Carlo Ancelotti has strongly criticized LaLiga president Javier Tebas, accusing him of being “obsessed” with Real Madrid and showing a lack of respect for coaches.

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The Real Madrid boss voiced his frustration over fixture congestion, vowing that his team would not take the field if given less than 72 hours to recover between matches. His remarks followed Madrid’s dissatisfaction with the scheduling of their 2-1 victory over Villarreal on March 15.

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Tebas, when asked about the controversy during a conference on Thursday, appeared to take a swipe at Ancelotti’s squad management. He noted that since COVID-19, teams are allowed five substitutions per game, yet some managers only make three late in the match and then complain about player fatigue.

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"I knew [Tebas] was obsessed with Real Madrid, but I didn't know he wanted to be a coach," Ancelotti responded, when asked about the comments in a news conference on Friday. "[Tebas] should focus more on his own things. He lacked a bit of respect, to Real Madrid and to coaches."

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The scheduling row is the latest in a series of clashes between Madrid and the league on a number of issues.

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Speaking ahead of Madrid's game with Leganés at the Santiago Bernabéu, Ancelotti sought to add some nuance to his threat.

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https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3g-dvSq45eE

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"I must add something: we won't play [with under 72 hours' rest] without justification," he said. "It might be that nobody can change [the time], there might not be enough time, for many reasons."But for [the] Villarreal [game], it could have been changed. Villarreal and the television companies wanted to. Only LaLiga didn't. There was no justifiable reason."

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Ancelotti categorically denied that the Brazil Football Confederation (CBF) had contacted him in recent days over coaching the national team, following Brazil 4-1 defeat to Argentina in World Cup qualifying.

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The Italian has previously been strongly linked with the position, but has a contract at the Bernabéu until June 2026.

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"My contract speaks for itself," Ancelotti said. "I don't have anything to add. I have a lot of affection for the Brazil team, its players and fans. But I have a contract at Real Madrid."

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On Thursday, UEFA announced that it was investigating four Madrid players -- Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, Antonio Rüdiger and Dani Ceballos -- over their behaviour following their penalty shootout victory over Atlético Madrid in the Champions League round of 16 on March 12.

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Real play Arsenal in the quarterfinals next month.

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