Luis de la Fuente avoids clash and bans Eric Garcia from World Cup

Luis de la Fuente explained why Eric Garcia left the Spain squad after feeling a knee discomfort during the warm‑up for the FIFA World Cup 2026 Semi‑Final between France and Spain, played on 14 July at Dallas Stadium, Arlington, Texas.

Garcia's injury and exit

During the warm‑up, Garcia felt a discomfort in his knee and, despite being slated to start, did not take part in the match. The injury was confirmed after medical tests that forced him to leave the national team and return to Barcelona. His absence came after Spain's victory over England at Wembley on Saturday.

At the press conference, Luis de la Fuente said: “If it had been in a later stage, he would have stayed.” “He would not have been available for tomorrow, but he would be for the third match. We knew we could not take that risk. We were not going to create a conflict. We want them to play when they are safe.”

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De la Fuente emphasized that the injury is not serious, but he preferred not to jeopardize the relationship with Barcelona. The Catalan club remains optimistic and trusts that the problem will not prevent him from taking part in his next fixture against Getafe.

The photograph, credited to NurPhoto via Getty Images, shows Garcia watching the development of the duel between France and Spain.

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