Football coach Xabi Alonso this week expressed his opinion on an issue concerning the Madrid club: the refusal of the request to postpone the club’s debut match in La Liga, which caused competitive strain and stirred many fans. The Madrid team, having not gotten much time to recover after demanding competitions on the European and world stage, had asked the Spanish federation and the league management to move the round scheduled for 19 August to 29 October. This request was made especially at a time when the national championship calendar was squeezed due to the Club World Cup – it was said such a measure was needed so as not to over‑tire the players and put their health at risk.
La Liga officially rejected this request. The head of the federation, in an official statement, noted, as expected, that there were not enough grounds for the request, that the preparation period for the season had officially ended in June, and that deviations from the calendar could only happen in emergency cases. The league also reminded that, taking the situation of the Madrid club into account, it had already introduced a concession by starting the first round on Tuesday instead of Monday. In turn, it was reported that the Spanish Football Federation and the opponent Osasuna supported the Madrid club’s wish and were not opposed to postponing the encounter to a later time.
In this dispute, the players’ union also sided with the team, emphasizing that if there were not several weeks of preparation and rest, the players’ health could be at risk. According to them, before the new season there was an oral agreement to give players at least three weeks of vacation and the same amount of preparation, but the league management denied such an agreement without formalizing it in writing. The Madrid club also supported a similar request with its own reasons, demanding to give its players a chance to recover, but the league’s lawyer assessed this not as an obligation but only as a moral wish and refused.
Xabi Alonso said very thoughtful words about this process at a press conference. He stated that the decision to move the round had been finally made by a judge, but as a coach he puts the physical condition and health of the players first. “We only had two weeks of preparation. Therefore we asked so that there would be equal opportunity for everyone. But that’s what happened – we are not looking for excuses. The team is mentally ready; sometimes desire outweighs physical condition,” the coach explained. According to him, the team is ready to compete at any level, because their main goal is always to conquer new heights and make their fans happy.
From all this it can be seen that the dispute between the club and the league on the eve of the first game of the season has many facets. On the one hand, changing the national championship calendar may affect other teams; on the other hand, protecting the health of football players should be above any plans and rules. Officials of Spanish football say that in this situation they chose the most acceptable option for all participants, but this decision still left open among fans the question: which value is more important – the athlete’s health or documents and official rules?
Alonso also emphasized that on the way to success real actions are more important than promises and circumstances. He said that through the team’s play they would overcome any problems, that the Madrid boys would show their work in every minute of the game and thus respond to all opinions, urging fans to trust their favourite team in the new season.
This incident once again highlighted the balance between the teams, the league and the federation. No matter how important plans and agreements are, human health and healthy competition should remain the main priority. Fans are now eagerly awaiting 19 August – then another mysterious page of the new season will open, when the match between Real and Osasuna takes place and it becomes clear how much the team lives up to its practical promises.
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