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Barcelona’s Yamal Sidelined Again with Groin Injury, to Miss Spain’s World Cup Qualifiers

Spain’s Ferran Torres, bottom, is congratulated by Lamine Yamal after scoring his side’s 4th goal during a World Cup qualifying round Group E soccer match between Türkiye and Spain at Konya Buyuksehir stadium, in Konya, Türkiye, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Spain’s Ferran Torres, bottom, is congratulated by Lamine Yamal after scoring his side’s 4th goal during a World Cup qualifying round Group E soccer match between Türkiye and Spain at Konya Buyuksehir stadium, in Konya, Türkiye, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
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Barcelona’s Yamal Sidelined Again with Groin Injury, to Miss Spain’s World Cup Qualifiers

Spain’s Ferran Torres, bottom, is congratulated by Lamine Yamal after scoring his side’s 4th goal during a World Cup qualifying round Group E soccer match between Türkiye and Spain at Konya Buyuksehir stadium, in Konya, Türkiye, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Spain’s Ferran Torres, bottom, is congratulated by Lamine Yamal after scoring his side’s 4th goal during a World Cup qualifying round Group E soccer match between Türkiye and Spain at Konya Buyuksehir stadium, in Konya, Türkiye, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Barcelona's Lamine Yamal will be sidelined for "two to three weeks" after aggravating a groin injury, the club announced on Friday. 

The 18-year-old winger, who had been called up for Spain's World Cup qualifying matches against Georgia and Bulgaria next week, will not be part of the national team squad after the issue flared up following Wednesday's 2-1 Champions League loss to Paris St Germain. 

This latest setback resurrects an injury saga that has already seen Yamal miss four games this season. He originally sustained the injury during September's international break when Spain faced Türkiye and Bulgaria, igniting a spat between club and country. 

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick told the media that the Spain team "should take better care of players", comments that clearly rankled Spain coach Luis de la Fuente. 

De la Fuente fired back on Friday, saying he "was surprised by the German manager's comments, given that (Flick) is a manager who has also coached a national team and I thought he would have had more empathy (with a colleague)." 

The timing is particularly cruel for Yamal, who had just returned from his previous three-week layoff to help Barcelona beat Real Sociedad last weekend before playing the full 90 minutes against PSG. 

"The groin problem for Lamine Yamal has returned following the game against PSG. The player will miss (Sunday's) game against Sevilla and his recovery time is estimated at 2-3 weeks," Barcelona said in a statement. 

Yamal has managed five appearances for Barca this season, scoring two goals. 

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Sports

Fiorentina Owner Rocco Commisso Dies at 76

FILE - Fiorentina President Rocco Commisso gestures to club fans from the field ahead of the Conference League Final soccer match between Olympiacos FC and ACF Fiorentina at OPAP Arena in Athens, Greece, on May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)
FILE - Fiorentina President Rocco Commisso gestures to club fans from the field ahead of the Conference League Final soccer match between Olympiacos FC and ACF Fiorentina at OPAP Arena in Athens, Greece, on May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)
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Fiorentina Owner Rocco Commisso Dies at 76

FILE - Fiorentina President Rocco Commisso gestures to club fans from the field ahead of the Conference League Final soccer match between Olympiacos FC and ACF Fiorentina at OPAP Arena in Athens, Greece, on May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)
FILE - Fiorentina President Rocco Commisso gestures to club fans from the field ahead of the Conference League Final soccer match between Olympiacos FC and ACF Fiorentina at OPAP Arena in Athens, Greece, on May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)

Rocco Commisso, the outspoken owner of Italian soccer club Fiorentina and chairman of New York-based Mediacom Communications, has died. He was 76.

Both Fiorentina and Mediacom announced Commisso’s death early Saturday without providing a cause.

“After a prolonged period of medical treatment, our beloved president has left us, and today we all mourn his passing,” Fiorentina said. “His love for Fiorentina was the greatest gift he gave himself.”

After making Mediacom into one of the United States’ biggest cable television companies, Commisso purchased Fiorentina in 2019 and became known for speaking out against Italy’s bureaucracy and inability to build new stadiums.

