Flick demands answers from La Liga for ‘joke’ schedule

MADRID: Barcelona coach Hansi Flick on Friday demanded to meet with La Liga officials over what he called a "joke" schedule, saying Spanish football was failing to take care of players.

The Catalan giants' La Liga game at Real Valladolid on Saturday, May 3 will kick off at 9:00 pm (1900 GMT) after being moved from an afternoon start on Sunday, May 4. That rescheduling still gives them less than three days to prepare for the pivotal Champions League semi-final return leg at Inter Milan on May 6. "I want to see this guy who's responsible for that. For me it's a joke," Flick told a news conference on Friday.

"It's unbelievable and we have no time to rest... the guys who are responsible for that, I want to discuss with them, because they have no idea how it is." The Champions League is one of three tournaments Barcelona are competing in, exacerbating challenges relating to fixture congestion that Flick is familiar with after a trophy-laden spell at Bayern Munich.

But the German manager said the situation facing his team before a huge European match left him "speechless". "I never had this before. Every league protects their clubs when they play in the Champions league, especially in the semi-final," he said.

"Bundesliga, Premier League take care about the clubs. But here not. It's just let them play." Flick was speaking before Barcelona hosted Celta Vigo on Saturday with the chance to extend their lead over Real Madrid to seven points at the top of La Liga.