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Barcelona’s La Liga match against Osasuna was called off on Saturday following the sudden death of the club’s first-team doctor, Carles Miñarro García. The Catalan giants announced the tragic news in a statement, expressing their deep sorrow over the passing of the 53-year-old medical professional.
“Barcelona is sorry to announce the sad news of the death of the first team doctor, Carles Minarro Garcia, this afternoon,” said the club in a statement.
“For this reason, the match between Barcelona and Osasuna has been postponed until a later date.
“The board of directors and all the staff at Barcelona wish to convey our most sincere condolences to his family and friends, we are with them at this difficult time.”
The announcement came just minutes before kickoff at the Olympic Stadium, where fans had already started entering the venue.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta described the loss as incredibly painful, revealing that Miñarro García leaves behind a wife and two children.
“This is incredibly painful news for Barcelona, it has left us heartbroken, in shock, because it was so sudden,” said Laporta.
“We contacted his mother and his wife, to express our condolences and support them in these incredibly painful moments…
“It is our duty to be there for all of them, his wife, his children, his mother.”
Barcelona players and staff were deeply affected by the news. Midfielder Pedri took to Instagram to express his disbelief, writing:
“I still can’t believe it. A big hug to the family and friends of Carles.”
Osasuna, whose players were preparing to take the field before the postponement was confirmed, offered their condolences on social media.
“Osasuna wishes to convey its deepest condolences to the family of doctor Carles Miñarro García and sends a big hug to all the staff of Barcelona, as well as their fans. May he rest in peace.”
Osasuna president Luis Sabalza fully supported the decision to postpone the match.
“We understand that life is the most important thing, and you can’t play a game thinking that the person you’ve worked with for so long is no longer there,” he told DAZN.
Miñarro García had been part of Barcelona’s medical team since 2017 and had only recently started working directly with the first team.
This was not the only recent La Liga match to be called off. On Monday, Villarreal’s game against Espanyol was postponed due to a heavy rain alert in the region.
A new date for Barcelona’s fixture against Osasuna will be confirmed in due course.
