La Liga
LUIS SUAREZ IN LIMBO AS HE TRAINS WITH BARCA
Luis Suarez is still training with Barcelona despite being told by Ronald Koeman that he’s not part of his plans. The Uruguayan missed Barcelona’s pre-season friendly victory over Gimnastic on Saturday after he was left out of Ronald Koeman’s squad.
He was told upon Koeman’s arrival that he wasn’t part of the Dutchman’s plans to take the club forward, with the new Barça boss reportedly telling Suarez that he won’t be counted on in a telephone conversation.
Suarez’s omission, then, from Saturday’s friendly squad wasn’t too much of a surprise with Koeman’s stance on the 33-year-old clear.
The club are also targeting Lyon captain, Memphis Depay as a potential Suarez replacement this summer, while Lautaro Martinez of Inter has been linked for months.
However, there’s no guarantee that Suarez will depart Catalonia in the current window
According to Mundo Deportivo, Juventus are growing impatient because the striker must pass an exam before obtaining Italian nationality – necessary because Juve has its quota of non-EU citizens covered – and this is something Suarez is yet to do.
Atletico Madrid, however, remains an alternative for the Uruguayan. Meanwhile, Mundo Deportivo’s report adds that Suarez is actually keen to remain at Barcelona this summer, and is now looking to ‘force’ his employers into allowing him to remain at Camp Nou before potentially departing on a free when his contract expires at the end of the 2020/21 campaign.
While Suarez missed out, Lionel Messi was included in Koeman’s squad for their 3-1 triumph over third-tier outfit Gimnastic on Saturday. Ousmane Dembele, Antoine Griezmann and Philippe Coutinho were all on the scoresheet.
Another player absent from Koeman’s squad was Arturo Vidal, who was also told that his services were no longer required at the club.
The Chilean is set to reunite with Antonio Conte at Inter on what’s been reported as a two-year deal worth €6m per season with a medical set for next week.
Barcelona take on Girona in another friendly on Wednesday before the start of their La Liga campaign at the end of September. La Blaugrana host Villarreal in their season opener as they attempt to wrestle back the Spanish title from the hands of Real Madrid.
Whether Suarez is on the club’s books by then remains to be seen, although the possibility of the Uruguayan staying seems to be gradually increasing.
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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