Barcelona forward Robert Lewandowski has reportedly had his three-match suspension upheld by the Spanish administrative tribunal of sport (TAD).
The Poland international was punished after he received a second yellow card and subsequently made a gesture towards the referee Jesus Gil Manzano during Barcelona's 2-1 win over Osasuna in November.
Lewandowski's suspension period was expected to begin with Saturday's derby against Espanyol, but he was allowed to play in the 1-1 draw when Barcelona were granted a preliminary injunction by the Central Contentious Court of Madrid.
The decision infuriated Espanyol, who released two statements before the match, while the Royal Spanish Football Federation admitted they could not prevent Lewandowski from featuring after the competition committee met on the morning of the game.
On Monday, Espanyol confirmed that they had registered a formal complaint with the Spanish Football Federation about the 34-year-old's eligibility to play in the derby fixture.
While Diego Martinez's side patiently waits to hear a response to their complaint, TAD has reviewed Barcelona's appeal of Lewandowski's suspension.
According to Marca, TAD has decided to uphold the original decision to hand out a three-match suspension.
Barcelona boss Xavi had previously claimed that he expected the veteran forward to feature against Atletico Madrid on Sunday, but he will now have to cope without his services.
Lewandowski is set to miss La Liga fixtures against Atletico, Getafe and Girona, keeping him out of league action until February.
However, he is still eligible to feature in the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup, which will take place next week, with Barcelona set to face Real Betis in the semi-finals.
The decision to uphold the three-match ban will come as a blow following Lewandowski's impressive start to his Barcelona career.
With 13 goals to his name in 15 league appearances, he is currently La Liga's top scorer, while he has also racked up five strikes in as many games in the Champions League.
Although the La Liga leaders do not have an array of central strikers, Xavi will turn to the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Ferran Torres, Raphinha and Ansu Fati to fill the void left by Lewandowski.
The Barcelona boss can also call upon Memphis Depay, who scored 12 goals in 28 league games last season, although he could be on his way out of Camp Nou in the near future. body check tags ::
