The sudden death of the FC Barcelona team doctor led to the last-minute cancellation of the league game against CA Osasuna on March 8. The new date has now been set – and is causing displeasure among the clubs.
In a single-judge decision, the La Liga catch-up game was set for Thursday, March 27. On Monday, the Spanish football association RFEF announced the new date for the game between FC Barcelona and CA Osasuna, which was canceled after the tragic death of Barcelona team doctor Dr. Carles Minarro. According to media reports, however, the league leaders are already considering appealing the decision. The problem: just one day earlier, Brazil’s national team, with Barca’s second-highest scorer Raphinha (13 goals, 8 assists), is playing in the World Cup qualifier in Buenos Aires against Argentina.
The winger would thus presumably be just as unavailable to Barca coach Hansi Flick as defender Ronald Araujo, who is competing in Bolivia with Uruguay on March 25. As things stand, Osasuna also have to play their next away game at Athletic Bilbao the day after the difficult game in Barcelona. The Blaugrana have FC Girona as their guests three days later. Both clubs had therefore advocated different dates.
The RFEF explained the surprising decision in a detailed statement.
The RFEF explained the surprising decision in a detailed statement. According to the statement, the league proposed March 27 “given the complexity and lack of a specific and suitable date for the rescheduled game, without affecting other competitions not organized by La Liga”.
The two clubs, on the other hand, suggested that the game be played between the penultimate and the last matchday in mid-May, as this date “minimizes conflicts with the call-ups of players to the national teams,” according to the statement from the association. However, the association categorically rejected this option because it “could lead to a clear disadvantage for third-party clubs participating in the competition”.
As an alternative, the clubs also suggested the date of the Copa del Rey final at the end of April if Barcelona were to lose to Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals. The first leg recently ended 4-4, with the second leg taking place on April 2. In addition, the clubs also proposed a schedule for the weeks of the Champions League semi-finals should Barca lose to Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals, but the league and federation are not willing to wait for that.
