La Liga has officially postponed Celta Vigo’s opening-day meeting with Osasuna after an inspection found a fungus seriously affecting the condition of the Balaidos pitch.
The match had been scheduled for next Sunday at 21:30, but the league has announced that it will now be played on Thursday, 27 August, at 20:30. The rearranged fixture will be the fourth game from the opening round of La Liga to have its original date changed.
The decision followed a technical report produced after La Liga officials examined the playing surface throughout Wednesday. Their assessment identified fungus on the pitch at Celta Vigo’s Balaidos stadium, with the problem judged to have had a significant impact on its condition.
La Liga confirmed that it was responsible for setting the new date and did not need to wait for a separate ruling from the Spanish Football Federation. The league has held full authority to make such scheduling decisions since the middle of last season.
An official La Liga statement said the decision had been taken in coordination with the Spanish Football Federation and both clubs involved.
The fixture between Celta Vigo and Osasuna was due to form part of the first round of matches in the new La Liga campaign, which is scheduled to begin next Saturday. The postponement means that a total of four matches from the opening round have now been affected.
La Liga had already postponed three other games before the decision involving Celta Vigo and Osasuna. Those matches are Valencia against Real Betis, Real Madrid against Real Sociedad and Barcelona against Athletic Bilbao.
The league’s latest announcement therefore leaves the opening round with a series of fixture changes before the campaign has begun. Celta Vigo and Osasuna will now meet four days later than originally planned, with the revised kick-off set for 20:30 on Thursday, 27 August.
The decision was made after the condition of Balaidos was assessed by league officials rather than as part of a sporting or disciplinary ruling. The inspection focused on the state of the surface, and the fungus discovered during that process was the reason given for moving the match.
La Liga said the new arrangement had been agreed with the relevant authorities and both clubs. The change completes the current list of postponed fixtures in the first round, following the earlier decisions involving Valencia, Real Betis, Real Madrid, Real Sociedad, Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao.