La Liga leader 'Barcelona' was supposed to host 'Osasuna' in the 27th round of the Spanish championship, but the match was postponed about half an hour before the start due to a tragedy. This decision was caused by the death of a person close to the changing room of the Catalonia club.
At that time, 'Barcelona' players had arrived at the stadium and had even gone out onto the pitch to prepare for warm-up exercises. The 'Osasuna' goalkeepers had even managed to complete their warm-up drills, but at that moment they were asked to leave the field. It soon became clear that the match would most likely be canceled, and the La Cadena SER radio station reported that the initiative came from the blue-and-burgundy players.
The reasons for this quickly became apparent: the players were not ready to take the field due to the death of the team's medical staff member Karles Minyarro Garcia. Moreover, this news was communicated to them by the club president Joan Laporta, who had entered the changing room. The match was indeed canceled, and the players began to leave the stadium. Fans in the stands were informed that the match would not take place due to Minyarro Garcia's death. Official statements soon followed.
“La Liga expresses its condolences for the passing of Barcelona's first team doctor Karles Minyarro and announces that the match is being postponed for this reason. La Liga extends its heartfelt sympathy to the family members, friends, club, and fans, sharing in their grief. The date and time for the rescheduled match will be announced in the coming days,” the La Liga statement said.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the doctor was only 40 years old: he had joined the first team's medical staff this season, having previously worked with the Barcelona mini-football team. He had been working in the Catalan system since 2017. The causes of death are currently unknown.
It is highly likely that due to this postponement, 'Barcelona' will temporarily lose its first place in La Liga. Currently, Hansi Flick's team is 1 point ahead of 'Atletico', while 'Real' is ahead by 3 points. The Madrid clubs will play their matches on Sunday. Now the 'blue-and-burgundy' will take the field against 'Benfica' in the Champions League Round of 16 on March 11 — in the first match, the Catalans won by a narrow margin (1:0).
