Lionel Messi has avoided a 12-match ban for punching an Athletic Bilbao player in the final minute of Barcelona's Spanish Super Cup final defeat on Sunday.
The Spanish FA have slapped Messi with just a two-match suspension as they did not deem the incident to be severe enough to merit a longer one.
Messi will miss Barcelona's match against third-tier minnows Cornella in the Copa del Rey and against Elche in LaLiga.
The Argentine received the first red card of his Barcelona career in the last minute of extra time for striking Athletic Bilbao forward Asier Villalibre around the head off the ball.
Referee Gil Manzano said in his match report that Messi hit his opponent with 'excessive force' while the ball was not near him.
Messi was facing been ruled out of a significant portion of the domestic season, with Ronald Koeman's side third in the table and already seven points back of leaders Atletico Madrid - who have two games in hand.
Messi lost his head as Koeman's men hurtled towards another damaging defeat in their first final under the Dutchman's leadership.
Barca had been leading until the final minute of normal time before Villalibre forced an extra half-an-hour.
The winner came three minutes into extra time when Iker Muniain's pass reached Inaki Williams and he wrapped his right foot around the ball, curling it past Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Koeman backed his star man on Sunday night, saying Messi's frustration at being repeatedly fouled throughout the game unsurprisingly boiled over.
'I can understand what Messi did,' the Dutchman said after the match.
'I don't know how many times they fouled him, and it's normal to react when they keep trying to foul you as a player who is looking to dribble with the ball, but I need to see it again properly.'
Questions were asked about whether Messi should even have started in the cup final, as he had missed the semi-final victory over Real Sociedad earlier in the week through injury.
Koeman, however, let Messi make the final decision on his fitness, and stood by his call.
'I think after so many years at the top level, he knows when he can play and when he can't,' Koeman said. 'I spoke with him and he said he was fit enough to start the game.'
Source: m.allfootballapp.com