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Madrid defender Pepe avoided sanctions for deliberately hitting Barcelona forward Lionel Messi on the hand. This decision was made by the Spanish Football Federation.
The incident occurred in the first leg of the Spanish King's Cup quarterfinal. The Portuguese, overwhelmed by emotions, took advantage of Messi falling on the pitch after a play and hit him on the hand as he walked by. The referee did not notice the episode and did not show any cards.
However, the incident was captured by cameras, and experts did not hesitate to criticize the "Real" defender who has a history of injuring opponents. Regardless, the federation decided that the incident not noted in the referee's report did not deserve additional sanctions.
In the return leg, Pepe was included in the starting lineup.
