Barcelona match against Osasuna postponed 30 mins before kick-off as reason comes to light
The La Liga match between Barcelona and Osasuna scheduled to be played on Saturday, March 8, has been postponed following the death of the Catalan club's first-team doctor, Carles Minarro Garcia. The match, initially scheduled to start at 20:00 GMT, was called off around 30 minutes before kickoff.
The clash was the reverse fixture between Barcelona and Osasuna in the 2024-25 La Liga campaign. The two sides met for the first leg at El Sadar in September, with Osasuna securing a 4-2 win.
Ahead of the match, reports surfaced indicating that an individual closely associated with the playing squad had passed away, prompting the players to request the game's postponement.
Shortly after, Spanish broadcaster DAZN confirmed that the deceased was a member of Barca's first-team medical staff, and the news was announced on the big screen in the stadium.
To that end, the match was postponed, as the Catalan club confirmed in a statement. The statement read:
''FC Barcelona is deeply saddened to announce the passing of first-team doctor Carles Miñarro García this evening. For this reason, the match between FC Barcelona and CA Osasuna has been postponed to a later date. The FC Barcelona Board of Directors and all staff extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends during this difficult time.’’
Osasuna also released a statement sympathizing with the family of the deceased:
''Club Atlético Osasuna wishes to express its deepest condolences to the family of Dr. Carles Miñarro Garcia and send a strong embrace to the entire staff of F.C. Barca dand its fans during this difficult time. Rest in peace. Goian bego.’’
Hansi Flick's side are currently sitting at the summit of the La Liga table with 57 points after 26 games, while their opponents Osasuna are in the 11th position with 33 points after 26 games.
When will the Barcelona vs Osasuna game be played?
Barca and Osasuna both released statements regarding the demise of a senior staff member, with the former stating that the match has been postponed to a later date.
At the time of writing, a date is yet to be picked for the fixture to be played. According to Spanish football rules, if a game is suspended for force majeure, a judge must preside when the match is to be played. Meanwhile, La Liga has confirmed in a statement that a rescheduled date for the match will be announced soon.
The statement read:
‘’LALIGA regrets the passing of Dr. Carles Miñarro, FC Barcelona’s first-team doctor, and announces that, for this reason, today's match between @FCBarcelona and @osasuna_en has been postponed, pending the decision of the single judge of Competitions. LALIGA would like to express its deepest condolences to his family, friends, the club, and its supporters, and shares in their sorrow. The new date and time for the match will be announced soon.’’
