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Gavi subjected to anti-Barça chants during Nations League celebrations

Published 11:54 20 Jun 2023 BST

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The 18-year-old was speaking after Spain beat Croatia

Spain midfielder Gavi was subjected to a series of anti-Barcelona chants while giving a speech in the aftermath of their Nations League victory. The 18-year-old was part of the side that beat Croatia 5-4 on penalties in Rotterdam to claim their first trophy since winning the European Championships in 2012. Dani Carvajal scored the winning spot-kick to deny Luka Modrić the first chance to win a major piece of silverware on the international stage. La Roya celebrated the win with a parade on Monday, during which Gavi gave a speech to those in attendance however it was overshadowed by a number of fans who chanted ‘p*ta (which translates to whore) Barça’ while he addressed the crowd. https://twitter.com/marca/status/1670915413876805632

Gavi not impressed by chants

Gavi looked visibly shocked at the chants while teammate Jordi Alba – formerly of Barcelona – was also surprised by what he could hear. Fans on social media reacted angrily to the video with one person saying: “Peaks of ugly behavior. Torturing an 18 year old kid during your own national team’s success.” A second tweeted: “Unfortunate, the same as when some whistle the national anthem. And I remember that the national team could not play somewhere in the country. Spain is like that unfortunately.” “Unfortunate image given in Madrid. Education and knowing how to be are values that are not promoted on the television grid or in the classrooms where the approved ones are given away. And the politicians fomenting territorial hatred, guilty, quiet…” wrote a third. The youngster is one of the many talents to come through Barça’s famous La Masia academy, making 96 first team appearances but despite his success at international level, his club allegiances have left a sour taste with fans of opposition clubs.