RFEF Rejects Betis Appeal Against Natan’s Yellow Card

Real Betis’s request to the Disciplinary Committee of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to annul the yellow card received by Natan during last Sunday’s match at Mestalla against Valencia has been unsuccessful. This decision was not influenced by the content of the appeal, but rather by the fact that, as revealed by the Committee itself in its ruling, the submission was made after the deadline.

“Article 26.3 of the RFEF’s Disciplinary Code establishes a timeframe for submitting appeals or utilizing permitted defenses, which concludes at 14:00 hours on the second working day following the relevant match. As the appeal was submitted after this deadline, it precludes any consideration of the requests made by Real Betis Balompié, consequently upholding the presumption of accuracy of the facts outlined in the referee’s report,” stated the Disciplinary Committee. This ruling was prompted by a technical failure that resulted in the late arrival of the appeal.

As a result, Natan is now on the brink of suspension, especially with the Seville derby approaching. Betis is expected to challenge this decision before the Appeals Committee, seeking to overturn the disciplinary sanction imposed by the Catalan referee García Verdura for a foul on Valencia’s Thierry. The footage does not conclusively show that the Betis defender made contact with the Valencia full-back, which is why the club’s legal team is working to contest this yellow card.