Real Madrid airbrushed Kylian Mbappe out of photos promoting their latest clothing range as controversy around the forward grows.

The French star was conspicuously removed from a promotional image released by Real Madrid as part of the club’s “Artist Pack” collection, which is intended to showcase the club’s charitable foundation that supports sporting and social projects for underprivileged communities.

However, the omission would have likely gone unnoticed if it weren’t for a post by teammate Jude Bellingham. The 21-year-old shared an unedited version of the image on his Instagram, which featured Mbappe. The post was swiftly taken down by the English midfielder, but not before eagle-eyed fans noticed the alteration.

Reports from Sports Zone suggest the decision to exclude Mbappe stemmed from a clash between competing sponsorship deals. As a Nike ambassador, Mbappe was removed due to the campaign’s association with adidas, Real Madrid’s official kit sponsor. Despite Mbappe’s omission, Eduardo Camavinga, another Nike-sponsored player, was featured in the campaign, raising further questions about the rationale behind the decision.

Mbappe is expected to feature in Real Madrid’s upcoming fixture against Celta Vigo this Saturday after brushing off an injury scare that forced him to withdraw from France’s national team squad for the latest international break. However, if the forward fails to win the race against time, he might be reintegrated into the squad for the midweek Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund three days later.

-Goal.com

Spanish forward Nico Williams says fighting racism is his number one goal following multiple incidents of abuse against black players in the country.

The Atletic Bilbao star, who was in born in Spain to Ghanaian parents, is one of several players to have suffered racist abuse in LaLiga, a recurring problem with Real Madrid’s Brazilian striker Vinicius Junior in particular repeatedly harassed by opposing fans since arriving in the country in 2018.

Clubs and players alike have been outspoken about the issue with Vinicius Jr saying last month that Spain should be stripped of its 2030 World Cup hosting duties unless significant progress is made in addressing racism.

Williams, who played a starring role when Spain won Euro 2024, told El Mundo: “My brother (fellow player Inaki Williams) and I, as black people, have an important task in this life, which is the fight against racism. It’s my number one goal.

“As a public figure, in order to contribute to that fight, I cannot be sidetracked or become a freak and not have my feet on the ground.”

” You have to support your team without needing to insult anyone. I don’t understand that behaviour and they make football worse.

Last month a Mallorca fan was handed a 12-month suspended sentence by a Spanish court for racially insulting Vinícius and Villareal’s Samuel Chukwuese.

“I think that Spain is moving forward on the right path and we must continue like this,” Williams said. “There are always people who try to sell another image of immigrants, but they are a minority. I am very happy to see that progress is being made in this battle against racism. I am going to try to do everything in my power so that these people [immigrants] can have a better life.”

Ahead of this weekend’s top clash at the Stadio Olimpico, Roma and Inter could each regain a pivotal player, as Paulo Dybala and Nicolò Barella are both nearing their return to action.

Both sides had a bumpy start to the season, so it will be interesting to see who will prevail on Sunday.

As is often the case, Dybala has been dealing with a muscular problem that saw him remain on the bench during the 2-1 victory over Venezia before skipping the trip to Monza just before the international break.

But according to Sky Sport Italia via La Voce Giallorossa, the 30-year-old will rejoin his teammates in group training starting Tuesday morning. Therefore, the Argentine should be available for selection by Sunday, which will be a major boost for the already-under-fire Ivan Juric.

Coincidentally, Sky Sport (via FcInterNews) also reports Barella’s return to full training on Tuesday. The Italian skipped Inter’s last two Serie A victories over Udinese and Torino, but he should be ready and raring to go for Sunday’s showdown in Rome.

The source believes the 27-year-old will be pushing for a starting spot, even if Simone Inzaghi is spoiled for choices in the middle of the park.

While the impact of the two stars’ expected returns could cancel one another since each side will recover the services of a main protagonist, the true winner in the whole equation would be the neutral fan, as we’re talking about two of the most technically gifted players in Serie A. Their presence would certainly add a different flavor to what should be a captivating encounter in the Eternal City.