Confusion continues to reign around the Spanish national team due to the case of Jose Gaya.
It seemed certain that the Valencia captain would be forced to withdraw from the Spain squad with an ankle sprain on Friday, especially after RFEF (The Royal Spanish Football Federation) announced as much on Friday morning.
However those tweets were deleted and nothing further was said about the matter. According to Relevo, Gaya is likely to be returning to Spain without playing the World Cup.
Curiously, his hopes depend on FIFA. The delay to the announcement is due to Spain not having received approval from FIFA to officially withdraw and replace Gaya from their squad.
There is a small possibility that Spain are forced to retain Gaya if FIFA rule the injury is too light to merit replacement.
According to their report, Gaya did not expect to be sent home due to the injury and is distraught with the news. Equally the squad has been caught off guard by the news and expected him to be there.
It will likely be insignificant, but there is a small chance that this could cause an uneasiness within the Spain camp. If the squad feels the decision harsh, it may leave some reticence towards Luis Enrique and the staff. In addition, players might be reluctant to be entirely honest about their injuries if they feel it might cost them their place.
Image via Angel Martinez/Getty Images
