Iturralde González Challenges Madrid and Asks Them Not to Show Up for Copa Semifinal

Carlo Ancelotti's Latest Words in a Press Conference About Real Madrid's Lack of Rest are causing controversy. The Italian assured that the club wouldn't show up for the next match if his players didn't have at least 72 hours of rest. His message came in a press conference after the victory at La Cerámica against Villarreal CF (1-2).

Additionally, a "little jab" from former referee Eduardo Iturralde González on Cadena SER didn't take long to arrive. "They won't show up if they keep their word", expressed the former First Division referee between 1995 and 2005 on Carrusel Deportivo.

Iturralde González Attacks Real Madrid Again, Of Course...

Cadena SER assured that this rest period won't be met in the return leg of the Cup against Real Sociedad. According to reports, Real Madrid requested to play at 9:00 p.m. on Saturday instead of scheduling the match at 4:15 p.m. All of this was done to prevent international players from arriving with as few training sessions as possible for the clash.

Imanol Alguacil's Team Will Visit Santiago Bernabéu on April 1 at 9:30 p.m. They will face Real Madrid, who will play against Leganés at their stadium the previous Saturday at 9:00 p.m. With this schedule, the match would conclude around 11:00 p.m., leaving Ancelotti's team with only 70 hours of rest.

La Liga Says This

However, LaLiga had initially scheduled the match against Leganés for 4:15 p.m., aiming to give Real Madrid more time. According to information from Cadena SER, the club had requested the organization to delay the match to allow players returning from international duty to rest.

The club announced this Saturday that the team wouldn't play a match if their players didn't have the 72 hours of rest. The mentioned time is what FIFA recommends for the well-being of footballers.This decision was made after facing Villarreal only 66 hours after the return of the Champions League against Atlético.