Spanish football club Elche’s charter flight from Barcelona was grounded unexpectedly due to the pilot’s illness, forcing the team to spend the night in the city after a league defeat.
The charter plane, scheduled to depart for Alicante on Sunday, was unable to take off as planned. The incident occurred following Elche’s 1-3 loss to Barcelona at the Olímpico de Montjuïc Stadium earlier that day.
Elche confirmed the travel disruption and the team’s overnight stay in a statement. The club stated that the delegation would not return to Elche that evening “for reasons beyond the club’s control.”
The team, which includes Portuguese players André Silva and Martim Neto, eventually returned to Alicante on Monday. As a result of the delay, their scheduled training session for Monday had to be held in Barcelona.
The match against Barcelona was part of the 11th round of La Liga. Elche currently ranks ninth in Spain’s top football league.