February 17 – In what must surely be a first of its kind, a top-flight game was postponed at the weekend not because of weather conditions, fixture congestion or fan disruption but for environmental reasons in the shape of air contamination.
Eibar’s home La Liga match against Real Sociedad on Sunday was called off because of “high levels of chemical compounds detected in the air” around the Ipurua Municipal Stadium.
A landfill site near Eibar collapsed on February 6 causing fires and trapping two workers, who are still missing. Toxins 40 times the normal level for urban areas had been detected following the incident.
The Royal Spanish Football Federation’s competition committee made the decision to call off Sunday’s fixture with all matches in the nearby towns of Ermua and Zaldibar also postponed.
A letter from the Basque government’s deputy minister for health warned against outdoor sports activities being performed while locals in the three towns have been warned not to leave their windows open.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1713486563labto1713486563ofdlr1713486563owedi1713486563sni@w1713486563ahsra1713486563w.wer1713486563dna1713486563