La Liga president Javier Tebas responds to Carlo Ancelotti and Real Madrid | OneFootball

In the aftermath of their victory at Villarreal, Real Madrid have been furious with La Liga’s decision to play the match on Saturday, less than 72 hours after their gruelling Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid. Carlo Ancelotti has been particularly vocal, and he has threatened to remove his squad from any similar fixture in the future.

Ancelotti also claimed that La Liga rejected requests from Real Madrid to move the match to allow an extended period of rest for his first team squad, but this was denied by the league itself, whose president Javier Tebas has now waded into the matter.

In a post on X, Tebas has revealed that Real Madrid, through club director Emilio Butragueno, moved their La Liga fixture against Leganes, which is in two weeks’ time, to 9pm CEST in order to secure extra rest for their returning international players, but in the process, it means that they will play less than 72 hours later in the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final against Real Sociedad.

“Carlo, I’m sure Emilio told you that LaLiga had scheduled the next matchday of Leganes for Saturday at 4:15 PM to give you more time before the semi-final against Real Sociedad. But Emilio asked LaLiga’s competition director to change it to 9:00 PM—surely with your knowledge and authorization, I imagine—to benefit those coming from the FIFA round. And now we have less than 72 hours between the final whistle of Saturday’s match and the start of Tuesday’s semi-final! May the best qualify for the final!!”

It is not the first time that Tebas has reacted to complaints made by Real Madrid and Ancelotti, and as usual, he has taken no prisoners with his response. In the end, it is a matter that all parties will on from soon, with the international break now coming up.