Spain manager Luis de la Fuente has weighed in on the withdrawal of Lamine Yamal from his squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Turkiye. The news came as a surprise, and La Roja have explained that they were only made aware of treatment applied to Lamine Yamal late on Monday night.
A statement was put on Tuesday morning by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) explaining that Lamine Yamal had been released from international duty, after Barcelona applied a ‘radiofrequency treatment’ to his groin area to deal with a sports hernia. In it, they expressed their surprise and dismay at the fact that they were not notified of the treatment, which occurred on Monday morning, until late that night.
De la Fuente – ‘It’s not very normal’
De la Fuente appears unhappy with Barcelona's handling of the injury.
It has not taken long for de la Fuente to give his thoughts on the matter, and shortly after the RFEF’s official statement, he would appear on national radio.
“Of course I was surprised. When you don’t know anything about it, you don’t know any details, and then someone tells you, you’re surprised. Especially with a medical issue,” de la Fuente told RNE Deportes, as part of an advance on an upcoming interview.
🗣️"Uno se queda sorprendido. No había vivido una situación así"
🎙️Luis de la Fuente habla en @rne del tratamiento de pubalgia de Lamine Yamal que ha obligado a desconvocar al jugador del Barça
📻La entrevista con el seleccionador a las 21:10h en Radiogaceta de los Deportes pic.twitter.com/QMqXDFERgs
— RNE Deportes (@RNEdeportes) November 11, 2025
“There are procedures that happen outside the Federation. That’s how it is, and we have to accept it. [It] isn’t very normal. No, I’ve never experienced a situation like this. I don’t think it’s very normal.”
Barça have received a visit from the prestigious Belgian surgeon Ernest Schilders, a specialist in pubic and adductor injuries, precisely the type of ailment that Lamine Yamal has been dragging for weeks. @monfortcarlos
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) November 10, 2025
Barcelona confused by Spain reaction
It is certainly the latest episode in an ongoing battle between the two, although it has been suggested that Lamine Yamal’s camp was keen to have the treatment when he did. Cadena SER say that Barcelona do not understand the Federation’s stance, while Lamine Yamal is keen to stay out of it. He is keen for the two to communicate to avoid further media battles. They say that Barcelona have taken advantage of the ideal point at which to undergo treatment, when the competition is paused, and that ‘next they’ll want to be applying the treatment themselves’.