LaLiga president Javier Tebas has publicly responded to Real Madrid's complaints about match scheduling, creating a new controversy in Spanish football after Carlo Ancelotti threatened that his team would refuse to play future matches without adequate rest time.
Following Real Madrid's 2-1 victory over Villarreal on Saturday, where Kylian Mbappé scored twice after Juan Foyth had opened the scoring for the hosts, Ancelotti expressed frustration about the scheduling. The match kicked off at 6:30 p.m. local time, less than 72 hours after their Champions League round of 16 match against Atlético Madrid, which went to extra time and penalties, finishing around 11:45 p.m. on Wednesday.
"I think today is the last time that we'll play a game earlier than 72 hours," Ancelotti declared in his post-match news conference. "We won't do it again, without 72 hours' rest. We asked LaLiga to change the time of the game twice, and they didn't do anything. But this is the last time."
Tebas responded strongly on Sunday through a post on X, claiming that LaLiga had actually attempted to accommodate Madrid's schedule for their upcoming fixtures. According to Tebas, LaLiga had initially scheduled Madrid's next league match against Leganés on Saturday, March 29, at 4:15 p.m. CET to provide more rest before their Copa del Rey semifinal on April 1.
However, Tebas alleged that Emilio Butragueño, Madrid's director of institutional relations, had requested a change to 9 p.m. "to benefit those [players] who were returning from the FIFA dates." This adjustment, Tebas pointed out, would actually result in "fewer than 72 hours between the end of the game on Saturday and the beginning of the semifinal on Tuesday!"
Real Madrid has not yet responded to Tebas' claims.
The dispute has gained additional context as Real Madrid's television channel had previously indicated that the club would "seek FIFA's support" if faced with similar scheduling issues in the future.
The Spanish footballers' union, AFE, has also weighed in on the matter, stating that it is "fundamental" for players to have at least 72 hours of rest between matches, in line with recommendations from the international players' union, FIFPRO. AFE noted that players from Real Sociedad, Athletic Club, and Real Betis were also affected by inadequate rest periods between European competitions and weekend LaLiga games.
"It's a circumstance which generates great concern for AFE, with the consequences in terms of health that it can lead to for the players," the union stated on Saturday.
The clash highlights ongoing tensions between LaLiga and Real Madrid over fixture scheduling, with player welfare becoming an increasingly prominent issue in the debate about football's congested calendar.
