"I haven't seen these kinds of comments from a president anywhere" - Courtois responds to rejected request by La Liga Chief

The request was made to give players more rest time after the expanded Club World Cup.

Real Madrid were knocked out of the Champions League semi-final on Wednesday after a 4-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.

They now have 41 days before their La Liga opener against Osasuna, scheduled for August 19th.

La Liga president Javier Tebas stated that the decision not to postpone the match was made by the Spanish Football Federation, with La Liga's agreement. He pointed out that players are supposed to have 21 days off and 21 days of pre-season training.

"I think they'll have 20 days of rest instead of 21. And no other league – the Premier League for Chelsea or Ligue 1 for PSG – is changing its schedule," Tebas told the Associated Press, via Sport. "I don't think we should change the schedule for this reason, especially when it's just one day."

Real Madrid played 68 competitive matches last season: 38 in La Liga, 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 each in the UEFA Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup.

"It's always the same with La Liga. I haven't seen these kinds of comments from a president in Italy, England, or even the NBA or 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 competing here, and it seems this gentleman wants to be the center of attention. I've never seen the president of another league speak like this. We're risking the players' health here," responded Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.