At the LaLiga headquarters, it has been issued a harsh note against the Federation (RFEF) for what they consider a barefoot dog in the Cup calendar. The note of the League does not leave a puppet with a head because its president, Javier Tebas blames Luis Rubiales directly for the problem for insisting on scheduling the Copa del Rey on a World Cup day. Rubiales, for his part, rejects all responsibility because “this calendar was not negotiated. It was raised to the CSD and they made the decision. We tried to negotiate by highlighting situations like this, but there was no possibility. We abide by it. Hopefully in another season we can sit down and these kinds of moments can be solved.”
The RFEF has no available dates because after the single-leg quarterfinals, which will be played between February 1 and 3, coinciding with the World Cup in South America, the semi-finals are scheduled, already with two legs, which will begin on February 9.
The RFEF has scheduled the quarterfinals of the Cup on World Cup dates, which will make it impossible, except for an agreement with the CBF, for the Brazilian players from Madrid to play the tie against Athletic. But, in addition, the RFEF has scheduled this KO match for Thursday the 3rd, when the following day, Friday the 4th, the League match between Athletic itself and Espanyol has been scheduled for weeks.
LaLiga statement
“In relation to the schedules of the Quarterfinals of the SSMM El Rey Cup published by the RFEF, LaLiga wishes to communicate the following:
1. The date set in the 2021-22 season calendar for the Cup Quarterfinals was proposed by the RFEF (sending a copy to the CSD) in its communication to LaLiga dated May 25, 2021. In addition, It was not an issue that was resolved by the CSD but rather it was the RFEF itself that set the aforementioned date and it was not discussed by LaLiga. The CSD Resolution solely and exclusively resolved in favor of LaLiga the dispute of up to three games on December 31, 2021, nothing more. Therefore, it is a clear error and planning by the RFEF when making the proposal for dates for the Copa del King and it is totally uncertain that the CSD had anything to do with this date of the Cup as the President of the RFEF has recently declared.
2. LaLiga, both in its first calendar proposal and in its second, had never set a competition dispute date during the FIFA period from January 24 to February 1 (all FIFA confederations except UEFA) and until 2 February the confederation of CONCACAF.
3. LaLiga published the schedules for Matchday 23 on January 14, 2022 as usual in advance.
4. The RFEF, as there was no LaLiga Santander day on the weekend of January 29-30, had space and days to set the times for the Copa del Rey, respecting the times set by LaLiga on Matchday 23 and respecting the rest of the participating teams.
So much so that he could have set the following schedules:
Tuesday, February 1:
Athletic Club-Real Madrid CF
Real Sociedad-Real Betis
Wednesday, February 2:
Rayo Vallecano-RCD Mallorca
Valencia CF-Cadiz CF
5. For all these reasons, and given that the schedules can be set respecting those set and published by LaLiga, we consider the publication of the Copa del Rey schedules without prior consultation or call as a provocation to LaLiga and its clubs. carried out in previous qualifiers and for which LaLiga has modified schedules when it has been necessary and to fit the matches of the SSMM El Rey Cup”.