Athletic to play Levante on 21 October after storm postponement | OneFootball

Athletic’s postponed trip to Levante will be played on 21 October at eight pm at the Ciutat de Valencia, completing matchday six. According to El Correo, the clubs fixed the new date swiftly after the washout.

The agreement arrived roughly 15 hours after Wednesday night’s suspension amid torrential rain, with both sides indicating there would be no difficulty finding a slot.

With neither club tied to midweek European games, a continental week was always the target. After this weekend’s round comes a long international break. Athletic ruled out that window, with Nico Williams, Unai Simón and Laporte away with the senior side.

La Liga resumes on 10 October, when Athletic visit Rayo in Vallecas. That week had been mooted, but Levante play Sevilla on Monday 12 then Deportivo in A Coruña on the Friday, leaving no midweek slot. The following week was chosen, meaning back-to-back games in Valencia, Mestalla on 17 at nine pm then the rearranged tie at the Ciutat de Valencia at eight pm.

The original fixture was under threat once Aemet issued an orange alert for severe storms around kick-off. Both teams still reported to the stadium, with Athletic even warming up before the downpour left the pitch unplayable around nine pm. Athletic director of football Mikel González said the postponement was obvious and that there were plenty of dates to recover it.

Levante later wrote to La Liga urging a deep review of scheduling and weather-alert protocols, and asked for suspension criteria to be revisited after fans only learned of the cancellation at the start time. The club said the call was made six minutes before kick-off and that almost 10,000 supporters faced risky travel.

Government delegate Pilar Bernabé questioned the actions of La Liga and the regional Emergencies department, asking why orange alerts that close outdoor sports venues in Valencia did not apply here. Civil Protection’s flood warning reached mobile phones at 22.08, nearly an hour after the game had been called off.

Source: El Correo

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