Spanish league on alert over high temperatures
The Real Madrid - Osasuna and Sevilla - Las Palmas matches are at risk as high temperatures persist in Spain.
Heatwave puts LaLiga games at risk
The games in LaLiga this weekend are at risk of suspension as Spain faces soaring temperatures, with a late summer heatwave pushing the mercury up.
"Football can't be played in temperatures of 36 and 37 degrees" said president of LaLiga Javier Tebas last Monday, as the heatwave put the football authorities on high alert. Although the temperatures have fallen since the highs of the start of the week, there are still several games being watched closely.
Real Madrid - Osasuna
Real Madrid - Osasuna is scheduled for Saturday at 16:00, with an expected temperature of 32 degrees in the shade. The pitch at the Bernabéu however at that time will be in direct sunlight, with the players experiencing higher temperatures.
It should be remembered too that Spain uses Central European time, which doesn't correspond closely to Spanish solar time. In Madrid the sun is directly overhead at around 14:10pm, meaning a 16:00 kick-off is the equivalent of playing at 13:50.
Sevilla - Las Palmas
The game with the highest expected temperature this weekend is Sevilla - Las Palmas at 18:15 on Saturday. The forecast for Seville at that time is 36 degrees. Javier Tebas has said that games will be suspended if the temperature is too high, and the Sevilla match looks like it may be the most likely game to be affected.
Cooling breaks above 32 degrees
Under FIFA rules, When the temperature is 32 degrees or above the referee should stop the game for five minutes after half an hour (in both halves) for the players to cool down and take on fluids.
In addition to the Real Madrid-Osasuna and Sevilla-Las Palmas games, the match between Granada-Eibar is expected to be played in temperatures above 32 degrees.
Match director decides
Sources at LaLiga explained that it is up to the Match Director whether to suspend a match or not due to high temperatures.