Lamine Yamal To Miss Clash With Newcastle As Injury Feud Stalls

FC Barcelona youngster, Lamine Yamal, is set to miss the Newcastle clash as the team looks to resolve the injury feud with the Spanish Football Federation following criticism from the club’s head coach, Hansi Flick.

Barcelona are proceeding to hold high-level talks with the Spanish Football Federation to resolve the feud which stemmed following Flick’s public reaction over playing Lamine in the recently concluded World Cup qualifiers tournament despite his injury, which has ruled him out of the key club fixtures, including this week’s Champions League clash against Newcastle, as reported by Goal.com.

According to the report, Barcelona sporting director Anderson Luís de Souza, popularly known as Deco, is leading the talks with the RFEF technical director, Aitor Karanka, to de-escalate the club-versus-country row and improve communication protocols after Flick’s assessment of the winger during the international break.

The dispute erupted after Yamal, who had joined the Spain camp with a pre-existing groin issue, played significant minutes against both Bulgaria and Turkey. Flick did not hold back in his assessment of the situation, accusing Spain coach Luis de la Fuente of negligence.

“Lamine already went to the national team in pain. He took painkillers and played with the national team in pain,” Flick stated. “He had problems and played 79 and 73 minutes. That’s not looking after the players. The Spanish national team has the best players in the world, but we should be looking after the professionals. Also, the young players.”

Yamal’s earlier discomfort developed into a groin injury after the international break, causing direct consequences for his club. Yamal was ruled out of Barcelona’s emphatic 6-0 La Liga victory over Valencia on Sunday, and Mundo Deportivo says it will take “a miracle” for him to be fit for the Champions League opener against Newcastle following his inability to train with his team-mates on Monday.

The RFEF was reportedly aware of his condition, not least because a national team physiotherapist also works with Yamal at Barcelona.

While both parties are working closely to get the public controversy “settled,” the focus has shifted to preventing future conflicts. The upcoming talks between Deco and Karanka are aimed at establishing clearer and more robust communication channels for managing players who report for international duty with minor ailments. The goal is to create a more collaborative approach to protect player welfare and avoid similar feuds, especially with a prodigious young talent like Yamal at the centre of the issue.