Barcelona Women have been thrown out of the Copa de la Reina for fielding an ineligible player in their 9-0 win over Osasuna in the last-16 of the competition.
However, Osasuna claimed afterwards that Ferreira should not have been allowed to play after she was sent off for Madrid CFF in the competition last season.
The Spanish FA (RFEF) have now expelled Barcelona from the cup, despite the club claiming that the suspension had not shown up on RFEF’s website ahead of the game.
Osasuna will take Barcelona’s place in the quarter-finals following their complaint.
The ruling is a devastating blow for Barcelona, who were looking to win the Copa de la Reina for the fourth successive season.
They will not be able to do so after RFEF’s decision, and fellow Spanish side Sevilla have also been eliminated for fielding a banned player.
Sevilla beat Villarreal 1-0, but Nagore Calderon came on as a second-half substitute, despite being shown a red card in her previous appearance in the competition in last year’s quarter-finals.
Villarreal will progress to the quarter-finals instead, and the competition is now wide open following Barcelona and Sevilla’s controversial exits.
