Nobody Had the Spirit to Play the Match Against Osasuna This Saturday. Everyone agreed, but one player took the initiative. The others followed him.
The death of the doctor Carles Miñarro took everyone by surprise. Nobody thought of a fatal outcome when he was absent from the pre-match snack before the Barça-Osasuna game. There was no surprise either when he didn't show up at the reception at the agreed time to get on the bus.
The Footballer Who Took the Initiative to Suspend the Match
"He'll go to the field on his own," everyone thought. Carles Miñarro wasn't a club doctor, he was part of the group, he was one of them. He was the man of confidences and the one in charge of miracles when physical problems occurred.
He was very loved among the players and the coaching staff. When they missed him once the team was already in Montjuïc, alarms were raised. But his room on the seventh floor of the Melina Gran Meliá hotel didn't respond.
The ambulance and the police arrived, and the fatal outcome was confirmed. The news quickly reached Montjuïc, and the locker room was in shock.
Before Carles Naval, the delegate, or Joan Laporta made any decision, it was Gavi who decided that the match couldn't be played. The others followed him. Gavi had a close friendship with the doctor.
There was nothing to discuss. Then the decision had to be agreed upon with Osasuna and communicated to the referee. There was no problem, Gavi's initiative found support from the rest.
A Captain Without Stripes
The public also understood, leaving the Estadi Olímpic in an orderly manner, understanding the situation.
Actions like this give Gavi captain stripes despite being barely 20 years old. His influence in the locker room goes beyond what he contributes lately on the field, where he is no longer a starter.
Weeks ago, Hansi Flick was going to put him on the field to replace a teammate in the LaLiga match against Valencia. But Gavi told him no, that it was better to put Pablo Torre in his place, because he needed it more.
Flick listened to him and then praised Gavi's behavior as a sign of the harmonious relationship in the blaugrana locker room.