Spain midfielder Gavi believes Argentina’s Leandro Paredes should avoid suspension following the heated scenes that erupted after Sunday’s World Cup final.
Tensions flared after Spain defeated Argentina 1-0, with Paredes becoming involved in a confrontation that saw players from both teams exchange words and push each other. Paredes then rushed into the incident from behind and collided with Gavi, escalating the situation further.
FIFA has since confirmed that a prosecutor will investigate the post-match incident.
However, Gavi said he does not believe Paredes deserves a ban.
“I don’t think he should be suspended,” Gavi said. “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.”
Gavi had stepped in while trying to calm a confrontation involving his Spain teammate Eric Garcia.
Paredes was briefly listed as having received a red card for his post-match actions, but the decision was later removed.
Speaking afterwards, Paredes defended his actions and said the situation became heated because of the behaviour of Spain’s players.
“I was just talking to them after the match,” Paredes said. “Things got heated with their teammates being aggressive. They didn’t need to get physical like that. It was childish.”
Spain won the final thanks to Ferran Torres’ 106th-minute goal in extra time.
