FC Barcelona's La Liga fixture against CA Osasuna, which was supposed to be played on Saturday night, was postponed when it was learned that the Catalans' first-team doctor, Carles Minarro Garcia had passed away. (More Football News)
Fans were informed of the decision around 15 minutes before the game was scheduled to kick off at 9 pm local time (2000 GMT) in Barcelona at Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium on Saturday.
Barcelona said in a statement that it was "deeply saddened to announce the passing of first-team doctor Carles Miñarro Garcia this evening" and extended its "heartfelt condolences to his family and friends during this difficult time."
Barcelona did not immediately provide any details on the cause of death, which local media reports said was due to medical reasons.
Who was Carles Minarro Garcia?
Carles Minarro Garcia, 40, had been employed with the La Liga giants since 2017. Before joining FC Barcelona, he served as an assistant doctor at the Centre d'Alt Rendiment de Sant Cugat and also was the head of medical services at Centre d'Esports Sabadell.
Garcia was promoted to the first-team this season wherein he worked alongside Dr. Ricard Pruna. Garcia had some notable mentions on his CV, one being a student of Universitat de Barcelona where he passed his medical course.
The FC Barcelona players learnt the tragic passing of Garcia in the locker room, which was delivered by their club president Joan Laporta, that led to the match being postponed.
Both the Barca and Osasuna team and management have extended their condolences to bereaved family and friends. La Liga is yet announce the date for the match to be played and may do so in the coming days.
Barcelona's El Clasico rival, Real Madrid sent out their condolence message to Garcia's family and friends.
"Real Madrid C.F., its president and its Board of Directors deeply regret the death of F.C. Barcelona's doctor, Carles Miñarro García. Real Madrid would like to express its condolences and affection to all his family, his teammates, F.C. Barcelona and all his loved ones," a statement from Real Madrid read.
