Barcelona and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) are at risk of cracking due to Lamine Yamal's persistent treatment of chronic injuries for the second time in two months.
In September, Barca coach Hansi Flick expressed his anger at Spain's push for Yamal to play in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Türkiye and Bulgaria. The German captain accused coach Luis de la Fuente and the Federation of not fully protecting the young players.
This time, Spain and Luis de la Fuente once again suffered losses when losing the 18-year-old striker in important matches against Georgia and Türkiye. La Roja are trying to qualify for the 2026 World Cup finals in Canada, Mexico and the US.
Yamal was called up to the Spanish national team after playing the full 90 minutes and scoring for Barcelona in a 4-2 win over Celta Vigo. However, La Roja has recently announced that he has been relieved of international duties after receiving a report from Barca. Accordingly, Yamal needs to rest for a maximum of 10 days to recover from surgery to treat a groin injury.
This is the latest development in the cracks between Barca and RFEF. The center of the story is a teenager who has played 140 times for both club and country, with his long-term health and peak career at risk of being affected.
Why is Yamal's withdrawal uncomfortable for RFEF?
RFEF felt left on the sidelines and was seen as silly. De la Fuente especially expressed his disbelief about recent developments. "I have never been in such a situation before. I don't think it's normal," he said.
This is the second consecutive time Spain has lost Yamal after he was called up. In October, the same day he was called up to the national team, Blaugrana announced that he still had problems and would be absent for the match against Sevilla. This time, Yamal played for Barca in the last match before the international break, but then had to undergo an "invasion surgery".
RFEF's outrage focused on their failure to be informed. In a statement, the Federation complained that it had only "knowledged the details through a report received at 10:40 p.m. on Monday" (local time), two hours after Yamal left to gather with the team.
De la Fuente even said that Yamal did not know the consequences of the surgery. "He doesn't know exactly what has been done. He doesn't know the recovery process. And we didn't know anything. Because of the priority of the players' health, Yamal was allowed to return to Barcelona. He has to go home," De la Fuente added.
Sources from Barcelona - most recently the president of Joan Laporta - confirmed that Spain has been constantly updating Yamal's situation over the past time.
In addition to Yamal, the European champions will also not have the services of Nico Williams, Pedri and Rodri. However, with Spain having 12 points after 4 matches and 3 points ahead of Turkey in Group E, Laporta believes that Yamal's absence will not affect the team's chances.
"Yamal's treatment coincides with the national team's matches, but I don't think it will affect their chances of getting a ticket to the next round. So they are on the right track to progress," said the Barcelona president.
