Real Madrid TV criticised Javier Tebas over the scheduling of Real Madrid's away league match against Valencia on Saturday 7 November. The criticism came in the club channel's analysis studio before Real Madrid's away Champions League game against Greece's AEK Athens on Wednesday 4 November, with around 74 hours and 15 minutes between the two kick-offs.
What was said on air
The presenter said in Real Madrid's channel report: "It is not logical for Real Madrid to play on Saturday after being forced to play a Champions League match today. This match has been affected by Tebas's decisions, as he treats us as if we were from Lithuania."
The match timetable
Real Madrid were due to face AEK Athens away on the evening of Wednesday 4 November in the Champions League. Real Madrid's delegation was expected to land back in Madrid in the early hours of Thursday morning after travelling to Greece, and the team were due to play Valencia away on Saturday 7 November.
How other Spanish clubs were scheduled
Barcelona and Atlético Madrid played their European matches on Tuesday 3 November before facing each other on Sunday 8 November. Villarreal played on Tuesday 3 November and Real Betis on Wednesday 4 November, and both then play their league matches on Sunday 8 November.
The rest-period dispute
Real Madrid were the only Spanish side among the Champions League participants scheduled to play its domestic match on Saturday 7 November despite having played a European away fixture on Wednesday 4 November. The league association did not place Real Madrid below the approved minimum rest period between matches because the time gap exceeds 72 hours. Real Madrid believed the time calculations fail to reflect the full impact of travel and physical fatigue on the players.
