The spanish international received a three-match ban after he was shown a red card in the Champions League match against Barcelona for a wild offence on forward Lionel Messi.

Barcelona won the first leg 2-1.

"We made a case that the offense of violent conduct was unjustified, and that an automatic three-match ban as a result would be similarly unjust," said a statement on Chelsea's Web site.

"After our submission, UEFA analyzed video footage of the incident and made the decision that the offense did not constitute

violent conduct. It was decided that a three-match ban was not applicable."

Del Horno will miss the second leg at Camp Nou on March 7. Enditem