Barcelona star can play in El Clásico because ‘your mother is a whore’ not deemed a direct insult

Over the weekend, Javier Mascherano yelled an expletive in the general direction of the official. Its direct translation is “your mother’s c---,” but the generally agreed upon English translation is “your mother is a whore.” Barcelona claimed that this was not a direct insult directed at the official, but a general expletive.

Guess what? They’re right! Spain’s competition committee agreed and only suspended Mascherano for two games, meaning he’ll be available for El Clasico. In much of Spanish-speaking South America, “your mother is a whore” isn’t any different than yelling “f---” or “balls.” Despite the “your” part of the expletive, the linesperson didn’t view it as an insult directed at him. South American Spanish is amazing.

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Serie A: Eight games (3:45 p.m.) - Sassuolo-Juventus is our pick for the game to watch.

League Cup: Eight games (3:45 p.m.) - Man United-Middlesbrough is the US TV game.

MLS: Two games (from 7:30 p.m.) - Two really good playoff games. Only one of LA or Seattle can make the conference semis.