€2,000 dedication

Posted Monday, April 14, 2014 by Marca.com

€2,000 dedication

The decision regarding Diego Costa's goal celebration during a game against Espanyol when he lifted his shirt to show a message underneath reading 'Totoca Forever'.

Atletico was informed days ago that it had been decided to punish the player with a yellow card and a 2,000 fine - the minimum that can be given for this type of offence, according to article 91 of the rulebook.

The Competition Committee gave Atlético a set period of time to present any arguments in the player's defence at the hearing. Last week, it made its final decision on the matter and informed the club. Atlético de Madrid may now appeal to the Appeals Committee and if this should prove fruitless, to the Sports Administration Court.

There is a previous case with Jona, who had his sanction and fine removed by the Appeals Committee. The player had shown a t-shirt with the message "Be strong, little ones" on World Cancer Day. However, with Costa there is little possibility of his punishment being revoked, following the International Board's resolution, in which FIFA declared that all federations were obliged to sanction every player who displayed any type of message or publicity.

This new ruling drastically reduces the Spanish Football Federation's room for maneuver regarding any possible modification it might wish to make at the end of the season regarding such 'rogue' celebrations.