Barcelona v Real Madrid: Tebas defends early Clasico kick-off time

LaLiga president Javier Tebas believes an early kick-off time for the Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid allows more people around the world to tune in.

The October 26 clash between the LaLiga rivals will take place at Camp Nou with a kick-off time of 13:00 CET (12:00 BST).

With both sides in Champions League action during the preceding week, Barca will have a day less recovery time than Madrid after returning from Slavia Prague.

Tebas indicated the decision to hold the Clasico early in the day was made with Asian television markets in mind.

“Now you put a Clasico at one o’clock and you can see it in more places across the world,” he said on Friday.

“Our international work consists of that. If we don’t put it at that time, in Asia they won’t be able to watch it.

“It’s Spanish football but it’s no longer only for Spanish people. There are fans all over the world.

“In El Salvador they tell us that they will be sleeping on Saturday at one o’clock. We can’t please everyone.”

It’s the match that stops the world! 

Check out all the #ElClasico goals from the 2018/19 #LaLigaSantander season!  pic.twitter.com/JfBlEdL4AL

— LaLiga (@LaLigaEN) July 26, 2019

Tebas also responded to claims from the Spanish Football Federation that TV producers manipulated VAR images after Denis Cheryshev’s goal was allowed to stand in Valencia’s 1-0 win against Athletic Bilbao.

“I found it outrageous. No one doubts the system or the arbitrators,” he said.

“The assessment will be made at the end of the season. It has been seven days. We have to wait.

“It would be bold to say that the system worked better or worse than last season. It was exaggerated.”