FC Barcelona was hit with a major setback when their star midfielder, Gavi, was injured during the international break with Spain. The young midfielder suffered a horrific ACL injury against Georgia, which will sidelined him till the end of the season.
The said injury is set to have a blowback on FIFA as the governing body will be required to compensate the Spanish club.
As per the Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, FIFA has to compensate any club that loses their players for more than 28 days due to injuries suffered during the international break. This provision is part of the FIFA Club protection program, which aims to soften the blow of these injuries. This program was first introduced back in the 2014 FIFA World Cup and, at present, covers the period until December 31, 2026.
🚨 FIFA will have to pay Barcelona €20,548 compensation for each day that Gavi will be out injured.
(Source: @mundodeportivo) pic.twitter.com/1B7AzcywST
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) November 20, 2023
Many reports point out that Gavi will be out for at least six months. The compensation will start on December 16 which is 28 days from the injury. FC Barcelona will receive around $22,510 (20,548 euros) per day for a maximum of 365 days.
The compensation will be around $3.3 million (3 million euros) if the injury lasts six months and will be capped at $8.2 million (7.5 million euros) if the injury lasts more than a year. As per the program, FIFA will compensate clubs up to $8.2 million (7.5 million euros) per player per injury. The total limit of this program is around $88 million (80 million euros).
FC Barcelona released an update on Gavi
The Spanish club released an official statement to provide an update on the injury. The club updated that tests that were carried out on Gavi have shown that the player has a complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and an associated injury to the lateral meniscus.
For the injury, Gavi will have surgery in the coming days, after which a new medical update will be released by the club to confirm the timeframe of the return. The Spanish midfielder has been instrumental for FC Barcelona in the absence of Frenkie de Jong and Pedri.
Why 6-8 months for Gavi?
Okay watch this video below. pic.twitter.com/DSkJSdgx4O
— Emmanuel. (@T_ee_mex) November 20, 2023
Gavi has made 15 appearances for the Spanish club with 13 starts in all competitions. He has scored against Villarreal in the league and Royal Antwerp in the Champions League but has been instrumental in ball progression and tempo of the midfield.
FC Barcelona can manage without Gavi since Pedri is back to full fitness but still, it will be a big loss for Barcelona as the midfielder has quickly become one of the fan favorites since his debut at the age of 17 in August 2021. Gavi is also doubtful for Euro 2024 with Spain and the Summer Olympics but that might change after the second medical update from FC Barcelona.