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The Spanish Football Federation's disciplinary committee on Thursday overturned the yellow card shown to Betis goalkeeper Antonio Adan during Wednesday's 4-0 loss to Barcelona. Referee Bikandi Garrido booked the goalie for colliding with Lionel Messi, when in reality Adan had fairly punched a dangerous Ivan Rakitic cross clear before the collision happened, with both players going for the ball. By overturning the yellow card the committee explicitly recognised that the penalty should never have been awarded. The penalty was the turning point of the match -- while Neymar missed the penalty (and in taking it kicked the ball twice, illegally), his spot-kick hit the bar and Heiko Westermann (being fouled at the time by Rakitic) ended up putting the rebound into his own net. Barcelona scored their second moments after. The federation's ruling says that Adan did not bring Messi down, but that his "action and intention were limited to clearing the ball with his fists." According to the ruling, it was "Messi who collided with the keeper" and who "fell to the ground as a consequence." The federation however upheld the referee's decision to eject Betis manager Pepe Mel for protesting after the penalty award. He will be subject to a two- or three-match ban for his actions. Mel had said in his news conference after the game that he'd said nothing to warrant being sent off. "We were controlling the game pretty well," Mel said after the game. "When the penalty came after half an hour the only chance had fallen to Dani Ceballos. "All my life I played centre-forward and I never got a penalty in that situation. "After that everything changed. It bothered me that such a decision takes us out of the game. I do not know what he saw, it was a very strange penalty. They are bad decisions but we must accept them. "I do not know why I was sent to the stands. I have not disrespected [the referee] or said anything, not even when he expelled me."
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