Spain: Barça - Real Madrid Clasico postponed due to independence demonstrations in Barcelona

The FC Barcelona - Real Madrid CF match, scheduled for Matchday 10 of the 2019-20 LaLiga Santander and initially scheduled on Saturday 26/10/2019 at the Camp Nou in Barcelona (kick-off scheduled for 13:00 CET) has now been postponed to a later date, decided the competition committee of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) on 18/10/2019.

The postponement of the "Clasico" is explained by the risk of clashes related to the demonstrations taking place in Barcelona since the announcement, on 14/10/2019, of the judgement of long prison sentences of several Catalan independence leaders who are accused of illegally organizing a referendum on the self-determination of Catalonia on 01/10/2017. The Spanish authorities, with LaLiga in the lead, fear of Barça supporters and Catalans in general to potentially overreacting to the decision of the Spanish Supreme Court.

"The regulation prevents the inversion of the order of the matches as established by the calendar of the Championship," indicated the competition committee of the Federation, meeting at the request of the Spanish League which…