Catalan protests claim El Clasico; Barca-Madrid showpiece postponed

The much anticipated El Clasico between La Liga giants, Barcelona and Real Madrid, which was originally scheduled for October 26, has been postponed by the Spanish football association without any set date. The match was to be played on October 26 but was rescheduled due to the ongoing Catalan protests in Barcelona after nine separatist leaders were arrested on October 14.

El Clasico postponed

With Barcelona and Real Madrid declining the Spanish FA's request to the match being shifted to the Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, both the clubs are required to decide a new date by October 21. 

Barcelona manager, Ernesto Valverde, stated that the club was against shifting the game to Madrid as they will be playing against Slavia Prague in the Group F match on October 23, just 3 days before the initially scheduled date. 

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Valverde further added that he was well aware of the reason behind the Spanish FA's request as civil unrest plagued Barcelona but he still said that his team was in favour of playing the match at Camp Nou. 

Real Madrid is gunning for its first league title after the 2016/17 triumph and is 2 points clear of Barcelona who are at 16 points after 8 games.

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Spain's worst political crisis

In the events that preceded this, violent protests erupted over arrests of Catalonian leaders in Barcelona. The Catalan autonomy crisis flared up on October 15 as police and protesters were engaged in a violent encounter. 

The clashes erupted at an airport in Barcelona, which falls in Catalunya. This came after the Spanish Supreme Court imprisoned nine Catalan separatist leaders over their failed efforts for secession in 2017. 

Catalonia's former VP, Oriol Junqueras, was indicted for sedition and abuse of public monetary assets and was awarded a jail term of 13 years. He was additionally barred from holding office for the duration of his jail term.

Former Catalan Foreign Minister Raül Romeva, Labor Minister Dolors Bassa, and provincial government representative Jordi Turull were each indicted for similar charges and were given a jail term of 12 years.

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