El Clasico 2019: Spanish FA could be forced to move iconic fixture to neutral venue

'The Tsunami Democratic' are the three words likely to be on every football fan's lips in Spain. The reason? 'The Tsunami Democratic' is a pro-Catalan protest group that has asked its supporters to meet near Barcelona's Camp Nou before the El Clasico that is scheduled for December 18. This could mean that the Spanish FA could once again be forced to make some changes for the much-anticipated El Clasico 2019. 

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El Clasico 2019: Camp Nou in danger of missing out

The Spanish FA (RFEF) could, after consultation with the local police, decide on shifting the El Clasico fixture to a neutral venue in light of recent developments. "In an exceptional situation, it is necessary to act exceptionally" was the message The Tsunami Democratic posted on Twitter. It is a direct warning to top footballing authorities that football is not the top priority in such a situation in Spain at present.

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Article 42.3. of the Spanish FA statutes states that the Spanish federation has the power to "Suspend, bring forward or delay games and choose the date of the match or, should the case arise due to grounds of "force majeure" or due to regulation issues, move the game from the established date or from the previously designated sporting installation". Article 42.3, therefore, could very well empower the Spanish FA to change the El Clasico venue. Real Madrid have reportedly claimed that the club will comply with any decision made by the Spanish FA.

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However, this would be the second time that changes have been made to the El Clasico 2019. The Barcelona vs Real Madrid fixture was initially scheduled for October 26. However, the protests in Catalonia meant that the Spanish FA was forced to postpone the fixture to December in the hope that the protests would run their course by the end of the year. 

However, after recent developments, it seems that the pro-Catalonia protest group have once again thrown doubt over the Barcelona vs Real Madrid fixture. Earlier in October, Barcelona reportedly refused to agree to shift the El Clasico fixture to Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu. However, it now seems that neither Real Madrid nor Barcelona could have a say in the change in venue for the game.

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