Commisso was born in Calabria and immigrated to the United States at the age of 12.

He also owned the New York Cosmos, and played soccer at Columbia University, the Ivy League school that he continued to support philanthropically. The university’s soccer stadium is named for him.

According to The Associated Press, the Cosmos called Commisso “a passionate leader who dedicated his life to the game of soccer and to the future of the sport in this country.

“Rocco fought for what is best for American soccer, believing in the growth of the game, the importance of community, and the power of clubs to inspire the next generation,” the New York club said on X.

At Fiorentina, Commisso celebrated reaching the Conference League final in 2023 and 2024.

But the team has struggled this season and is currently in Serie A’s relegation zone.

Commisso is survived by his wife, Catherine, and two children, Giuseppe and Marisa.

Sports

Jeddah to Host Opening Round of UIM E1 World Championship

Hosting the season premiere aligns with Saudi Vision 2030 goals to diversify the economy and promote sports tourism. SPA
Hosting the season premiere aligns with Saudi Vision 2030 goals to diversify the economy and promote sports tourism. SPA
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Jeddah to Host Opening Round of UIM E1 World Championship

Hosting the season premiere aligns with Saudi Vision 2030 goals to diversify the economy and promote sports tourism. SPA
Hosting the season premiere aligns with Saudi Vision 2030 goals to diversify the economy and promote sports tourism. SPA

Jeddah is set to host the opening round of the third season of the E1 Series, the world's first all electric raceboat championship, on January 23 and 24.

Organized by the Saudi Water Sports and Diving Federation in partnership with the Public Investment Fund and the UIM, the event underscores Saudi Arabia’s commitment to modern sports and environmental sustainability.

The 2026 season features eight international rounds. Following the Jeddah opener, the series will travel to Lake Como (Italy), Dubrovnik (Croatia), and Monaco, followed by a second unannounced European round. The championship then heads to Lagos (Nigeria) and Miami (US), before reaching its grand finale in the Bahamas.

Hosting the season premiere aligns with Saudi Vision 2030 goals to diversify the economy and promote sports tourism. As Jeddah's shores transform into a global hub for advanced electric marine racing, the event solidifies the Kingdom's status as a leading destination for major international sporting competitions.

Sports

Djokovic Says 'Addiction' to Tennis Keeps him Going at 38

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 17, 2026 Serbia's Novak Djokovic during the press conference REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 17, 2026 Serbia's Novak Djokovic during the press conference REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
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Djokovic Says 'Addiction' to Tennis Keeps him Going at 38

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 17, 2026 Serbia's Novak Djokovic during the press conference REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 17, 2026 Serbia's Novak Djokovic during the press conference REUTERS/Tingshu Wang

Novak Djokovic said Saturday he still gets a "drug-like" adrenaline rush from tennis and is not thinking about retiring anytime soon.

The 38-year-old is about to embark on his 21st Australian Open and remains among the top contenders, behind defending champion Jannik Sinner and top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz.

Melbourne Park is his favorite hunting ground, claiming 10 titles.

Despite scaling back his tournament appearances in recent years the Serbian great remains confident he can still compete with the best and is not ready to leave the sport behind.

"I'm still living my dream to be honest," the former world number one said on the eve of the opening Grand Slam of the year.

"It's passion and love for the game. It's the interaction with people. It's the energy that you feel when you walk out on the court.

"That adrenaline rush, it's almost like a drug.

"I think that a lot of the top athletes from different sports can relate to that. I have been at least hearing them speak about that.

"It's so addictive, you know, the feeling of competing."

His long-time rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have both hung up their racquets and Djokovic said he constantly got asked about when he would join them.

"I have been asked a lot about obviously when is the end date going to come for me, but I don't want to talk or think about it yet because I'm here, I'm competing," AFP quoted him as saying.

"When that arrives and kind of becomes ripe in my head, I'll share it with you, and then we can all discuss on the farewell tour.

"But right now I'm still number four in the world, still competing at the highest level, and I feel like there is no need to draw the attention to that discussion."