The current international break has been pretty harsh for FC Barcelona. Important players like Marc Andre Ter Stegen have gotten knocks while playing for their international teams, which can cause significant problems for the Catalan club.
However, these minor knocks will not turn out to be a cause for alarm at the Catalan club now, as one of Xavi’s most trusted midfielders this season, Pablo Gavi, has torn his ACL, and has been ruled out for the rest of the season.
This major injury to Gavi will have important implications for Barcelona. These implications will not only be limited to Xavi’s team selection and playing style dynamics but, according to Mundo Deportivo, can also have a significant influence on the club’s situation regarding Financial Fair Play.
After this injury, one of the actions that the Catalan club can take in the upcoming winter transfer window is to cancel Gavi’s license, as Barcelona would not be able to count on the player for the rest of the season anyway.
Currently, Gavi is registered with Barcelona under a provisional order from a court of law. If Barcelona cancels his contract, they can guarantee the player to register him with a new contract in the summer of 2024.
The cancellation of Gavi’s contract can be done under Article 113 of the General Regulations of RFEF, which deals with the cancellation of contracts. According to this article:
“Clubs may deregister a professional’s license, providing a document respecting the contract conditions. In such cases, the player may be re-registered during the same season for the same team that deregistered them, as long as it falls within the periods allowed for that category.”
Thus, if Barcelona completes its quota of 25 players in January, the Catalans can cancel Gavi’s contract to make space for another player. However, such a step does not seem necessary for now, as the club already has several free spots present in the team, and not a lot of arrivals are expected to join the squad in January.
