LaLiga boss rejects Madrid plea to extend break

LaLiga president Javier Tebas rejected Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois' plea to postpone the team's 2025-26 league opener to give players time to rest following the Club World Cup.

Real Madrid were dumped out of the tournament following a 4-0 semifinal defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, meaning they will have a 41-day break before their La Liga opener against Osasuna on Aug. 19.

Tebas said the decision not to move the opener was made by the Spanish Football Federation and LaLiga agreed with it. He said players were to have 21 days off and 21 days of preseason training.

"I believe that they will have 20 days to rest instead of 21 and no other leagues like the Premier League for Chelsea or the French Ligue 1 for PSG are changing the games," he told the Associated Press "So I don't believe that we should change the calendar for that reason, especially thinking that it's a matter of one day."

Madrid played 68 competitive matches in a season that started last August that includes 38 in the LaLiga, 14 in the Champions League, six each in the Copa del Rey and the Club World Cup, two in the Spanish Super Cup and one apiece in the European Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup.

Meanwhile, PSG will play their 65th game in Sunday's Club World Cup final (it will be Chelsea's 64th). PSG open their season from Aug. 15-17 at Nantes, while Chelsea begin against Crystal Palace on Aug. 17.

"It's always the same for La Liga," Courtois said Wednesday.

"To listen those comments from a president it's something that I haven't seen it in Italy, or in England, nor the NBA and NFL.

"It's fine if Tebas doesn't like the Club World Cup, but it exists. It's part of the FIFA calendar. We're here competing, and it seems this gentleman just wants to be the focus. I've never seen a president of another competition speak like that. The players' heath is on the line."