Zidane: "Absurd" For UEFA To Threaten Real Madrid
Real Madrid's involvement in the Super League breakaway has placed next week's Champions League semi-final against Chelsea in doubt.
Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane has hit back at UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin's claim that next week's Champions League semi-final against Chelsea might not go ahead.
Ceferin said there was a chance Madrid could be denied the opportunity to continue their bid for a 14th European crown after their president Florentino Perez refused to renounce his plans for a breakaway Super League, despite eight of the 12 teams initially signed up swiftly withdrawing from the project.
Speaking to Slovenian station 24UR, Ceferin conceded there was only "a relatively small possibility that the match isn’t played" but this was enough to draw Zidane's ire.
"It's illogical," he said at a news conference to preview Saturday's LaLiga match against Real Betis.
"We are going to play the Champions League, we have the right and we are going to play it.
"It is an absurd matter. I am not going to go into that. I can only tell you that we are going to prepare to play the Champions League semi-final.
"We have a league game and then we have time for the semi-final. I am not worried.
"They said a lot of things about this matter but we are going to play our semi-final as [we have] the right to play."
Perez has been widely ridiculed after a pair of scattergun media appearances in defence of the Super League – a matter Zidane again sought to prevent his own opinions and Madrid future becoming intertwined with.
"I do not know what will happen in a month or two months. I want to finish the season well and then we will talk about the future and what is going to happen," he said.
"At the moment we are focused on the day to day and tomorrow's game.
"As always, we [Zidane and Perez] talk from time to time and that's it. He comes here to see the team, everyone.
"Nothing has changed. We know where the president is. He wants us to focus on tomorrow's game."
Zidane will welcome back injury-plagued forward Eden Hazard for Betis' visit to Madrid, while Luka Modric is also set to return having missed the 3-0 midweek win over Cadiz due to a back complaint.
Club captain Sergio Ramos and Ferland Mendy are out with calf problems but Zidane is hopeful each can play a part against Chelsea.
"I see [Ramos] well, emotionally very well," he said. "He has had problems but he is better.
"He is not with us yet but he has a few days left. I am happy, because we always want him with us. I see him well, little by little. Some workouts are missing. "
On Mendy, Zidane added: "He will not be there tomorrow. For Ferland it is day to day. I hope he will be with us on Tuesday, but not tomorrow. It is not much [of a problem], it is a matter of days."
Defending champions Madrid are three points shy of Atletico Madrid at the top of LaLiga with six matches remaining.
