Real Madrid escalated their complaints over scheduling on Saturday, with manager Carlo Ancelotti confirming the team will refuse to play in the future if their players aren't given a minimum 72 hours' rest between matches.
The Spanish giants took a firm stance following their tight schedule between a Champions League round-of-16 match against Atlético Madrid on Wednesday and their LaLiga fixture against Villarreal on Saturday. The Champions League match, which kicked off at 9 p.m. local time, extended to 120 minutes plus a penalty shootout, ending close to midnight. The team then had to face Villarreal just over 66 hours later with a 6:30 p.m. kickoff.
"I think today is the last time that we'll play a game before 72 hours," Ancelotti stated firmly after Madrid's 2-1 victory over Villarreal. "We won't do it again, without 72 hours of rest. We asked LaLiga to change the time of the game twice, and they didn't do anything. But this is the last time."
When asked directly if the team would refuse to show up for games scheduled without the minimum rest period, Ancelotti was unequivocal: "No, of course not."
The day before the match, Ancelotti had already expressed his frustration with the congested calendar, blaming "television rights and money" and asserting that "the last thing on anyone's mind is the players' recovery."
Real Madrid's stance has escalated to the point where the club's TV channel announced they "will ask for FIFA's support ... so that this never happens again." FIFA recommends a minimum of 72 hours' rest between games to protect players' health, though actual scheduling decisions fall to competition organizers like LaLiga.
Adding to Madrid's frustration, their title rivals Barcelona and Girona received an additional day's rest this weekend, with their crucial LaLiga match scheduled for Sunday evening.
Despite the scheduling challenges, Madrid managed a 2-1 win against Villarreal thanks to two goals from Kylian Mbappé. The victory put them three points clear of Barcelona at the top of the table, though having played two games more.
"I'm very proud of the players, it was a tricky game," Ancelotti added. "And the opponent plays very well. We hung on, above all in the second half. The team was exhausted but that's normal. It's a victory that says a lot about this team and the resources in this squad."
The issue of fixture congestion continues to be a significant concern for top clubs and players, with the 2024-25 season set to be further extended by the newly expanded FIFA Club World Cup, scheduled between June 15 and July 13.
