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Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente mounted a fierce defense of his choice to let Lamine Yamal "remain at home" and sit out La Roja's fixture against Czechia, asserting that those who believe the youngster refused to travel with the squad are "speaking from a place of ignorance."
On Monday, it emerged that Yamal would not make the trip to Prague for Spain's UEFA Nations League encounter against Czechia on Thursday after sustaining a minor knee problem during Barcelona's weekend win over Atlético Madrid. Instead, the 19-year-old is set to link up with De la Fuente's side when they return to Spanish soil on Friday ahead of the upcoming clash with England.
This sparked a wave of conspiracy theories across Spain, with numerous reports claiming Yamal simply had no desire to participate in the Czechia match. On the eve of the fixture, De la Fuente addressed the situation with a thorough and impassioned response.
"To speak from a place of ignorance, in life, is the saddest and [most] regrettable thing," De la Fuente said. "So that's why I'm here to give light, to see if those who think what you just said find out.
"Lamine picked up an issue in his last game, he had some pain on one of his knees. He went to do the regular treatment, he got an MRI in Barcelona and they saw he had an inflammation and liquid in his knee. That meant we had to give him rest. Our medical service and their medical service [Barcelona's] have a fantastic relationship.
"I decided, to avoid him making the trip to continue his treatment without knowing if he was going to be healthy to return to training on Friday, I preferred he stayed home, training with the club. And on Friday, if he's available by Thursday, he can join us on Friday."
De la Fuente Vehemently Denies Yamal's 'Special Privileges'
De la Fuente's forceful defense of Spain's management of Yamal's injury and his dismissal of "false reports" didn't stop there. Several outlets suggested the federation had caved to Yamal and Barcelona's demands, granting him special treatment by permitting him to join the national team later in the week. The 65-year-old firmly shut down those allegations.
"I'm here to clarify this and shed light on things people say … utilizing false arguments to create a reality that has nothing to do with certainty, with the truth," De la Fuente said. "It's like that, so I'm here to give light.
"[Yamal] doesn't have any privileges and his teammates are relaxed, because we treat everyone the same way, in this situation as well. We would've done this with any other player and the players know this.
"So, this doesn't bother me and in the locker room we're fantastically well. We do miss, obviously, not only him but also Dani Olmo and all the players that can't be with us. Unfortunately, this is football, injuries, and we're here to give solutions."
"What hurts me the most are the lies," De la Fuente added. "What hurts me the most is the lack of rigor, what hurts me the most is the lack of veracity, making up things. Against that, I rebel, or I try to rebel. That's why I've told perhaps more things than I should've. But it's the only way for people to know, with information, what the reality is."
"I can't stand people that try to deceive and lie," the Spain boss concluded.
History Proves De la Fuente Isn't Lying About Yamal's Treatment
De la Fuente has a point — "privileges" or "preferential treatment" is far from what Yamal has experienced during international duty in recent memory. In fact, particularly regarding injuries, the World Cup-winning manager has drawn criticism for fielding the youngster even when he wasn't fully fit.
Just over a year has passed since Barcelona manager Hansi Flick publicly criticized Spain's handling of Yamal's well-documented groin injury.
During the September 2025 international break, the teenager was administered painkillers so he could feature for Spain in two comfortable victories. Yamal arrived at camp already in discomfort yet still logged considerable minutes for La Roja, before returning to Catalonia with a worsened condition that ruled him out of five subsequent matches.
"They gave him painkillers so he could play. That's not looking after the player. I'm very sad about this," Flick vented at the time, to which De la Fuente later responded by saying, "I don't care."
A far more measured approach was adopted at the 2026 World Cup, when Yamal arrived at the tournament fewer than two months after tearing his hamstring. His playing time was carefully monitored during the group stage before he featured for every minute of the knockout rounds, even if he still appeared well short of his peak form during La Roja's title-winning campaign.
During the September-October international window, no Spain player accumulated more minutes across the four opening 2026–27 Nations League group stage matches than Yamal's 281.