Barcelona's league clash with Las Palmas at Camp Nou this afternoon will be played behind closed doors due to safety reasons.
The match initially looked as though it would be called off at the last minute, as there had been concerns over a lack of security with protests continuing throughout the Catalonia region.
Tensions had already been running high with the match falling on the same day as a controversial independence referendum, despite the best efforts of the Spanish government to block the vote.
To make matters worse, Las Palmas allegedly embroidered a Spanish flag on their shirts to make their loyalties known.
Rather than cancel the game, though, it has now been decided to play it at an empty Camp Nou as Barca risked being handed a six-point deduction, on top of a 3-0 forfeit loss, if they abandoned it completely.
A club statement read: "FC Barcelona condemn the events which have taken place in many parts of Catalonia today in order to prevent its citizens exercising their democratic rights to free expression.
"Given the exceptional nature of events, the Board of Directors have decided that the FC Barcelona first team game against Las Palmas will be played behind closed doors following the Professional Football League's refusal to postpone the game."
Follow Sports Mole's live minute-by-minute coverage of the match right here.
Daniel Lewis
