Barcelona to appeal Valdes four-match ban

Barcelona will appeal a four-match ban handed to goalkeeper Victor Valdes after he furiously berated the referee at the end of Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Real Madrid, the La Liga leaders said on Wednesday.

Valdes, who would miss the league games against Deportivo La Coruna, Rayo Vallecano, Real Mallorca and Celta Vigo if the sanction stands, confronted Miguel Angel Perez Lasa after the referee waved away Barca's appeals for a late penalty following an apparent trip on Adriano by Real defender Sergio Ramos.

Perez Lasa wrote in his match report that Valdes, who had to be restrained by team mates and club officials, had continued his protests in the tunnel.

"The legal department of FC Barcelona will lodge an appeal in the coming days against the decision by the soccer federation's competition committee," Barca said in a statement on their website (www.fcbarcelona.es).

Barca's number two keeper Jose Manuel Pinto will likely replace Valdes while he serves out his ban.

Photograph: David Ramos/Getty Images