Granada's La Liga match versus Athletic Bilbao on Sunday was called off when a fan died in the stands at the Nuevo Los Carmenes stadium.

The match was halted in the 18th minute with visitors Athletic leading 1-0 as the Granada supporter received medical assistance, with La Liga confirming in a statement that the match was then abandoned "due to the sad death of a fan."

PHOTO | COURTESY fans leaving

Players from both teams departed the field 20 minutes after play was paused, and fans were asked to leave the stadium when the decision to abandon the game was made.

"Football becomes the least important thing; it's a tragedy that we have to endure, and we are in mourning," said Granada director Alfredo Garcia Amado, who thanked Athletic's medics for helping during the incident.

Granada sent condolences to the fan's family and friends, while several other Spanish clubs did the same on social media.

PHOTO | COURTESY players

Granada fans praised athletic keeper Unai Simon after assisting officials in informing them of the incident in the stands.

Visitors Athletic took the lead early on. La Liga later confirmed that the match would continue from the 17th minute on Monday at 2000 GMT.