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Zidane: “This wasn’t a football game, it should have been postponed”

The coach was angry, the angriest he has been all season.

Osasuna v Real Madrid - La Liga Santander Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images

Zinedine Zidane was unhappy after Real Madrid’s 0-0 draw at Osasuna, expressing that he didn’t think the match should have been played because of the snowy conditions and the state of the pitch.

He said: “It was bad, bad, bad. We did what we could on the pitch. This wasn’t a football game. The conditions were what they were, and that’s that. I’m telling you our feeling after these two days. Who knows when we’ll return? But, that’s football. Well, no, that wasn’t a football match today. But, we have to forget about this and think about our game on Wednesday.”

Zidane was then directly asked if he felt the game should have been postponed, given the problems with the travel and the conditions. “Of course, yes,” he replied at that suggestion and that was his entire answer.

Pressed on his frustration at playing the game, Zidane continued: “We played the match because they told us to play the match, but in these conditions we saw what we saw. It wasn’t a game of football. I’m saying what I think. The rest is in the past. But, we don’t know what’s happening now, if we’re travelling back now or on Monday. It’s not excuses, but everyone wants to see a game of football. Today, the conditions weren’t right for this. This is what we’re all feeling.”

Zidane was then asked what affected Real Madrid more. The pitch or the four-hour wait in the plane the night before? “You already know, it was the pitch,” Zidane replied.

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