Celta Vigo’s opening fixture of the La Liga season against Osasuna at Estadio de Balaídos this weekend has been postponed after a severe fungal disease left the pitch unfit for football.
The match was originally scheduled for Sunday at 20:30 BST, but following a La Liga pitch inspection on Wednesday, officials confirmed that recent weather conditions – including high heat and temperatures consistently in the mid-to-high 20s – had severely damaged the playing surface. The fixture has now been rescheduled for Thursday, 27 August at 19:30 BST.
In a statement, Celta Vigo explained: “La Liga agreed this morning, in coordination with the clubs and the RFEF, to postpone the match that was scheduled to face Celta and CA Osasuna this coming Sunday at Abanca Balaidos due to a disease that has affected the stadium’s turf, which is currently unfit for football.”
The club noted that while earlier inspections certified the field met safety standards, “The weather conditions of the past few days have had an adverse effect on the good progress of the field and led to the decision to postpone the match.”
The decision sparked severe backlash from Osasuna, who voiced “complete disagreement” with the new August date, claiming both teams had previously agreed to reschedule the game for September 24 or 25 during the international break.
Osasuna expressed their anger in an official statement: “For a competition like Spain’s La Liga to decide on a postponement on a Thursday, three days before a match, follows the pattern of last-minute scheduling changes to which we have unfortunately become accustomed due to a lack of foresight and professionalism.”
The club added: “Nor can such a decision be presented as an act ‘in coordination with the clubs’. And all this just over 48 hours before that team is scheduled to fly to Vigo. This isn’t football, it’s La Liga.”
