“Madrid will never again play a game without 72 hours’ rest.” This was the forceful statement made by Real Madrid, via their official television channel, about the lack of rest with which Ancelotti’s team faces the league game against Villarreal. ‘Madrid will never play a game in these conditions,’ they said on Real Madrid TV.
Carlo Ancelotti confirmed the statements made on the club channel after his team’s win against Villarreal, in which the Whites recovered from tiredness and Foyth’s early goal with a double from Kylian Mbappé.
“The explanation I give is that this team has character and commitment. They can’t always do it, sometimes I get angry with them, but they have made a fundamental effort. We will never again play a game with less than 72 hours’ rest. We have asked La Liga twice and nothing has happened, but this is the last time”.
What would happen if Real Madrid refused to play?
With this declaration of intent, Real Madrid has thrown down the gauntlet to LaLiga, clinging to FIFA and with the support of the AFE, which has issued a statement in favor of a minimum of 72 hours’ rest for the players. In case the Whites make good on their threat to refuse to play without that rest time, what does the RFEF say about it?
“As this is a competition for points, the match will be counted as a loss for the offender, who will also have three points deducted from their classification, declaring the opponent the winner, by the score of three goals to zero”. In addition, the regulations state that “any kind of non-appearance will result in the imposition of a fine on the offending club in the amount of 3,006 to 12,021 euros, and the obligation of the non-appearance, if it were the visitor, to compensate the opponent” according to the established scales.
The rule makes clear the consequences for the Whites, who will have the first challenge already at the beginning of April. Real Madrid will play Leganés on Saturday, March 29th, at 21:00 and the Copa del Rey match against Real will be played the following Tuesday, April 1st, at 21:30. In other words, there are 70 and a half hours between the two. The Basques will have seven more hours as they play at 14:00.