'El Clasico' had to be suspended in 12th minute due to thunderstorm

The friendly 'El Clasico' between Madrid and Barca, which was played on Saturday in the New York metropolitan area, resumed at 20.30 (02.30 CEST) after more than an hour suspended due to a thunderstorm in the MetLife Stadium area.

The match kicked off at 19:00 (local time), as scheduled, but had to be stopped after 12 minutes due to the weather conditions. The players complained that it was not raining and there was no lightning, but the referee activated the protocol due to the presence of some in the vicinity.

The water soon arrived and the match was suspended for more than an hour. The thunderstorm also made its presence felt and the organisers waited all the time in the world to resume the match.

Despite the gloomy forecast, the weather improved and the players returned to the pitch to prepare for the continuation of the match.

"The situation has been resolved and everything is now clear and safe for people to return to their assigned seats," was the message that appeared on the stadium screens as the spectators, who had taken shelter from the storm, gradually returned to their seats.

Sources from the match organisers explained to 'EFE' that the match was called off because of a lightning strike in the area.

The same sources pointed out that the protocol requires stopping play for at least 30 minutes, before seeing if the weather allows the match to resume later. If another bolt of lightning struck, the clock would be reset and a new 30-minute countdown would begin.

Barcelona suffered a similar inconvenience last Tuesday in their friendly against Manchester City, which started more than an hour late in Orlando, Florida, also due to a thunderstorm in the area.

 

August 3, 2024