José Mourinho has criticised the scheduling of Real Madrid’s upcoming fixtures, questioning the fairness of the club’s demanding calendar following their dramatic 4-3 victory over AS Roma.
Mourinho was speaking after Wednesday’s Champions League encounter, Mourinho expressed his frustration over the short turnaround between Real Madrid’s European commitments and their upcoming La Liga clash against Valencia.
He said,
“Playing in Athens on Wednesday night, arriving in Madrid probably at 5 am, something like that, and then playing on Saturday in Valencia, on a weekend that precedes a week of national team matches. It makes absolutely no sense. It doesn’t seem innocent to me.”
The Real Madrid manager’s comments have drawn attention to the challenges associated with fixture congestion, particularly the limited recovery time players face when travelling across Europe for midweek matches before returning to domestic competition.
Madrid are scheduled to face AEK Athens in Greece on Wednesday, November 4, before travelling to take on Valencia in La Liga on Saturday, November 7.
Mourinho also dismissed the suggestion that television scheduling was a sufficient explanation for the arrangement, insisting that the demands of modern football should not come at the expense of player recovery and preparation.
The Portuguese coach’s remarks come amid wider concerns about the increasingly congested football calendar, with elite clubs expected to compete across domestic leagues, European competitions and international fixtures.