BARCELONA — Barcelona striker Luis Suarez will miss the King's Cup final against Alaves in May after being banned for two games following his sending off in Tuesday's 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid.
The suspension was handed down by the Competition Committee of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) Thursday and applies to cup matches only.
The Catalan club had anticipated a one-match ban and had already said it would appeal after Suarez received a second yellow card in the 90th minute of Tuesday's semifinal for "striking his arm against a rival player in a reckless fashion".
The Uruguay international was punished for the dismissal, as well as for not going straight to the changing room after leaving the pitch.
Barcelona defender Sergi Roberto will also miss the Cup final on May 27 after he was sent off for two yellow cards during Tuesday's encounter at the Nou Camp.
Holder Barca beat Atletico 3-2 on aggregate to reach their fourth straight Cup final.
Van Persie, Tosic suspended
Turkey's football federation Thursday suspended Fenerbahce's star Dutch striker Robin van Persie for three games and Serbian defender Dusko Topic of Besiktas for four after a standoff in a tense Istanbul cup derby this week.
The two had been involved in an off-the-ball incident in the Feb. 5 game which saw Tosic sent off in the 41st minute but Beskitas fans feel van Persie also deserved red for exaggerating the contact.
Van Persie collapsed to the ground after being nudged on the head by Tosic.
Fenerbahce won the cup match 0-1 in Besiktas' stadium by the Bosphorus thanks to a 71st minute goal from van Persie, who arrived last season from Manchester United.
The Dutchman was then the target of a expletive-ridden Twitter rant from Tosic's wife, the Serbian pop star Jelena Karleusa.
The federation said after a meeting of its disciplinary committee van Persie was being banned for three matches and fined 19,500 Turkish lira ($5,300) for insulting behavior.
Pictures from the game showed van Persie gesturing with his hand down the front of his shorts in the direction of Besiktas players and fans.
Tosic was, meanwhile, banned for four games and given a fine of 71,000 Turkish lira ($19,270) over the red card incident. Besiktas manager Senol Gunes was given a one match ban.
The bans come with both sides at a crucial stage in the season, with Besiktas looking to pull ahead of second and third placed Basaksehir and Galatasaray in the Super Lig race. Fenerbahce remain contenders in fourth. — Agencies
