Lionel Messi to remain suspended after Barcelona lose appeal against 2-match ban

Barcelona captain Lionel Messi will remain suspended after Barcelona failed with their appeal to have his ban overturned.

Lionel Messi was sent off in the game against Athletic Bilbao in the final of the Supercopa de Espana after a clash with striker Asier Villalibre. This was the 33-year old's first red card for Barcelona.

Barcelona succumbed to a 3-2 loss as Athletic Bilbao won the cup.

The Argentina international was supposed to serve a two-game ban, starting with the game against Cornelia in the Copa del Rey.

Barcelona had appealed against the ban. Had their appeal been successful, Lionel Messi would have featured against Elche in La Liga.

Lionel Messi has been sent off for the first time in his Barcelona career 😲 pic.twitter.com/alvQX3NjUf

— Goal (@goal) January 17, 2021

However, that will no longer be the case. Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman will now have to plan without the presence of his star player.

Lionel Messi will be available to play against Rayo Vallecano in the Copa del Rey, which has been scheduled for next week.

Barcelona stutter as Lionel Messi's contract winds down

Lionel Messi could leave Barcelona soon

Much has been made of Lionel Messi and his relationship with Barcelona, especially after the events of last summer.

Arguably Barcelona's greatest ever player, Lionel Messi announced his decision to leave the club last summer. Despite heavy interest from Manchester City, a move failed to materialise, and Messi continued to captain Barcelona.

The forward's contract expires in the summer, and he is now free to talk to clubs across Europe with an eye towards leaving Barcelona in the summer on a free transfer.

Manchester City continue to be persistently linked with Lionel Messi, while Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain have also shown an interest in signing one of the greatest players of all time.

Barcelona are currently third in the league table, but the loss to Athletic Bilbao has shown that there is a lot of work to be done after a summer of upheaval. Both Madrid clubs are ahead of Barcelona at the moment.

There have been no signs from Messi's camp about wanting to extend his contract with Barcelona. Even if there was interest, it has been reported that Messi would have to take a pay cut, with Barcelona in a precarious financial condition.

Lionel Messi has been linked with PSG.Sergio Ramos has been linked with PSG.From rivals to team-mates? 🤔🤝 pic.twitter.com/yaqgHR9TM4

— Goal (@goal) January 21, 2021

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