Robert Lewandowski Banned For Three Games After Show Of "Disrespect" To Referee

Robert Lewandowski will not play for Barcelona again until January 14 after being hit with a three-match domestic ban.

The Polish striker was already facing a one-game suspension after being sent off for collecting two yellow cards during Barca's 2-1 win at Osasuna last week.

But he has now been hit with an additional two-game ban for how he reacted following his red card.

As he walked off the field, Lewandowski was seen touching his nose and gesturing towards referee Jesus Gil Manzano, who included the incident in his match report.

An investigation by the Spanish soccer federation has since deemed that Lewandowski was displaying an "attitude of contempt or disrespect" towards the referee and his assistants.

He will now be unavailable for Barcelona's home game against Espanyol on December 31 and then his side's away trips to Atletico Madrid and Real Betis in early January as well.

Barcelona no.9 Robert Lewandowski pictured (center) complaining to referee Jesus Gil Manzano after being sent off in a game against Osasuna

IMAGO/Marca/Dani Fernandez

Lewandowski had claimed that his gesture was intended as an acknowledgment of a previous conversation with Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez and not as a diss to the ref.

As quoted by Cadena SER, he said last week: "About the gesture, it's even funny because last week I was talking with the coach, with Xavi, that in the future it could happen that I saw a yellow card and I had to go [off] for another yellow card, and that it would be hard.

"I had that 'feeling' that it could happen. And after what happened I made this gesture to Xavi, not to the referee. It's a big difference. It was like saying: 'What we talked about happened today.'"

But the disciplinary panel did not accept Lewandowski's version of events.

Lewandowski is currently on his way to Qatar for the World Cup. His Poland side are in Group C with Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Argentina.