Barcelona's Copa clash delayed again as El Sardinero safety concerns push kickoff back
For the second time in this season's Copa del Rey, Barcelona's match was delayed due to security issues, with the Racing Santander tie starting 15 minutes late.
Barça fans faced another frustrating delay as their Copa del Rey round of 16 clash against Racing Santander kicked off 15 minutes behind schedule due to security concerns at a packed El Sardinero.
Second delay in two Copa ties
This marks the second consecutive Copa fixture where Hansi Flick’s men have been forced to wait beyond the scheduled kickoff time. Their previous cup encounter against Guadalajara also suffered delays, that time a full half-hour setback due to issues with a supplementary stand lacking proper occupation permits.
Safety first at El Sardinero
Thursday night’s match was pushed back from 21:00 to 21:15 as officials grappled with access problems at the stadium. The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) made the decision as fans struggled to enter the ground in time for kickoff.
Contributing factors included:
- Capacity crowd of approximately 22,000 spectators
- Intense rainfall complicating arrival at the stadium
- Heightened excitement around Santander for the visit of the La Liga leaders
Barça the main attraction
It’s no surprise that Racing fans turned out in force despite the dodgy weather. Barcelona arrived in Cantabria as the toast of Spanish football after their recent Supercopa triumph and sitting pretty at the top of La Liga under Flick’s impressive leadership.
The cup competition continues to present its own unique challenges for the Blaugrana, though on this occasion it was more about getting through the turnstiles than getting past their Segunda División opponents.