Espanyol to protest incidents at Barca match

Barcelona's Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring against Espanyol. Espanyol plan to make an official protest over the "anti-sporting" behaviour of some Barcelona players during incidents in the derby match at the weekend.

Espanyol plan to make an official protest over the "anti-sporting" behaviour of some Barcelona players during incidents in the derby match at the weekend.

"We will inform the national anti-violence commission of the behaviour of some Barca players" during Saturday's match, which Barcelona won 2-1, a spokesman for Espanyol, Xavi Andreu, told AFP Monday.

With 10-man Espanyol leading 1-0, referee Luis Medina temporarily stopped the match in the 69th minute after Barca fans threw flares at the celebrating Espanyol fans.

After Lionel Messi scored the late winning goal with a penalty, some Barcelona players celebrated before a group of radical Barca fans in the stands known as the "Boixos Nois".

Espanyol believe the players' behaviour was "anti-sporting" and an "incitement to violence", Andreu said.

"We are going to analyse the video images" to determine which Barca players were involved, he said.

Photographs published in the Spain's sporting press showed Messi, Samuel Eto'o and Thierry Henry were part of the group.

Five Barca supporters were arrested following the match.

Spain's anti-violence commission, made up of members of the Sports Council, which is part of the education ministry, has the power to impose fines on clubs and ban supporters from matches.