Barcelona may have won the Spanish Supercup on Sunday, but it was not a perfect evening for Hansi Flick’s side, who ended the match against Real Madrid with 10 men after Frenkie de Jong was shown a straight red card in stoppage time.

De Jong fouled Kylian Mbappe with a high challenge, and that prompted him to be given his marching orders. As per MD, Spanish Supercup final referee Jose Luis Munuera Montero confirmed in his report that the Dutch midfielder “was sent off for making a tackle on an opponent with the use of excessive force in the dispute for the ball”.

This will almost certainly lead to him receiving a one-match ban from the Spanish Football Federation’s Disciplinary Committee, with the regulations stating that a “direct expulsion during the course of a match will lead to the imposition of the sanction of suspension during, at least one match, unless the act constitutes a more serious infraction, with the corresponding pecuniary accessory”. De Jong’s case would not qualify for the latter argument, which is why his ban should the minimum allowed.

Suspension will be for Barcelona’s next match

De Jong’s ban will not be for the Spanish Supercup, but rather, for Barcelona’s next domestic match. That takes place on Thursday when they travel to Segunda leaders Real Racing Club de Santander for their Copa del Rey Round of 16 clash at the Campos de Sport de El Sardinero.

It is a blow for Flick to be without one of his key players for that match, but crucially, it means that de Jong will be available for the weekend trip to Real Sociedad. The 28-year-old will be aiming to start in Donostia-San Sebastian, having been in the line-up for the Catalans’ last five matches across all competitions.