Strangely, Eric García was not the most bizarre sight in Barcelona’s 4-0 thumping of Elche. Gavi set foot on the pitch displaying the number 30 on his shirt instead of the usual number 6 which he has been wearing since his contract renewal in February.
Due to a court ruling annulling the midfielder’s registration for the Barcelona first team due to a late contract submission by the club, Gavi now has to return to being officially a player for Barça B.
As reported by Mundo Deportivo, Elche are currently considering exploiting this case to report the Catalans for an improper starting lineup.
Elche would refer to Article 141 of the Spanish Football Federation which states that a player who has had their registration cancelled is not permitted to play again in the same season.
Barcelona however feel safe as they don’t consider Elche have a case. The club consulted with both La Liga and the Spanish Federation on Friday if they could start Gavi.
Since the original ruling, the court has already issued an exception for this unusual situation, thus overriding Article 141.
