2+ mon, 4+ week ago (455+ words) BARCELONA " A flotilla of ships was preparing to set sail for the Gaza Strip Sunday with humanitarian aid on board, while Israel stepped up its offensive on Gaza City and is limiting the deliveries of food and basic supplies in the north of the Palestinian territory. The Global Sumud Flotilla will try to break the Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory and bring humanitarian aid, food, water and medicine to Gaza. The maritime convoy, made up of delegations from 44 countries, will be joined by more ships from ports in Italy, Greece, and Tunisia in the coming days, on its route from the western end of the Mediterranean to the Gaza Strip, according to organizers. They expect around 20 vessels in total once all are together. Hours before their departure, boats flying Palestinian flags began docking in line at a pier in…...

10+ mon, 2+ week ago (514+ words) President of Barcelona Joan Laporta, centre, and his players celebrate with the trophy after winning the Spanish Super Cup against Real Madrid at King Abdullah Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. Credit: AP/Altaf Qadri MADRID " Barcelona president Joan Laporta defended his administration's handling of the Dani Olmo case and claimed on Tuesday that there was a campaign to tarnish the club's image. Laporta said in a news conference that a portion of the media and opposition members wanted the club to fail in its bid to register the Spain midfielder, who is back after Barcelona won a government ruling. Barcelona managed to register Olmo and forward Pau V'ctor after the government's sports authority intervened with a provisional ruling against the Spanish league and Spanish federation's decision to deny the club's request because it missed the end-of-the year deadline…...

10+ mon, 2+ week ago (223+ words) Spain's foreign ministry says that a Spanish man has been kidnapped in an unspecified northern African country. MADRID " Spain's foreign ministry says that a Spanish man has been kidnapped in an unspecified northern African country, while Spanish media report that the man is being held by a jihadist group. Spanish state news agency EFE and newspaper El Pa's both report that the man was captured in southern Algeria and then taken into Mali by the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara. "Reliable sources confirm that a Spanish citizen is presently being held against his will in northern Africa," the ministry's statement read. "The government is actively working to clarify and resolve the situation." Algerian authorities have not yet commented on the reported abduction. Kidnappings have rarely been reported in Algeria in recent years, however a decade ago, militant groups in…...

3+ mon, 2+ day ago (597+ words) Oviedo's Kwasi Sibo, right, and Real Madrid's Rodrygo fight for the ball during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Oviedo and Real Madrid at Carlos Tartiere stadium in Oviedo, Spain, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025. Credit: AP/Miguel Oses BARCELONA, Spain " Real Madrid and Barcelona are used to luring players from other clubs. The Spanish powerhouses face key support players possibly moving to the wealthier Premier League at the pending closure of the transfer market. Brazil forward Rodrygo, who has scored clutch goals for Madrid to add to its Champions League title haul, is at the center of media speculation that he could be heading to Manchester City or another English club. Chelsea is also reportedly after Barcelona midfield sparkplug Ferm'n L'pez, while Marc Casad' could also be sold with Barcelona needing income. Coach Hansi Flick has said he wants to…...

10+ mon, 3+ week ago (115+ words) A player from fourth-division club Barbastro has dropped to one knee and proposed to his girlfriend after his team's 4-0 loss to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey. BARBASTRO, Spain " A player from fourth-division club Barbastro lost and won on Saturday. After losing to Barcelona 4-0 in the Copa del Rey, Israel Garc'a dropped to one knee on the field and asked his girlfriend Pilar to marry him. She looked surprised and covered her face with her hands while smiling, then said, "Yes," to cheers from spectators behind the couple. "It was the appropriate day," Garc'a told Spanish media. The midfielder played the whole round-of-32 match against Barcelona....

1+ day, 3+ hour ago (217+ words) Barcelona and Alaves players play during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Alaves, in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. Credit: AP/Joan Monfort BARCELONA, Spain " Barcelona's second game back at Camp Nou stadium didn't go as planned as some 7,500 supporters had trouble accessing their virtual tickets for Saturday's 3-1 win over Alaves. Club vice-president Elena Font said the fans were unable to download their virtual tickets from the club app. She apologized to the affected ticket holders and said the club was working to solve the problem involving a new digital system the club is using. The club said it responded to the mishap by sending PDFs of the tickets to ticket holders, but that didn't prevent long lines, delays and annoyed fans. Font said the club believes that all except 300 of the affected ticket holders were able to…...

2+ mon, 1+ week ago (530+ words) NEWCASTLE, England " Marcus Rashford was Plan B for Barcelona this summer. Second-best looked pretty good after the on-loan Manchester United forward scored his first two goals for his new team on Thursday. That brace helped Barcelona start its Champions League campaign with a 2-1 win at Newcastle. And what a pair of goals they were. Rashford broke the deadlock in the 58th minute when he floated to the penalty spot and used a powerful flick of his head to drive in a pass by Jules Kound. He improved on that nine minutes later by latching onto a loose ball outside the area, skirting to his right to avoid defenders before blasting the ball over goalkeeper Nick Pope, off the underside of the crossbar and into the net. "It is going good, I am learning a new way of football and it's making…...

1+ week, 2+ day ago (484+ words) Barcelona's players exercise during the team's first training session at the venue after its renovation at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. Credit: AP/Joan Monfort BARCELONA, Spain " Raphinha and goalkeeper Joan Garc'a have recovered from injury in time for Barcelona's first game at Camp Nou in over two years. Coach Hansi Flick said Garc'a will start against Athletic Bilbao on Saturday while Raphinha will begin the game on the bench. Barcelona will aim for a win to keep pace in La Liga before it travels to London to face Chelsea in the Champions League next week. Barcelona trails leader Real Madrid by three points entering Round 13, when Xavi Alonso's side visits Elche on Sunday. Besides seeing how a Camp Nou that is still under renovation holds up for its first game, the best action this weekend…...

6+ mon, 2+ week ago (698+ words) When Lionel Messi left Barcelona it looked like generation would have to go by before another player of his incredible talent would don the burgundy and blue. Barcelona's Lamine Yamal reacts after scoring during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Espanyol and Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, May 15, 2025. Credit: AP/Jose Breton BARCELONA, Spain " When Lionel Messi left Barcelona it looked like a generation would have to go by before another player of his incredible talent would don the burgundy and blue. It turned out a couple of years was enough. Lamine Yamal cemented his status as the Next Big Thing in global soccer by excelling in a season that saw Barcelona finish with treble of domestic titles. Fittingly enough, the 17-year-old scored the decisive goal to clinch the Spanish league crown on Thursday. Defenders know what is coming…...

6+ mon, 3+ day ago (210+ words) BARCELONA, Spain " Teenage star Lamine Yamal has signed a contract extension to stay at Barcelona until 2031, the club announced Tuesday. The 17-year-old Yamal helped the Catalan club clinch a domestic treble " La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup " with his goals, dribbling and playmaking. He scored the the decisive goal to clinch Barcelona's 28th Spanish league title in a 2-0 victory at crosstown rival Espanyol nearly two weeks ago. Barcelona also reached the Champions League semifinals this campaign. His big season " he scored 18 goals overall and led La Liga with 13 assists " came after he helped Spain win the European Championship last summer. Yamal, who turns 18 in July, made his debut in April 2023 at Camp Nou and has already made 106 appearances for Barcelona. "In 2031, Lamine Yamal is only gonna be 23," the club said in a post on X as…...