This archive report was first published on 27 July 2019.
On July 27, 2019, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) secured a court victory that threw the opening weeks of the Spanish football season into chaos.
La Liga had planned to hold games on Fridays and Mondays, but the RFEF argued that it controlled the football calendar. After a hearing, the RFEF's in-house adjudicator ruled in its favor, pending a decision in the civil courts.
La Liga had already fixed kickoff times for the first three weekends, but the RFEF announced a new schedule of matches. La Liga responded by stating that it was the only organization competent to fix schedules and dates in the national competition of professional football.
"Therefore, the schedules already indicated by La Liga for the first days of the competition will be those on which the matches will be played," La Liga said in a statement.
However, the RFEF insisted that the new schedule would be implemented, with Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao's opening match now set for Saturday, August 17, instead of Friday, August 16. The RFEF also brought forward two matches scheduled for Monday, August 19, to Saturday and Sunday.
La Liga warned that the decision jeopardized national and international television contracts worth "more than 2 billion euros" ($2.2 billion).
