Celta v Osasuna postponed over Balaídos pitch fungus | OneFootball

According to El Periódico Mediterráneo, LaLiga has postponed Celta v Osasuna because a fungus has left the Balaídos pitch in poor condition, worsened by recent high temperatures.

Celta alerted the league earlier this week, and competition inspectors assessed the surface before the decision. The fixture had been set for Sunday 16 August at 21.30.

Although the pitch was said to have improved yesterday, the postponement has been confirmed.

The match will now be played on 27 August at 20.30, the date reserved for the round deferred for clubs with players who featured at the World Cup.

The Vigo club favoured postponement and relayed that view to Osasuna and LaLiga. It was among the teams permitted to modify the opening matchday, but chose not to in order to avoid congestion later in August and early September.

An alternative venue was seen as highly unlikely, because new LaLiga technology, with a chip in the ball, requires matches to be staged only in Primera División stadiums.

Work to replace the turf begins this Thursday, aiming to have the surface ready for Celta Fortuna’s matchday two against Andorra on Monday 24 August.

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo

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