Barcelona to appeal Mascherano's red card vs. Eibar

Barcelona announced it'll appeal the red card Javier Mascherano received during Sunday's match against Eibar.

The Spanish team explained that Mascherano's outburst toward the referee was "an act of frustration" and, based on his explanation of the events that led to his sending off, wasn't enough to warrant a straight red. A successful appeal could see the Argentine avoid a four-match suspension.

"We have not received the official sanction," FC Barcelona Sports Area vice president Jordi Mestre said in a statement.

"But we have asked the player what happened and he says that it was no more than an act of frustration and that he never had any intention of insulting anyone. It is our legal and moral duty to present an appeal in order to defend the player."

Mascherano was sent off for supposedly uttering an offensive phrase, which he contests was taken out of context due to differences in the Spanish language from his mother tongue in South America.

The 31-year-old was issued the straight red card in the 83rd minute after accumulating a yellow earlier in the game.

Barcelona's director of professional sport Albert Soler added that there's differences between what Mascherano said and what the match official wrote in his report.

Mascherano also received the backing of La Liga president Javier Tebas, who said it would be a shame for him to miss time, especially the Clasico against Real Madrid on Nov. 21.

"If that had happened in Argentina, it would have been evaluated differently. It is not a terrible insult in the Spanish language," Tebas told AS.com, as translated by ESPNFC.

"The (referee) committee will evaluate. I know that I have a record of skipping ahead (of the protocol), but I don't know what Mascherano did because I wasn't watching the match. It would be a shame if Mascherano or any other player were to miss the Clasico, but I don't know what he did or didn't say. The referees must determine acts that show lack of respect."