Thomas Vermaelen told to give back Champions League medal

Vermaelen made a late Barcelona debut in La Liga but did not play in the Champions League

Barcelona, June 9 (IANS): FC Barcelona footballer Thomas Vermaelen was asked to give back his Champions League winners' medal after failing to play even a single minute in the competition this season.

Despite not playing a single minute of European football last season, the Belgian still picked up a Champions League medal and even went up to collect it before Luis Suarez and Neymar got theirs, report several sources including the Belgian outlet Voetbalkrant on Tuesday.

But it appears that Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) president Michael Platini and company had just been playing a cruel joke on him and Vermaelen was ordered to give back his medal.

The decision caps a disappointing season for the 29-year-old, with Arsenal also being denied an extra payment from Vermaelen's sale due to him spending most of last season not playing football.

Apart from the Belgian, Claudio Bravo, Jordi Masip and Douglas have also been asked to return the medals they collected.