Story highlights
Real Madrid coach handed two-match ban for future Spanish Super Cup matches
Jose Mourinho was seen to jab his finger in the eye of Barcelona assistant
Tito Vilanova was also suspended for one Super Cup match for his retaliation
Pre-season match between Spanish rivals at Camp Nou erupted into ugly scenes
Jose Mourinho’s bust-up with a Barcelona coach has cost the Real Madrid boss a two-match ban which will not affect his pitch-side attendance in La Liga this season.
The 48-year-old was punished after being seen jabbing a finger into the eye of Barcelona assistant Tito Vilanova at the end of the second leg Spanish Super Cup in August.
Vilanova was suspended for one match for slapping the Portuguese in retaliation, with both men also fined 600 euros ($800).
However, the suspensions apply only to the pre-season Super Cup played between the league champions and Copa del Rey winners, and not other domestic matches.
Barca’s website noted on Wednesday that the Spanish Football federation’s ruling indicated “the absence of injury or lack of conclusive evidence on the intention to do harm by Mr. Mourinho.”
The August 17 match had erupted in ugly scenes in a repeat of last season’s enmity between the two teams, with Barca winning 3-2 for a 5-4 aggregate success.
Marcelo was sent off for a bad tackle on Barca’s new signing Cesc Fabregas, whose teammate David Villa was red-carded along with Real’s Mesut Ozil when both returned to the pitch from the substitutes’ bench.
Last season, Mourinho was given a European touchline ban for incidents in the tempestuous Champions League semifinal ties between the two teams.
Real lost 3-1 on aggregate and Barca went on to claim the title for the fourth time.