Total chaos! Barcelona refuses to play on March 27

The postponed match between FC Barcelona and Osasuna, corresponding to matchday 27 of La Liga, is generating significant controversy regarding the new date set for its dispute. The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has established Thursday, March 27 to play this match, ignoring the demands of the teams. However, this decision has provoked outrage from both clubs: Barcelona and Osasuna firmly oppose this date and have announced that they will file an appeal with the National Committee of Second Instance within 48 hours.

And rightly so, the RFEF's maneuver would mean that FC Barcelona would have to play 3 matches in 6 days. Without Raphinha or Ronald Araújo and with the rest of the international players not training... are they trying to sabotage Barça to prevent them from winning the league? Both Barça and Osasuna do not accept playing on this date due to its proximity to the following matchday, as Osasuna visits San Mamés on Friday, March 28, less than 24 hours later... absurd. LaLiga could decide to move the Barcelona-Girona match to 9 PM, but that would conflict with television operators.

Barça has a hellish schedule

March 27 falls just after an international break, which ends on March 25. Barcelona has a La Liga match scheduled against Girona on March 30 at 4:15 PM. Some key players, such as Raphinha and Araujo, will be with their national teams until March 25 or 26, meaning they will arrive with very little rest. This schedule would force Barcelona to play five matches in approximately 12 days:

• Tuesday/Wednesday, March 25/26: International matches
• Thursday, March 27: FC Barcelona vs Osasuna (League)
• Sunday, March 30: FC Barcelona vs Girona (League)
• Wednesday, April 2: Atlético Madrid vs FC Barcelona (Cup)
• Sunday, April 6: FC Barcelona vs Betis (League)
• Wednesday, April 9: FC Barcelona vs Dortmund (Champions)

Both clubs had originally proposed that the match be played between matchdays 37 and 38 of La Liga, arguing that this option "minimizes conflicts with national team call-ups." The sole judge of Professional Competitions of the RFEF, José Alberto Peláez, justified the decision by stating that March 27 is "the first date on which both contenders can materially dispute it."

However, this explanation has not satisfied the clubs involved. The situation becomes even more complicated considering the tight schedule of Barcelona, which could be affected by their participation in the Copa del Rey and the Champions League. Depending on their progress in these competitions, alternative dates could be limited, even leading to the possibility of playing the match on May 21, three days before the last matchday of La Liga.

This scheduling conflict highlights the obstacles that clubs face against football authorities, unable to balance the demands of national and international competitions, as well as the interests of the different teams involved.