La Liga, Footballers’ Association in conflict over season start dates for Real Madrid | OneFootball

With Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid participating in the FIFA Club World Cup this summer, the two clubs have made a request to delay their start for the new La Liga season if they advance in the tournament.

La Liga is scheduled to begin on the weekend of 15, 16, and 17 August, as officially confirmed by the league last Friday. And, if either Real Madrid or Atletico – or both – advance to the Round of 16 of the Club World Cup, there could be calendar chaos.

Conflict between La Liga and AFE

According to MARCA, the main uncertainty lies in the specific round from which La Liga is considering postponing Real Madrid and Atletico matches.

According to AFE (Spanish Footballers’ Association), the cut-off is the Round of 16. If either club reaches that stage, their first La Liga match would be postponed.

However, MARCA claims that La Liga has a verbal agreement with both clubs that only reaching the semi-finals would justify a postponement.

This discrepancy signals a potential conflict. AFE maintains that players require a minimum of three weeks’ holiday followed by a pre-season period before the league starts.

Club World Cup creates scheduling headaches in La Liga. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)

If a club reaches the semi-finals, only five weeks would remain before La Liga kicks off -insufficient under the collective agreement, making a delay inevitable.

The issue arises if either Real Madrid or Atletico exit before the semi-finals – say, in the Round of 16 (28 June-1 July) or quarter-finals (4-5 July).

In such a scenario, La Liga may argue that there is adequate time between elimination and the season’s start to fulfil rest and pre-season requirements, while AFE could disagree.

What has Javier Tebas said?

La Liga chief Javier Tebas, over the weekend, refused to commit to any potential postponements for the two Spanish capital clubs, saying:

“We will see how the Club World Cup develops. As of now, neither Serie A, the Premier League, nor the Bundesliga are delaying their competitions for teams playing in the Club World Cup.

“I send a message: national leagues cannot be subject to international tournaments that are organised without our agreements, forcing us to change how we operate.”

On Sunday, he further added: “We will respect what the collective agreement stipulates – which is three weeks of holidays, and nothing more.”

It remains to be seen how all the stakeholders address what could be a tricky situation. In the end, the authorities must ensure to keep players’ health, fitness, and welfare as the top priority.