Xavi sends well wishes to fan after medical emergency halts Barcelona game

Xavi has sent his best wishes to a fan who suffered a suspected cardiac arrest during Barcelona's 4-0 win over Cadiz on Saturday evening.

Play was halted in the 82nd minute at the Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla when medical personnel raced into the crowd to issue treatment to a fan. Players were on the field for 20 minutes before eventually being taken off.

The game resumed only after Cadiz president Manuel Vizcaino confirmed that the fan was in a stable condition: "The fan has recovered their pulse and they have taken him in an ambulance. They were revived, then they lost the pulse again but in the end they have been stabilised."

After an hour the game eventually got going again, with Barcelona running out 4-0 winners and recording their four consecutive win in all competitions.

Speaking to the press after the game, Barca manager Xavi was quick to send well wishes to the fan and confirm that if he had not been stabilised the game would not have restarted: "Fortunately, they were able to resuscitate him. It was a very unpleasant situation.

"We hope he and his family are well. It is a difficult situation. We agreed to restart the match and we have been waiting for developments.

"We hope for a speedy recovery. It was a matter of humanity. The human quality comes out. Football comes after life and if anything had happened to him the game would have been suspended."

Speaking about the events on the pitch, Xavi stated his relief at being able to come away with another three points: "It's an important victory on a difficult pitch. The three points are good for us to stay at the top," he added.

"Everyone is doing very well. Whoever plays, you can't tell the difference."