La Liga
LUIS SUAREZ OUT FOR FOUR MONTHS WITH KNEE SURGERY
Barcelona have been dealt a huge blow in their quest for success as Luis Suarez has been ruled out for four months after undergoing knee surgery.
The Uruguayan striker could be set to miss the rest of the season after he decided with the club it would be best to go ahead with the operation, after struggling with a meniscus issue for a number of months.
It was originally believed the 32-year-old would only miss up to six weeks of action because of the injury which was first sustained at the end of last season.
However, Barcelona have now confirmed through their official club website that Suarez will be out of action for four months.
The injury deals a massive dent to Barcelona’s hopes of retaining the La Liga title and also in their pursuit of the Champions League.
Suarez missed the end of the 2018-19 season after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery to treat a medial meniscus injury on the same knee.
He returned to action this season but has been playing through the pain with injections.
Suarez played the full duration on Thursday as Ernesto Valverde’s side fell to a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals of the Spanish Super Cup held in Saudi Arabia.
Following the game both the striker and the club decided to operate on the issue.
Barcelona’s official club statement read: ‘The first team player, Luis Suarez has been operated on this Sunday by Dr. Ramon Cugat, who used keyhole surgery to resolve an injury to the external meniscus of the right knee by performing a suture. The Uruguayan striker will be out for approximately four months.’
Despite the pain, Suarez has been a regular for the Catalans this season, scoring 14 goals in 23 games across all competitions.
He also has been a key creator for for his team, topping the La Liga assist charts so far this season with seven to date.
It adds to Barcelona’s injury problems across their attacking line, with Ousmane Dembele also currently out of action with a thigh injury.
The injury to Suarez will put more pressure on Antoine Griezmann in the club’s chase for trophies this season, with Valverde now likely to deploy the Frenchman in a more central position.
It also represents another issue for the manager who is under pressure at the Nou Camp with questions being raised over his future at the club.
Valverde was booed by supporters on Thursday night following the club’s exit in the Spanish Super Cup against Atletico Madrid.
His job is under heavy scrutiny with many people expecting him to leave the club by the end of the season at the latest.
Barcelona directors Oscar Grau and Eric Abidal have met with club legend Xavi, while Ronald Koeman, Ajax coach Erik Ten Hag and River Plate manager Marcelo Gallardo have all been linked with the job as well.
Barcelona said their request for a permit to return to the Camp Nou for Sunday’s LaLiga match against Real Sociedad has been denied, with the city council highlighting safety and security issues with the revamped venue.
Barca had been hoping to return to a reduced-capacity Camp Nou with 27,000 spectators but have failed to obtain the necessary permits from Barcelona City Council.
Barca will instead host the match at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Montjuic, where they played during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons with renovations at Camp Nou now nine months behind schedule.
“We have spotted different elements that need to be fixed and have an impact in the safety and security of the stadium,” chief of civil protection Sebastia Massague said at a city council meeting.
Barca had to begin their LaLiga home campaign at the Estadi Johan Cruyff in their own training complex, where only 6,000 fans attended their match against Valencia on September 14, after a Post Malone concert left the Lluis Companys pitch in poor condition.
“The club is currently working on the new amendments that the council has shared today,” Barca said in a statement.
On Friday, the Catalan club also announced that their Champions League group stage match against Paris St Germain on October 1 would also take place at the Lluis Companys.
Barca are second in LaLiga, trailing leaders Real Madrid by five points but having played a game fewer.
-Reuters
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Villarreal midfielder Thomas Partey on Wednesday appeared in a London court and pleaded not guilty to charges of rape and sexual assault involving three women.
Partey, a Ghana international, is accused of five counts of rape relating to two women, plus a charge of sexual assault against a third woman, between April 2021 and June 2022.
The alleged offences took place when Partey played for Premier League soccer club Arsenal. He left the club this summer and signed for Spain’s Villarreal.
The 32-year-old appeared in the dock at Southwark Crown Court and spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth and enter his not guilty pleas.
Partey was released on bail ahead of his trial, which was listed for Nov. 2, 2026 and is due to take between six and eight weeks.
He was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59.2 million) in 2020 and became a key member of the English side’s first team, before his contract expired at the end of June.
Partey played for Villarreal in their Champions League game against Arsenal’s bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday night.
He came on as a second-half substitute and was booed loudly by the Spurs fans every time he touched the ball.
-Reuters
Villarreal and Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey, who has been charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, walks outside Southwark Crown Court, in London, Britain, September 17, 2025. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska
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Real Madrid on Tuesday denounced plans to stage a LaLiga match between Barcelona and Villarreal in Miami, warning the proposal could undermine football’s competitive balance and vowing to petition global governing bodies to block the move.
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) on Monday approved the December 20 fixture at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, which could become the first LaLiga match held abroad and the first European league fixture staged in the United States.
“Real Madrid wish to express to its members, supporters and football fans in general its firm rejection of the proposal,” the club said in a statement, revealing they have already urged FIFA, UEFA and Spain’s Higher Sports Council (CSD) to intervene.
The club accused the RFEF of making its decision “without informing or consulting the clubs participating in the competition” and argued that staging the match in Miami “violates the essential principle of territorial reciprocity” in home-and-away league formats.
Real further stated that the move would “alter the competitive balance” and grant “an unfair sporting advantage” to the clubs involved.
The club also warned that approving the proposal could compromise sporting integrity and “set an unacceptable precedent,” insisting any change of this nature should require “the express and unanimous agreement of all the clubs participating in the competition”.
The plan still requires approval from UEFA, US Soccer, CONCACAF and ultimately FIFA before LaLiga President Javier Tebas can realise his long-held ambition of taking Spanish football to the U.S.
-Reuters
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