LA LIGA’S request to move the upcoming El Clasico from the Nou Camp to the Bernabeu amidst political protests in Barcelona has been rejected.
The October 26 showdown is set to be played at the Nou Camp, but league chiefs were looking to protect their stars by keeping them away from Barca, say El Pais.
Officials were hoping they will be allowed to move the game to the Bernabeu after at least 53 people were injured in a protest at Barcelona airport this week.
Under the proposed move, the return match – scheduled for Madrid in March – would have been played at the Nou Camp instead.
But Spanish football chiefs rejected La Liga’s desperate plea and the match this month will go ahead as planned in Barcelona.
On Tuesday, more than 100 flights were grounded as pro-Catalonia protesters rioted with police.
Cops fired foam bullets and tear gas into angry rock-throwing crowds in a bid to break up the carnage.
The violence came as Spain’s Supreme Court convicted 12 separatist leaders of illegally promoting Catalonia’s independence.
Nine of the 12 independence leaders were jailed – sparking outrage among some of the wealthy region’s anti-Madrid population.
Furious locals were on the streets protesting within minutes, blocking traffic and waving flags.
Ivan Rakitic (@ivanrakitic) uno de los afectados por las movilizaciones en el aeropuerto de Barcelona tras la #SentenciaProces
@PREC96 pic.twitter.com/nLrV0fPGja
— El Partidazo de COPE (@partidazocope) October 14, 2019
And one person caught up in the violence at the airport was Barcelona star Ivan Rakitic – who was forced to flee on foot.
The midfielder, 31, was snapped in his tracksuit wearing a rucksack and dragging his luggage behind him.
Rakitic had just landed back in Spain after his Croatia side had played out a 1-1 draw against Wales in Cardiff.
