Barcelona and Osasuna appeals rejected as Spanish FA sets new date for La Liga clash that was postponed after death of doctor - with Raphinha and Ronald Araujo set to miss showdown due to international duty

The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has officially ruled that the postponed La Liga clash between Barcelona and Osasuna will take place on March 27. The original fixture, scheduled for March 8 at the Olympic Stadium, was abruptly called off just 20 minutes before kickoff following the tragic passing of Barcelona’s first-team doctor, Carles Miñarro.

Earlier this week, the RFEF determined that the match should be played on March 27, a decision that neither club agreed with. However, their efforts to challenge the ruling were unsuccessful, as a judge dismissed their appeals on Thursday, stating that the fixture must be played as soon as possible.

Barcelona, currently joint-top of La Liga alongside Real Madrid, argued that the rescheduled date creates significant squad difficulties due to international commitments. The Catalan giants had detailed in their appeal that six key first-team players could be unavailable for the game, potentially affecting their title ambitions.

Among those affected are Raphinha and Ronald Araújo, who are set to feature for Brazil and Uruguay, respectively, in South American World Cup qualifiers on March 26. Additionally, Gerard Martín, Fermín López, and Pablo Torre are part of Spain’s U21 squad, which is scheduled to face Germany on the same day. Héctor Fort is also involved in Spain’s U19 team, with a match against Latvia on March 26.

Osasuna, on the other hand, do not face as many international absences, but they do have another league fixture scheduled just one day later as they are slated to face Athletic Club on March 28, raising concerns over fatigue and match preparation. To address this issue, La Liga has agreed to reschedule Osasuna’s match against Athletic Club to Sunday, March 31 which would ensure that the Pamplona-based side has adequate recovery time between matches.

With the new date locked in, Barcelona now face a gruelling schedule, with four matches in the span of just nine days once club football resumes after the international break. After taking on Osasuna on March 31, they will host Girona on Sunday. After that, they will travel to Madrid to face Atlético for the second leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal on Wednesday and then welcome Real Betis on Saturday in a La Liga fixture.