Published By: Ritayan Basu
Last Updated: April 05, 2023, 16:54 IST
Gavi at Barcelona (Twitter)
Elche is contending that Gavi has had his licence cancelled and therefore he was not eligible to play
Barcelona’s inability to register Gavi as a first-team player with La Liga has landed them in controversy. Elche, the side that was routed by Barcelona on Sunday, has suggested that Barcelona broke some rules by playing Gavi in that match. According to Cadena COPE radio station’s Tiempo de Juego program, Elche is contending that Gavi has had his licence cancelled and therefore he was not eligible to play on Sunday.
Elche has filed an official complaint against Barcelona before the Competition Committee of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).
Their complaint is based on the RFEF article 141, which prevents players from “playing again in the same season with a cancelled license.”
Gavi had signed a new deal with the Catalan giants in September 2022, extending his stay at Camp Nou until 2026. The arrangement included him inheriting the iconic No.6 shirt previously worn by Barca manager Xavi Hernandez during his playing days. But Barca couldn’t register Gavi’s new contract with La Liga as the club’s first-team wage bill had already far exceeded the limit set by the league.
The fact is that Gavi technically remains a youth-team player. Therefore, Elche is protesting Gavi’s participation in Sunday’s match. The changing of the star midfielder’s status from B-team player to first-team player and back again appears to have caused some confusion.
Reports though suggest that Elche’s argument has been dismissed by both the RFEF and La Liga. The league and the federation have assured that everything is fine with Gavi’s inclusion in Sunday’s match.
“As far as both we and the RFEF is concerned, everything is in order. Gavi’s current registration is the same as the one he had before the precautionary measure was issued,” La Liga said in a statement.
Barcelona steamrolled Elche 4-0 away from home in La Liga on Sunday, courtesy of Robert Lewandowski’s brace and goals by Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres. Gavi also managed to impress with his performance as he registered a fine assist. Gavi has emerged as an indispensable cog for Xavi in his pursuit of La Liga glory. Barcelona will take on arch-rivals Real Madrid in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals on Thursday.
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