hard to accept. “
For Athletic, it was the first trophy since defeating Barça to win the Spanish Super Cup in 2015 and came only in the third game under the management of new coach Marcelino.
“The credit goes to the players,” said Marcelino. “They deserved to be here for what they did last season and to win these two games [against Madrid and Barca] It’s incredible.
“I would also like to remember Aritz Aduriz and Mikel San Jose and the other players who were here last season, but are no longer part of the team. And also, from the previous technician [Gaizka Garitano] and your team. “