As: Real Madrid applied for a first round rescheduling but was rejected. Summer preparation was squeezed by extreme pressure in just 15 days to play one game warm-up
After La Liga rejected Real Madrid's application to reschedule the first round, the Bernabeu office was shrouded in dissatisfaction. Although the ruling is in line with the current charter and the league does not clearly stipulate the pre-season preparation time, what annoys the club is La Liga's indifference to Real Madrid's special situation. The White Legion just finished the semi-finals of the Club World Cup against Paris Saint-Germain on July 9, but now it will face Osasuna on August 19, with only 40 days apart.
International Professional Football Players Federation recommends that teams participating in the Club World Cup should have at least three weeks of vacation and three weeks of pre-season training. Real Madrid players have been on 24 days off when they return to the team this Monday, but their preparation period has been compressed to 15 days. The team only has one official warm-up match left, facing Austrian Tyrol WSG in Innsbruck on August 12. The club may arrange for local Madrid teams to play training games at the Bardebebas base, but this is far from the normal pre-season preparation intensity.
coach Alonso originally planned to start the new season from the second round. The club had hoped that La Liga would comply with the agreement of the Spanish Player Union. If the Madrid two champions advance to the Club World Cup knockout stage, the first round could be postponed. But La Liga statement denies the existence of this agreement. Real Madrid believes that the club has been in conflict with the La Liga under the leadership of Tevas, and the league's cold attitude towards the FIFA Club World Cup has led to this unfavorable ruling. Some people even question whether the results will be different if Atletico Madrid also reaches the semi-finals?
This schedule conflict occurred after Real Madrid experienced the most intensive season in the team history. They played a total of 68 games in the 2024/25 season. This is the shortest time between Real Madrid in two seasons since the expansion of La Liga to the 20th team in 1987. Although Osasuna agreed to postpone the election, La Liga insisted on following the charter, which puts players who have just finished their battles facing severe physical tests.
When other giants traveled to various countries to play warm-up matches, Real Madrid's pre-season trajectory was extremely short. From the dispute with La Liga to the Austrian mountain training camp, we hurriedly ushered in the first game of the new season. This preparation that has been compressed to the extreme is testing the adjustment ability of Real Madrid's new coach Alonso.