Madrid: Osasuna and Valladolid were relegated to the Spanish second division on Sunday, but the final round of Spanish league matches was overshadowed by the collapse of a barrier which injured 58 fans at Osasuna’s El Sadar stadium in Pamplona.
The Navarran Red Cross confirmed 10 people, including children, were taken to hospital and a further 48 suffered minor injuries when the barrier gave way under the pressure of fans surging forward after Oriol Riera had given Osasuna the lead against already-relegated Real Betis.
A number of spectators had to be carried to safety on stretchers with the players helping to lift them to safety.
The match was suspended for 35 minutes whilst the area was secured and the second halves in three other matches affecting the fight against relegation were also delayed so that all four finished at the same time.
Once play got back underway Osasuna went on to win 2-1, but it wasn’t enough to extend their 14-year stay in the Primera Division as Granada’s 1-0 victory at Valladolid thanks to Stefan Mitrovic’s own-goal condemned both sides to the drop.
There was also disappointment for Valladolid as, despite taking points from both Barcelona and Real Madrid this season, they return to the Segunda after just two seasons in the top flight.
