MADRID, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa was the center of further controversy on Thursday after the Spanish sports newspaper 'Diario AS' reported that the Brazilian born Spain international refused to train with his team-mates.
Last weekend saw Costa serve the first of an eight-match ban which he was given by the Spanish Football Federation for his sending off in the vital Liga Santander game away to league leaders FC Barcelona the previous weekend.
Costa was sent off for swearing a Matchday referee Gil Manzano in the first half in the Camp Nou, leaving Atletico to play with a man less for over an hour in a game they eventually lost 2-0 to effectively end their options of winning this season's league title.
He was banned for four games for swearing at Gil Manzano with four more games added to his ban for grabbing the referees arm to try and stop him booking two of his team-mates.
AS reports that Costa had been informed by the club on Wednesday that he was to face internal disciplinary action for the sending off, which means he will not play again this season.
The club also confirmed that the striker had not missed training because of any physical problem or injury.
When asked about the incident as he left Atletico's training ground on Thursday, Costa refused to say anything about events, but turned up the music in his car radio before driving away.
Since returning to Atletico from Chelsea in the summer of 2017 (although he didn't actually play until January 2018), Costa has scored just two league goals and has been sent off three times and there is now serious speculation that Atletico will attempt to sell him this summer.
