Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livaković refuses to play, says Girona boss Míchel Sanchez

Not much has gone Girona’s way since the heady days of two summers ago, when the Catalan club finished third in La Liga to secure Champions League football for the first time.

There has been a mass exodus of players, relegation was averted by just a single point last term, and this season has yielded just two wins from 15 games, leaving the club in the bottom three, two points adrift of safety. All the signs point to another relegation battle.

In the circumstances, it should be a case of all hands on deck. Except one member of the ship’s crew is determined to remain in steerage, according to Girona manager Míchel Sanchez. 

Míchel has revealed that Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livaković, who joined Girona in September on a season-long loan from Fenerbahçe, is putting country before club in a bid to maximise his World Cup chances.

Having twice turned out for Fenerbahçe before the arrival of former Manchester City stopper Ederson late in the summer transfer window, Livaković, 30, has allegedly refused to play for Girona to avoid falling foul of a Fifa rule stipulating that while a player can register for three clubs in a season, he can only play for two.

Dominik Livaković: ‘Girona goalkeeper is a spectacular person,’ says Míchel

“Livaković is a spectacular person, but he has a timeline with objectives different from Girona’s,” said Míchel. “He needs to play for the World Cup, not for Girona.

“He told me this himself, he is a sincere person. He told me he didn’t want to be here, that he wanted to play for another team, because if he played with Girona, he wouldn’t be able to play for another team.”

The impasse means Paulo Gazzaniga, the club’s first-choice goalkeeper, is the only option available to Míchel as things stand, a situation that meant the Argentine stopper had to play through illness in a 2-1 Copa del Rey defeat to third-tier side Ourense earlier this month.

‘Livaković was supposed to play, and he told me he wouldn’t’

“[Livaković] was supposed to play, and he told me he wouldn’t,” said Míchel. “Gazzaniga played in Ourense with the flu and a fever of 38 degrees. Right now, I only have one goalkeeper available. Until the winter transfer window, I know we have a problem.

“I am not defending my position, but defending the goalkeeper who has been here for three years, which is Gazzaniga.”

While Míchel’s decision to go public was seemingly made to address the concerns of supporters who have questioned his continued faith in Gazzaniga, whose form this season has been uneven, the manager refused to condemn Livaković for his stance. 

“Before it was a problem, but he’s said it all to our face, and now it’s not,” said Míchel. “He’s a wonderful person, but the commitment of Paulo over the last three years has been unquestionable.”