La Liga
LUIS SUAREZ’S BARCELONA FAREWELL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
The 33-year old Luis Suarez could not hold back tears as he said goodbye to his colleagues and fans of FC Barcelona.
Everything got emotional. Some of his colleagues were around. So also was the embattled president of FC Barcelona, Josep Maria Bartomeu. At the end, the now former Barcelona striker faced the press in a question and answer session:
Has everything gone better than you expected at your presentation?
Arriving and fulfilling the dream of playing for Barça is a dream come true. I never imagined reaching these numbers. At Barça you have to constantly be performing at your best and I am proud to have endured so much.
Did you imagine that your exit was going to be like this; is there anyone you feel has done things untowardly?
Now I have to feel proud. There are going to be people who want to agree and those who don’t. Now what I have to do is change things up and be grateful to Barça for giving me unforgettable moments.
It’s been a crazy month which is ending with two brothers (you and Messi) separating. Who was responsible for your separation?
I agree it was a crazy month. Many things have been said. Things have been made up; things have been leaked that are not true. Sometimes you are outraged by that, but you have to try to not get involved. When you arrive at Barcelona, they said be careful with Leo, the strikers … And now it turns out that the striker is bad for Leo. We are aware that we try to do our best.
Do you think you still have something to give at Barça?
I’ve already thought that, but now that is in the past. Obviously I feel good enough to continue competing in La Liga. I’m looking forward to it, more so after the injury, which leaves me with a bittersweet taste. I leave the way I’m leaving, as a competitor – with a new dream and desire to show that I can continue competing.
How would you like to be remembered by the fans?
With the feeling that I have lived up to expectations. Surpassing players like the ones I surpassed, I never imagined it. I am happy to leave a nice mark.
How, when and with whom did the option of signing for Atlético come up?
It sounds ironic but when Barça told me that they would no longer need me, there were many calls. I felt qualified to compete for two teams like Madrid and Atlético.
Have you ever imagined playing against Barça?
No. I still haven’t digested that this is goodbye. I am looking forward because I am attracted to this new challenge. I already told someone that they know me and I also know them. It will be nice.
What do you think about the Barça attack that you leave behind now?
From what you see in training, it is like at the beginning of every year. There are many young players that contribute. I think there are more options to rotate than before. I think it will be a good year for Barça and that the youngsters will achieve important things.
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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