Real Madrid vs. Osasuna will be played on August 19. The referee rejects the postponement requested by Real Madrid.

The Sole Competition Judge has decided to reject Real Madrid's appeal to postpone their La Liga opening match against Osasuna next Tuesday, August 19, at the Santiago Bernabéu. The Whites will therefore have to play on that date unless they successfully appeal the decision within 48 hours.

After a 24-day vacation, Xabi Alonso 's men returned to training on August 4th to begin training following their defeat in the Club World Cup semifinals against PSG. Thus, they will have only 15 days to complete their preseason training under the Tolosa native.

The AFE, the RFEF, and Osasuna were in favor of the change, or at least didn't put up any obstacles to it. Meanwhile, the organization headed by Javier Tebas , as both the Premier League and Ligue 1 will do, referring to the Club World Cup finalists Chelsea and PSG, always maintained that there was no reason to postpone the match.

"The suspension and postponement of a match to a date that would disrupt the schedule cannot be authorized except for reasons of force majeure that are unquestionably proven or covered by regulations," the Sole Judge explained in the ruling. This body does not consider the Club World Cup a "force majeure" reason for requesting a postponement, since it is not an "unforeseeable event."

The ruling also states that the club "has not made any effort to prove a lack of players that would reduce the available squad to fewer than 11, as required by law for it to be taken into consideration."

The point is that the mandatory vacation period is being met, as the organization emphasizes and the Collective Bargaining Agreement states, while the preseason period, during which FIFA recommends between three and four weeks, is purely that: a recommendation.

The decision, which has been delayed for two weeks, also emphasizes that while Madrid claims to have Osasuna's approval, the club has not directly expressed its position on the matter to the organization for record.