Barcelona star, Luis Suarez, may face a suspension after being accused of allegedly provoking Espanyol players in the tunnel following his side’s Copa del Rey win.
A brace from Lionel Messi and goals from Gerard Pique and Neymar saw Barca to a 4-1 victory in the last-16 first leg on Wednesday.
The rivalry threatened to boil over in the second half, with Hernan Perez and Pape Diop sent off as Espanyol were reduced to nine men.
In the official referee’s report, Suarez is accused of provoking a confrontation between players from both clubs in the tunnel.
“Whilst all the Espanyol players climbed the stairs in the tunnel towards the dressing rooms, he (Suarez) waited for them and confronted them saying on various occasions: ‘Here I am waiting for you, come here; you are a waste of space’,” referee Juan Martinez Munuera noted in his report.
“That provoked a clash between players from both clubs forcing security personnel present and the managerial staff from both teams to intervene.”
Espanyol’s physical approach had frustrated Barca in an equally fiery clash between the two in La Liga on Saturday which finished 0-0.
“The referees are the ones to set the limits,” Barcelona coach, Luis Enrique said.
Any Suarez ban would be his first since the four-month suspension he received for biting Italy’s Giogio Chiellini while playing for Argentina at the 2014 World Cup.
The second leg of the tie will be played at Cornella on January 13.
