Rising tension? Luis de la Fuente urges Barcelona to respect his decisions

As Spain prepare for their upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifying matches, head coach Luis de la Fuente has addressed the situation involving Barcelona.

Details: Ahead of the next fixture, De la Fuente stated that he expects Barcelona to respect his decisions. He also commented on Lamine Yamal’s current condition and the circumstances surrounding his withdrawal from the squad.

Quote: “This morning I was with Lamine to calm him down. He wanted to stay with us. He’s a player fully committed to the national team. He wanted to remain for personal reasons, but it wasn’t possible. We were with him, we said goodbye, and he also bid farewell to all his teammates,” said De la Fuente.

Earlier, Hansi Flick accused De la Fuente of putting Barcelona’s young star Lamine Yamal at risk by calling him up while he was still injured. Flick claimed the Spanish camp gave the 18-year-old painkillers and allowed him to play despite ongoing back issues.

Reminder: It was recently reported that Lamine Yamal is also dealing with an injury. His treatment remains conservative for now.