DORTMUND, Germany (AP) — Borussia Dortmund captain Emre Can will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL in his left knee.
The Bundesliga club said Sunday that Can will be out for “several months” after the anterior cruciate ligament injury in the team’s 3-2 loss at home to Bayern Munich in Der Klassiker on Saturday.
Can had tried playing on with the injury but had to go off before the break. He received an ovation from the appreciative home fans when he finally went off.
The extent of the injury ends any hope Can may have had of playing at the World Cup. The 32-year-old defender made the last of his 48 appearances for Germany in September 2024 but still harbored hopes of a call-up.
“Emre’s injury is extremely bitter. Not just for him, but for all of us,” Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl said. “He is our captain, always puts himself at the service of the team, and is an important part of our club. Emre will get our every support over the coming months to ensure his full recovery.”
Can's contract with Dortmund expires at the end of the season. He previously played for Juventus, Liverpool, Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern, where he won a Bundesliga title with four league appearances in 2013.
Dortmund’s loss left Bayern with an 11-point lead at the top of the league.
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Dortmund's Emre Can and Bayern Munich's Luis Díaz, left, in action during the Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern Munich in Dortmund, Germany, Saturday Feb. 28, 2026. (David Inderlied/dpa via AP)
BRUSSELS (AP) — World leaders urged peace Sunday as a second day of military strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran raised concerns that the violence could spread across the region, and Iran vowed devastating blows after the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Massive explosions rocked the Iranian capital as Israel's military said it was targeting the “heart” of Tehran. Iran pressed on with its retaliation, targeting Israel and U.S. military bases in Gulf states.
Iranian officials hurried to plan a future after the death of Khamenei, who had no designated successor, as some Iranians who had long suffered from political repression celebrated.
On streets around the world, there were protests in outrage or bursts of celebration.
World leaders grappled with how to respond.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz acknowledged the complexities. In recognition of the legal ambiguity of the U.S. attack, Merz said that, globally, international law was being respected less and less and there was little point in lecturing allies.
He called the Iranian regime a “terrorist” one that endangered its citizens and the region.
“The Federal Government shares the relief of many Iranians that this mullah regime is now coming to an end,” Merz said. “Together with the United States and Israel, we share the interest in ending this regime’s terror and stopping its dangerous nuclear and ballistic armament.”
Some allies of the U.S. and Israel took defensive measures.
A drone strike damaged a hangar at a French naval base at the port of Abu Dhabi, France's defense minister said. President Emmanuel Macron said the conflict has prompted France to reinforce its military posture and its defensive support for allies in the Middle East. He did not elaborate.
British Defense Minister John Healey said Iranian missile and drone strikes came within a few hundred yards (meters) of a group of 300 British military personnel in Bahrain, and that two missiles were even fired in the direction of Cyprus, where the U.K. has bases.
“We don’t believe they were targeted at Cyprus, but nevertheless, it’s an example of how there is a very real and rising threat from a regime that is lashing out widely across the region, and that requires us to act,” Healey told Sky News.
Cyprus government spokesman Constantinos Letymbiotis posted on X that reports suggesting missiles had been fired toward Cyprus were not valid.
Top diplomats from the 27 European Union nations were holding an emergency meeting Sunday to discuss the situation and next steps for the bloc.
“The death of Ali Khamenei is a defining moment in Iran’s history. What comes next is uncertain,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said. “But there is now an open path to a different Iran, one that its people may have greater freedom to shape.”
Pope Leo XIV said he was “profoundly concerned” about the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and urged both sides to “stop the spiral of violence before it becomes an irreparable abyss.”
Perhaps cautious about upsetting already strained relations with U.S. President Donald Trump, many nations, including several in the Middle East, refrained from commenting directly or pointedly on the joint strikes but condemned Tehran’s retaliation.
The 22-nation Arab League called the Iranian attacks “a blatant violation of the sovereignty of countries that advocate for peace and strive for stability.” That coalition of nations has historically condemned both Israel and Iran for actions it says risk destabilizing the region.
“Return to your senses ... and deal with your neighbors with reason and responsibility before the circle of isolation and escalation widens,” Anwar Gargash, an adviser to the United Arab Emirates’ president, told the Iranian theocracy.
The UAE closed its embassy in Iran and announced the withdrawal of its diplomatic mission after Iranian strikes hit the country.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin blasted Khamenei’s killing, which he called “a cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law."
“The blatant killing of the leader of a sovereign state and the incitement of regime change are unacceptable,” China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a phone call with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, according to China’s official Xinhua News Agency. “These actions violate international law and the basic norms governing international relations.”
Wang said attacking a sovereign state without U.N. Security Council authorization undermines the foundation for peace established after World War II.
At least 22 people were killed in clashes with police after hundreds of protesters stormed the U.S. Consulate in the Pakistani port city of Karachi, authorities said.
In Iraq, hundreds wore black and waved flags belonging to Iran-backed Iraqi militias and red flags that symbolize vengeance in the Shiite Muslim faith as they marched across Sadr City to decry the killing of Khamenei.
Anger flashed at protests in Istanbul and among Shiite Muslims in India.
Demonstrations were also held in cities including New York, Berlin, Paris and Vienna by members of the Iranian diaspora and their supporters, celebrating the end of Khamenei’s rule. Some demonstrators waved flags of the Iranian monarchy, with Israeli and U.S. flags also on display.
Ciobanu reported from Warsaw and Metz from Ramallah, West Bank. Reporters around the world contributed to this report.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz issues a statement on the latest developments in the Middle East at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Demonstrators burn a picture of President Donald Trump during a protest outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Shiite Muslims set a fire at the U.S. Consulate's entrance gate during a rally to condemn the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
A woman cries as she mourns the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during a gather in the southern Suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Shiite Muslims protest against the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran and killing of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in New Delhi, India, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Piyush Nagpal)
Iranian people attend a demonstration in support of the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
People march during a protest in New York, on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, against U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. (AP Photo/Kena Betancur)
Iranian people attend a demonstration in support of the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Iranian people attend a demonstration in support of the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Smoke rises up after a strike in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
A protester holds a crown in London, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026 after U.S. and Israeli forces carried out a series of strikes on Iran on Saturday morning. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks before media members as he visits facilities of Siemens Energy during his official visit, in Hangzhou, China, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (Andres Martinez Casares/Pool Photo via AP)
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks with students and staff, during a visit to the Walbottle Academy Campus in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (Scott Heppell/PA via AP)
