Barcelona stars Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal have been sanctioned by UEFA for breaches of the anti-doping protocol.
Meanwhile, manager Hansi Flick has also fallen foul of UEFA’s governing body in a more severe manner.
Both Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal have been hit with fines by UEFA for flaunting the rules of the anti-doping protocol after a match.
That is reported by Marca, who say that each player must pay €5k to UEFA. The infringements relate to two issues: the players did not attend the anti-doping control tests immediately after the game, and they did not follow the instructions of the official conducting the tests.
Manager Hansi Flick, on the other hand, has been hit with a more severe punishment.
The German manager has been found to have infringed upon the general principles of conduct and violated the rules of basic conduct. Assistant manager Marcus Sorg has also been found in breach of both rules.
Both have been banned from Barcelona’s opening game of the season in European competition and will face fines of €20k themselves.
It is not yet clear precisely what led to the fines, but Flick did complain about the officiating after Barcelona’s semi-final defeat to Inter in the Champions League last year and was seen protesting during the game too.
It is not the first time Barcelona have fallen foul of UEFA this summer, after the club was fined €15m for Financial Fair Play breaches. If they do not meet a series of conditions this season, the fine will increase to €60m.
Barcelona have also requested that their first Champions League game be played away from home, as they race against time to get Camp Nou ready for their return, under threat of having to return to Montjuic for all four of their home games in the league phase.
