The controversy surrounding Real Madrid's request to postpone their La Liga opener against Osasuna has come to an end: the match will go ahead as scheduled on August 19. The Sole Judge of Non-Professional Competitions has officially rejected the appeal from the club, maintaining the original date for the fixture. As a result, Xabi Alonso will have 15 days of preseason preparation before the first match of the campaign.

The independent judge, appointed from outside the Federation, emphasized that Real Madrid’s players have received the full 21 days of rest required by the Collective Agreement. “From a simple temporal analysis of events, it’s clear the vacation period has been fully respected,” the statement said. The team played the Club World Cup semifinal on July 9, returned to Spain on July 10, and began their break on July 11—meaning the minimum rest period is being met.

As for the club’s argument that players typically need at least three weeks of physical and tactical preparation, the judge made it clear that this is not a right protected under the agreement. Only the 21 days of rest are mandated.

The ruling also underlined that modifying the league calendar is only permitted under exceptional circumstances, such as force majeure, which the judge determined does not apply here. The integrity of the competition must be preserved, and in this case, the rules do not justify an exception.

Finally, although Real Madrid stated that Osasuna agreed to the postponement, the judge noted there was no official confirmation or response from the Pamplona-based club during the deliberation process.

With this, the judge concluded: "The request for postponement submitted by Real Madrid for their opening match against Club Atlético Osasuna is rejected."

Real Madrid may still file an appeal with the National Second Instance Committee within 48 hours.

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