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Technical report closes Balaídos for Celta Vigo-Real Madrid match

The game between Celta Vigo and Real Madrid has been postponed due to the Balaídos stadium being unsafe after the roof was damaged by storms.

Sections of the damaged roof at Balaídos Salvador Sas (EFE)

The technical report by the Vigo city council experts into the storm damage suffered by Celta Vigo's Balaídos stadium said that it would be unsafe for this Sunday's LaLiga match to go ahead.

The council, who own the stadium, will therefore not allow the Celta Vigo - Real Madrid match to be played, and the LaLiga have officially confirmed it has been postponed.

Talks are on-going between LaLiga and the Spanish Football Federation to decide when the game will eventually be played, with both clubs having congested fixture lists.

Movistar+, who broadcast the match in Spain, had already informed their subscribers that the game will not go ahead.

Real Madrid were desperate for game to go ahead

Although the mayor of Vigo announced this afternoon that it would be impossible for the game to go ahead, Real Madrid had continued to pressure LaLiga and Celta for the game to be played as scheduled. Madrid had both sporting and non-sporting reasons for wanting the game to be played now.

Technical report can't guarantee safety of Balaídos

The technical report into the damage suffered from the storm makes it clear that the ground would be unsafe on Sunday, even if the affected section was closed. The works to repair the 20m2 hole in the roof can't start until Tuesday, and until then it is possible that more pieces of the roof could fall, both into the stands and onto the pitch, with "risk of injury to both spectators and players".