Ronaldinho escapes with 1-game ban

Barcelona star Ronaldinho on Tuesday received a one-match suspension from the Spanish league's competition commission for the red card he received after kicking out at an opponent in Saturday's win over Getafe.

Barca had appealed against the sending off at the Nou Camp which saw the Brazilian, who netted the only goal in the second minute, given his marching orders by referee Perez Burrull for aiming a kick Getafe defender David Belenguer, despite barely making any contact.

The commission, under chairman Alfredo Florez, found there had been provocation.

A two-game ban could have severely dented Barca's title hopes as they are level on points at the top with Real Madrid with only two games remaining.

Ronaldinho will sit out the game in two weeks time against Espanyol and then return to face relegated Gimnastic Tarragona for a match which could earn the Catalan club their third straight title success