Barcelona Forward Fati to Return from Injury for Mallorca Game

Barcelona forward Ansu Fati. (AFP)
Barcelona forward Ansu Fati. (AFP)
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Barcelona Forward Fati to Return from Injury for Mallorca Game

Barcelona forward Ansu Fati. (AFP)
Barcelona forward Ansu Fati. (AFP)

Barcelona forward Ansu Fati will return to the squad for Sunday's La Liga game at home with Mallorca, after being out for more than three months due to a hamstring injury, head coach Xavi Hernandez said.

Fati has not played for Barcelona since coming on as a substitute in their Copa del Rey quarter-final defeat at Athletic Bilbao on Jan. 20, his tenth appearance this season.

"We are going to get the squad list tomorrow (Sunday) but Ansu is going to be in it. We have seen great things with him, he is feeling well and got a good sensation," Xavi said.

"Over the last two weeks, we have seen great improvement. If everything goes well, he is going to play some minutes. He's happy, he's smiling, and he's a player who can make a difference.

"It's a shame we haven't been able to use him all these months ... I'm happy to have him back. He's a special player and he's going to be good for us in these final five games."

The 19-year-old Fati, who came through the youth system at the Catalan club, has also had to fight his way back from multiple surgeries to repair a November 2020 injury to his left knee.

Barcelona are already without Pedri (thigh), Nico Gonzalez (toe fracture), Ousmane Dembele (tonsillitis), Sergino Dest (hamstring), Sergi Roberto (muscle), Samuel Umtiti (foot) and Martin Braithwaite (COVID-19) for Sunday's game.

With the league title already sealed by Real Madrid, Barcelona are looking to finish second and secure Champions League qualification. They are currently third on 63 points, one point behind second-placed Sevilla who have played a game more.



Tottenham’s Bentancur Banned 7 Games, Fined $126,000 for Offensive Comment on South Koreans

Rodrigo Bentancur of Tottenham celebrates scoring the 1-2 goal during the English Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Ipswich Town in London, Britain, 10 November 2024. (EPA)
Rodrigo Bentancur of Tottenham celebrates scoring the 1-2 goal during the English Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Ipswich Town in London, Britain, 10 November 2024. (EPA)
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Tottenham’s Bentancur Banned 7 Games, Fined $126,000 for Offensive Comment on South Koreans

Rodrigo Bentancur of Tottenham celebrates scoring the 1-2 goal during the English Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Ipswich Town in London, Britain, 10 November 2024. (EPA)
Rodrigo Bentancur of Tottenham celebrates scoring the 1-2 goal during the English Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Ipswich Town in London, Britain, 10 November 2024. (EPA)

Uruguay midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur was banned for seven matches on Monday for making an offensive comment about South Koreans in relation to a remark about Tottenham teammate Son Heung-min.

The English Football Association said in a statement that an independent commission also imposed a £100,000 ($126,000) fine on the player.

Appearing on a Uruguayan television show in June, Bentancur was asked for a Tottenham player’s jersey and replied, “Sonny’s?” He added it could be Son’s cousin, too, because “more or less they are all the same.”

Bentancur apologized to Son on Instagram, saying it was a “very bad joke” and he would “never disrespect you or hurt you.”

He was charged by the English FA in September because he was alleged to have “acted in an improper manner and/or used abusive and/or insulting words and/or brought the game into disrepute.”

The FA said it constituted an aggravated breach because it included “reference to nationality and/or race and/or ethnic origin.”