体坛英语新闻：Catalan unrest to affect El Clasico?

MADRID, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Spain's La Liga has reportedly asked the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to switch the location of next weekend's clash between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid from the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona to Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium due to ongoing protests in the Catalonia region of Spain.

The first 'Clasico' of the season is scheduled to be played on October 26, but after two days of unrest in Barcelona after nine political leaders were jailed over their roles in the Catalan independence referendum of October 2017, there are now doubts over the security of the game.

Monday saw over 100 flights cancelled from Barcelona's El Prat airport due to protests, while Tuesday saw over 100 protesters and over 50 police injured in violent street clashes in Barcelona and other cities in the region.

With further protests scheduled for the coming days, La Liga has asked for the dates of the two matches this season to be switched, with the first Clasico to be played in Madrid on October 26, and the return fixture in Barcelona on March 1.

FC Barcelona on Monday published a communique criticizing the prison sentences, arguing the issue needed a political and not a legal resolution, and are reported to be against any switch in the order of the games.

Meanwhile, Spanish media reports suggest that Real Madrid are also against switching the matches, but would support postponing the match if security became an issue.