Musiala says 'no one to blame' for serious leg injury at Club World Cup

MUNICH (AP) — Bayern Munich star Jamal Musiala says “there’s no one to blame” for the left leg fracture he sustained in a tackle from Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma at the Club World Cup.

The Germany star posted an update on Instagram on Wednesday, when he thanked people for their support after he fractured his fibula (bone in the lower leg) during Bayern’s loss to PSG in the quarterfinals on Saturday.

“It’s nice to see how the football world comes together in a time like this and I really appreciate it,” Musiala said.

Musiala was flown back to Munich on Sunday for surgery on the injury that Bayern said was “associated with an ankle dislocation.”

Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer had criticized Donnarumma for his action, suggesting his Italian counterpart “didn’t necessarily have to go in like that” and that he had knowingly risked causing an injury.

Bayern board member for sport Max Eberl also criticized Donnarumma, saying there was a “big danger something can happen” with the goalkeeper jumping in to secure the ball and that the action was “not without risk.”

Donnarumma, who was visibly upset after seeing Musiala’s injury, posted a message tagged to Musiala: “All my prayers and well wishes are with you.”

“Thank you for your wishes and don’t worry! That’s part of football,” the German player responded.

In his own post, Musiala appeared to address Neuer and Eberl’s criticisms.

“The surgery went really well, I’m in good care, and I wanted to say there’s no one to blame for this,” the 22-year-old forward said. “I think situations like this happen and now I’m just going to use the next period of time just to build up my strength and positivity again. I’m looking forward to seeing you guys again.”

Musiala spent much of last season injured. He missed around 2½ months with a muscle tear in his left hamstring and had only made his comeback at the Club World Cup. He previously missed around a month in October with a hip injury.

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Bayern Munich's Michael Olise reacts to an injury to Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala during the Club World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between PSG and Bayern Munich in Atlanta, Saturday, July 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala lies on the ground during the Club World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between PSG and Bayern Munich in Atlanta, Saturday, July 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala gets medical assistance during the Club World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between PSG and Bayern Munich in Atlanta, Saturday, July 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala is taken off the field after an injury during the Club World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between PSG and Bayern Munich in Atlanta, Saturday, July 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala is taken off the field after an injury during the Club World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between PSG and Bayern Munich in Atlanta, Saturday, July 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

DENVER (AP) — A Frontier Airlines plane hit and killed a pedestrian on the runway of the Denver International Airport during takeoff, airport authorities said, sparking an engine fire and forcing passengers to evacuate.

The plane, on route from Denver to Los Angeles International Airport, “reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19 p.m. on Friday," the airport's official X account wrote.

A spokesperson for the airport said the pedestrian, who jumped a perimeter fence, has died. They said the unidentified person was hit two minutes after entering the airport. The person is not believed to be an airport employee.

“We're stopping on the runway,” the pilot tells the control tower according to the site ATC.com. “We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.”

The pilot tells the air traffic controller they have “231 souls” on board and that an “individual was walking across the runway.”

The air traffic controller responds that they are “rolling the trucks now" before the pilot tells the tower they “have smoke in the aircraft. We are going to evacuate on the runway.”

Frontier Airlines said in a statement flight 4345 was the one involved in the collision and that “smoke was reported in the cabin and the pilots aborted takeoff.” It was not clear whether the smoke was linked to the crash with the pedestrian.

“The Airbus A321 was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members,” the airline said. “We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities.”

Passengers were then evacuated via slides and the emergency crew bused them to the terminal. The airport spokesperson said 12 passengers suffered minor injuries and five were taken to local hospitals.

Denver Airport said the National Transportation Safety Board had been notified and that runway 17L, where the incident took place, will remain closed while an investigation is conducted. It is expected to open later today.

The pedestrian death came a day after a Delta Air Lines employee was killed while on the job at the Orlando International Airport. In a statement, the airline said the employee was killed Thursday night without providing details of the incident nor the name of the employee.

“We are focused on extending our full support to family and taking care of our Orlando team during this difficult time,” the airline said. "We are working with local authorities as a full investigation gets underway to determine what occurred.”

FILE - A Frontier Airlines jetliner taxis down a runway for take off from Denver International airport on Nov. 25, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)