Valencia have been fined and Barcelona’s players were branded “blameworthy” after a bottle was launched from the stands in Saturday’s Primera Liga clash.
Barca won 3-2 at the Mestalla but the game was overshadowed by an incident which saw several objects thrown on to the pitch after Lionel Messi’s late winner from the penalty spot.
A bottle appeared to hit Barcelona forward Neymar, who fell, with Luis Suarez also dropping to the ground after joining a group of teammates to celebrate the goal.
The Royal Spanish Football Federation’s (RFEF) disciplinary committee have imposed a €1,500 (Dh6,100) fine on Valencia, as well as warning the club that a repeat incident could see them play future home games behind closed doors.
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A statement issued by RFEF also accused some Barcelona players of being "blameworthy" and criticised their reaction to the incident.
The statement, published on sefutbol.com, read: “Without justifying the action of a few troublemakers, it must be observed that certain gestures and actions by members of the FC Barcelona team upon celebrating their winning goal are blameworthy.
“It also must be noted that reaction of certain members of the aforementioned football club simulated injury without having the bottle actually impact on their person.
“None of these actions should take place at a sporting event which should always look to portray a harmonious dynamic between players and supporters.”
Meanwhile, Barcelona centre-back Jeremy Mathieu joined the club’s mounting injury list and faces three weeks out after hurting his right calf, the Spanish champions said last night.
The Frenchman limped out of Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat to city rivals Espanyol in the Catalan Super Cup with tests subsequently revealing a muscular injury.
Mathieu’s absence further depletes a backline already without first-choice defenders Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba, both of whom were recently ruled out for at least two weeks.
Captain Andres Iniesta suffered knee ligament damage in Saturday's win at Valencia and is expected to be sidelined for between six and eight weeks.
Mathieu will miss this weekend’s league game against Granada as well as next Sunday’s trip to second-place Sevilla.
Mathieu, 32, is also suspended for Barca’s return fixture against Manchester City in the Uefa Champions League on November 1.
Elsewhere, Spanish international forward Lucas Vazquez has signed a one-year contract extension with Real Madrid to keep him at the Bernabeu until 2021, the club announced yesterday.
Vazquez, 25, joined Madrid as a teenager in 2007 and made his first-team breakthrough last season after a successful spell on loan at Espanyol.
He featured in May’s Champions League final win over Atletico Madrid and was part of the Spain squad at Euro 2016.
Vazquez is the third member of Zinedine Zidane’s squad to renew his contract in as many weeks, following in the footsteps of Toni Kroos (2022) and Luka Modric (2020).
According to Spanish media, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo could soon be the next players to sign new deals.
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