Real Madrid's channel opened fire on Javier Tebas, president of the Spanish league association, over the timing of the Royal club's upcoming match against Valencia. The broadcaster argued that the announced schedule places José Mourinho's players in illogical conditions compared with the rest of the Spanish clubs competing in the Champions League.
The attack came during the club channel's analysis studio, ahead of the clash with Greece's AEK Athens. An introductory report broadcast on the channel revealed Real Madrid's displeasure at playing a league match on Saturday 7 November, days after facing the Greek side away on the evening of Wednesday 4 November in the Champions League.
74 hours between Athens and Valencia
The presenter said in Real Madrid's channel report: "It is not logical for Real Madrid to play on Saturday after being forced to play a Champions League match today. This match has been affected by Tebas's decisions, as he treats us as if we were from Lithuania."
Around 74 hours and 15 minutes separate the kick-off of Real Madrid's two matches against AEK Athens and Valencia. But the Madrid objection does not relate to the time gap alone. It is the circumstances of the European trip and its impact on the team's preparation for the domestic fixture that really sting.
Los Blancos will travel to Greece, then return to the Spanish capital, with the delegation expected to land in the early hours of Thursday morning. That wipes out an important day of the preparation period through travel and recovery, before the team face Valencia away on Saturday evening.
Why does Real Madrid feel wronged?
Compare the timing of Real Madrid's match with the schedule of the rest of the Spanish clubs competing in the Champions League, and the grievance grows sharper.
Barcelona and Atlético Madrid played their two European matches on Tuesday 3 November, before facing each other on Sunday 8 November. Villarreal played on Tuesday and Real Betis on Wednesday, then both play their league matches on Sunday as well.
That leaves Real Madrid as the only Spanish side among the Champions League participants to play its domestic match on Saturday, despite having played a European away fixture on Wednesday.
From the Madrid point of view, the league could simply have pushed the Valencia clash to Sunday. A longer window to recover and prepare would have followed, especially as the next week brings the international break and no new European round is squeezing the fixture schedule.
The league association did not place Real Madrid below the approved minimum rest period between matches, as the time gap exceeds 72 hours. Even so, the club believes the time calculations fail to reflect the full impact of travel and physical fatigue on the players.