Spain midfielder Gavi does not believe Argentina’s Leandro Paredes should be suspended for his part in the confrontation following the World Cup final.
Argentina players Paredes, Nahuel Molina and Thiago Almada plus assistant coach Roberto Ayala all appeared to be involved in the fracas on the pitch as Spain celebrated their 1-0 win.
Paredes seemed to push Spain’s Eric Garcia by the throat and unused substitute Gavi tried to intervene but was forced to the ground by Almada.
Paredes pushed the Barcelona midfielder to the turf by putting his hand in the Spaniard’s face.
Fifa has appointed a disciplinary and ethics prosecutor to assess what happened and any player or coach involved could receive a suspension while the Argentine Football Association could also be fined.
“I don’t think [Paredes] should be suspended,” Gavi told El Partidazo de COPE, external.
“I understand it’s not a good image for children but I think there’s also that side to football, which is a bit more physical, more aggressive.
“The most logical thing would have been to send him off during the match and that’s it. In the end, I think it’s all football and it has to be that way.”
Ayala said he would apologise to Spain’s Dani Olmo after he appeared to strike the Barcelona midfielder in the face – which he says was “more of a push than a punch”.
“When the match ended, I saw a scuffle in the middle of the pitch and I went over to stop it from escalating, because that’s not who we are,” Ayala told Capital Radio in Valencia.
“I take responsibility for what I did. My intention was simply to go and separate them, nothing more.”
Credit: bbc
