According to media reports, Real Madrid are furious after their request to postpone the opening round of La Liga was rejected, and the club plans to file an appeal.
As previously stated by the club, Real Madrid argued that their players’ rest period had been disrupted by their participation in this summer’s Club World Cup in the United States, where they reached the semi-finals. They claimed that without a postponement, the players’ fitness would be compromised, and the fairness of the match would be jeopardized. Additionally, Real Madrid cited Article 10.1 of the Professional Football Collective Agreement, which entitles players to 21 days of vacation, and stated that pre-season preparation time "should generally be no less than three weeks."
However, the competition judge responded to these arguments as follows: La Liga is scheduled to start in August. Real Madrid concluded their Club World Cup semi-final campaign on July 9, returned home on July 10, and began their vacation on July 11 – ensuring the 21-day vacation entitlement would be met. The so-called "three-week preparation period" has no basis in law or collective agreements.
Furthermore, allowing some teams to play their first-round fixture a month later as a make-up game would disrupt the overall uniformity of the schedule and, in practice, create greater unfairness.
Thus, upon learning that the sole judge of the Competition Committee had rejected their request to postpone the opening match, Real Madrid intends to appeal to the National Second Instance Committee, with two days to submit the appeal.
Notably, Osasuna goalkeeper Sergio Herrera commented on Real Madrid’s request in a previous interview: "Real Madrid want to postpone the match? Our club and players support their decision. It’s logical.
"Anyone with common sense knows Real Madrid haven’t had enough time to prepare 100% for the game."
