By Seyi Babalola
Four individuals have been detained following a knife attack on the father of teenage Spanish football sensation Lamine Yamal in Catalonia, local police told AFP Thursday.
The incident occurred around 1910 GMT on Wednesday at a car park in the Catalan town of Mataro, some 30 kilometres from Barcelona, in the Rocafonda neighbourhood where Lamine Yamal lives, according to a spokesman for the Catalan regional police force, the Mossos d’Esquadra.
Yamal’s father, Mounir Nasraoui, was stabbed multiple times, according to the police, and is being treated at Can Ruti Hospital.
According to a family source, Nasraoui is now “out of danger” and “remains under observation” but in “stable” health.
When asked about the events and the victim’s probable hospital release date, the source declined to comment further.
Three persons were detained Wednesday night and were being questioned at Mataro police station, while a fourth was brought into custody around 0900 GMT on Thursday morning.
Police revealed that investigators must question the victim and witnesses “as soon as possible” to determine the circumstances of the incident.
Spanish daily La Vanguardia reports that the incident occurred during an altercation in the street with three men who approached him while he was walking his dog and then returned to assault him.
Yamal made his Barcelona debut at the age of 15 in April 2023 and quickly rose to prominence last season, becoming an important player for the Catalan giants.