On Wednesday, Spanish Football Federation president Rafael Louzan weighed in on Carlo Ancelotti’s comments after the Real Madrid boss expressed frustration over playing matches with less than 72 hours of rest. Louzan showed sympathy for the Madrid boss’ concerns, pointing to FIFA and UEFA, and added that the issue also affects the Spanish national team.
Ancelotti raised the issue on Saturday, saying: “This will be the last time we play a game with less than 72 hours of rest.” Annoyed by the scheduling and La Liga’s refusal to move their match against Villarreal to Sunday, Ancelotti made it clear that his team would not play under these conditions again.
His remarks sparked a debate involving Javier Tebas, clubs across Europe, and the Conference League, with Louzan now joining the conversation. While Louzan acknowledged the problem, he clarified that the RFEF was not at fault.
During a visit to the construction site of La Cartuja Stadium, where the Copa del Rey final will take place in a month, he shared his thoughts on the 72-hour rule. “It’s a reality, but it’s not something caused by the RFEF. It’s a result of the new competitions, both domestic and international, which have led to this situation,” he explained.
He also expressed concern, calling for talks with players and clubs to find a way to solve the issue within the current congested calendar. “We’ve got the Club World Cup coming up, and another World Cup next year. We need to see how we can adjust the schedule to allow more rest,” he added.
Addressing the impact on the national team, Louzan said: “As you can imagine, this affects the national team camp too. The players have been in Madrid since Monday, recovering during these days. We have a match, but we’ll try to make them as comfortable as possible.”
Louzan concluded by stressing the need for collaboration: “I spoke with them in Madrid, and I’m sure they’re tired after such an intense season. We all need to sit down and see what can be done to address this.”
