The football world was stunned by Dr. Carles Minarro Garcia’s tragic death on Saturday night. The Barcelona medic passed away aged 40, leaving his wife and two kids, just hours before the Catalans were scheduled to kick off their matchday 27 La Liga fixture against Osasuna at 21:00 CET at the Montjuic Stadium.
Humanity comes before everything, and after the news of Minarro’s passing broke out, the decision was taken to suspend and then postpone the match. “A meeting was held with La Liga and the Spanish Federation and based on that, the match was officially suspended,” Osasuna president Luis Sabalza said later on Saturday.
“I think this is the right decision. Now, we must all stand by the FC Barcelona family in this mourning and support them to overcome these difficult moments,” he added. As well as mourning the sudden loss, a new date will have to be found for the fixture to take place. The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) have reportedly given the two sides five days to provide suggestions.
Barcelona’s busy schedule makes the task slightly more laborious, with the ‘Blaugrana’ involvement in three different competitions. Hansi Flick’s side have a Champions League last 16 tie to play against Benfica on Tuesday, a Copa del Rey semi-final second-leg clash at Atletico Madrid on April 2 and 11 games in La Liga to go until the end of the season.
And with the internationals coming up later this month, the clash could be played just after the break, which will last from March 17 to March 25. This means that a viable date for Barcelona v Osasuna could be March 26 or March 27. If not, there is also the option to schedule it days before the final matchday of La Liga. Other possible dates for the game are May 20 or 22 May.