OFFICIAL: The RFEF confirms the sanction of Wojciech Szczesny

Wojciech Szczesny will serve a one-match suspension due to the red card shown by referee Jesús Gil Manzano in the 57th minute of the Supercopa de España final. The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) confirmed this Tuesday the minimum punishment established by regulation for the Polish player, as it was "the foul on an opponent in the dispute for the ball, preventing a clear goal-scoring opportunity", according to the referee's report.

According to article 56.8 of the Disciplinary Code, updated in 2023 specifically for sanctions incurred in the Supercopa de España, each player will serve their respective sanction "in the order" of the matches their club plays. Previously, players had to serve the sanction in the next edition of the tournament. Therefore, the player from Warsaw will not be available for the round of 16 match of the Copa del Rey, this Wednesday in Montjuïc against Betis (21:00 CEST).

Szczesny was a starter in the first three matches of Barcelona in 2025, against Barbastro (0-4), Athletic (0-2), and Real Madrid (2-5). After two clean sheets, he conceded a goal before the 5th minute of the Clásico. After that, he responded well to a header from Tchouaméni that was heading for a goal. Until the play that led to his expulsion, the '25' had once again responded to the trust of the coaching staff.

Hansi Flick does not close the debate on the goalkeeping position at Barcelona

Despite his unfortunate exit in the Supercopa final, the experienced Polish goalkeeper still has options to fight for a spot in Hansi Flick's starting eleven. In the press conference prior to the match against Betis, the coach acknowledged that the situation regarding the goalkeeping position "has changed a lot", as the coaching staff was very satisfied with the level shown by Szczesny in his first three matches.

"It’s very good to see him like this, he started again with us. He has an incredible mentality, always helps... it’s something very good. He can play at a high level", commented the coach. However, Flick also praised Iñaki Peña, who has shown "calm and strength" to deal with the pressure. "The situation is helping him to keep improving", he added about the Alicante player, who will return to the lineup this Wednesday and should remain a starter on Saturday as Barcelona returns to LaLiga.