A La Liga game between Granada and Athletic Bilbao was suspended on Sunday after a fan in the stands suffered a heart attack. In the 15th minute of the match, Athletic keeper Unai Simon raced to the touchline to alert the referee after Granada supporters informed him of the incident involving one of the fans, who lapsed into a state of cardiac arrest.
The match went on for another five minutes before it was called off as medical personnel attended to the fan. The team doctors came off the bench to attend to the fan too. The players remained on the field for approximately 40 minutes before heading to the dressing rooms.
Also Read
Barcelona could receive over €3 million from FIFA as compensation for Gavi
Check ISL 2023-24 Points Table
‘Ideally you want 40 academies’ Arsene Wenger lays down roadmap for AIFF
According to reports, the fan was taken to hospital in a private ambulance after being removed from his seat.
In the end, the game was called off and the league confirmed that the fan had passed away. The league did not immediately release the cause of death or provide any details about the fan’s identity.
Granada fans applauded Simón for alerting the referee. Athletic were leading 1-0 thanks to a sixth-minute goal from Iñaki Williams when thee game was abandoned.
According to the official website of La Liga, the match will be postponed and rescheduled at a later date to be announced in the near future. Other top-tier Spanish clubs also expressed their solidarity after the announcement was made.
“FC Barcelona expresses its deepest condolences to the loved ones of the fan who passed away during the game between Granada and Athletic Club,” read a statement from the Catalan kingpins.