Barcelona Director Fires Back at Hansi Flick Over Explosive Lamine Yamal Injury Remarks
The 2025–26 season home debut for Barcelona represented the first occasion since early January that Lamine Yamal was absent from a match involving the Catalan club.
Yamal sustained a pubic region injury during his recent stint with the Spanish national team. Barcelona's head coach Hansi Flick expressed clear frustration with Spain's management of Yamal's physical condition, specifically criticizing their decision to field him extensively in the latter stages of their second World Cup qualifying match after administering pain medication.
Spanish federation representatives were reportedly shocked by Flick's public criticism and denied any improper treatment of Yamal during his time with the national squad. However, the situation has resulted in Yamal being sidelined for Barcelona's fixtures.
Before Barcelona's encounter with Valencia, the club's sporting director Deco addressed the media and expressed complete support for Flick's statements concerning Yamal's injury situation.
"Regarding Lamine's [Yamal] situation, I support what the coach [Flick] expressed," Deco stated. "Ultimately, we need to enhance our dialogue and establish better protocols between club and international teams. Players face overwhelming schedules in today's game, as we're all aware.
"[International windows] consistently present challenges because players frequently return with injuries. We must strive for improvement. We support the coach because ultimately, he's [Yamal] a crucial player for our team, a vital player for Spain, and I believe we all need to exercise greater caution."
Despite Yamal's absence from the pitch, Barcelona dominated proceedings and crushed Valencia 6–0 to bounce back to winning form, after which Flick declined to elaborate on his earlier remarks.
"I expressed what I needed to express and that's all," Flick informed reporters. "There's nothing further to discuss."
Yamal's availability for Barça's Champions League opener against Newcastle United on Thursday evening remains uncertain.
Alejandro Balde and Gavi have been confirmed as unavailable for the journey to St. James' Park. Both Yamal and Frenkie De Jong—who also picked up a minor knock while on duty with the Netherlands during international fixtures—will undergo final medical assessments to determine their readiness for the match against the Magpies.