Spain and Luis de la Fuente 'surprised' as Lamine Yamal procedure leads to withdrawal from squad ahead of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers
Updated 11/11/2025 at 15:39 GMT
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Spain will be without Lamine Yamal for their upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Turkey after the Barcelona forward underwent a medical procedure on a groin injury. The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and head coach Luis de la Fuente have expressed surprise at the procedure, which has led to Yamal being released from the Spain squad.
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The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) have expressed "surprise and concern" after Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal was released from the squad following an unexpected medical procedure.
Yamal was called up for Spain ahead of their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Turkey on November 15 and 18, respectively.
But in a bid to treat an ongoing groin issue, he underwent a procedure on Monday.
The RFEF said they were not made aware of the situation until Monday when they were informed of a medical recommendation of seven to 10 days' rest for Yamal.
"I had never experienced a situation like that. I don't think it's very normal," said Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente.Â
"You don't know, you haven't heard anything, you don't know any details, and then they tell you about health issues. You're left surprised."
Yamal scored in Barcelona's 4-2 La Liga win over Celta Vigo on Sunday.
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An RFEF statement said: "The medical services of the Royal Spanish Football Federation wish to express their surprise and concern upon learning, at 13:47 on Monday 10 November - the day the national team's official training camp began - that Lamine Yamal had undergone an invasive radiofrequency procedure earlier that same morning to treat discomfort in his pubic area.Â
"This procedure was carried out without prior communication to the national team's medical staff, who only became aware of the details through a report received at 22:40 last night, in which a medical recommendation of 7–10 days of rest was indicated."
This is not the first time that Spain and Barcelona have clashed over Yamal.
Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick accused Spain of "not taking care" of Yamal after he returned from the September international break with an injury.
Yamal missed the October international break but was called up for the upcoming fixtures after starting Barcelona’s last six games across all competitions.
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Flick suggested ahead of Barca’s win over Celta Vigo that Yamal was still working his way back to full fitness.
"We have to take care about him," Flick said. "For me, he changed his discipline. He's much, much better now. He's really training good.
"Also in the gym, the treatments he has every day. It's important for this injury that he's doing like this.Â
"I think also he comes back to the best level, but it's not over, so it's not done this injury. We have to take care of him, not just us, also the national team."
Rayo Vallecano forward Jorge de Frutos has been called up to replace Yamal.
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