Real Madrid won 3-0 in their league fixture against Valladolid.
Real Madrid via Getty ImagesSpanish soccer side Real Madrid has been criticized over a 106-mile journey to Valladolid for their La Liga clash with Real Valladolid on Saturday, as Los Blancos opted to travel in a private jet and fly the short distance between the two cities.
The team took off from the Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport on Saturday morning at 11:21am local time, arriving at Villanubla airport only 31 minutes later. From there, they were collected on a team bus which took them to their set-up at the AC Palacio Santa de Ana hotel ahead of the fixture at the Estadio José Zorrilla.
After winning the match 3-0, they departed on a return flight shortly after midnight which landed 29 minutes after take-off. While the airport usually closes at night and does not operate flights at these times, exceptions can be made for clients willing to pay for the expenses of maintaining the airport open.
The decision has been heavily criticized by many who point to the alternatives available. The 106-mile journey can be completed by car in just over two hours, while a train ride between the two cities would last only 54 minutes.
Real Madrid’s previous short flights
This is not the first time that Real Madrid has opted to travel by plane for such short distances. They have previously flown to Valladolid for matches in the past, while also flying to the city of Salamanca, which is only 130 miles away, for a 2020 Copa del Rey tie against Unionistas de Salamanca. At the time, the club pointed to the risk of poor road conditions due to ice and snow in early January.
“It should also be noted that the well-being and the rights of future generations mark the decisions of a club like Real Madrid, with a vocation for permanence over time,” Patricia Reyes, the lead of Real Madrid’s CSR projects, said in an interview with Corresponsables last year.
“Therefore, our impact on the environment and education are important elements in the development of our activity. Thus, the Environmental Department has promoted a wide range of actions to reduce the club’s impact on natural resources,” Reyes added.
More travel ahead for Real Madrid
Real Madrid will have played nine matches in the month of January when they bring the first month of the calendar year to a close with a tie against French side Brest in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night.
In the month alone, Real Madrid will have traveled 5,600 miles, in part due to the Spanish Soccer Federation (RFEF)’s decision to host the Spanish Super Cup in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. That meant that the team traveled to the Middle East and back, again on private jets, within the course of just five days. Other journeys have seen them travel to the east coast of Spain to play Valencia and Deportiva Minera, in addition to this flight to Valladolid and another flight to France on Wednesday.
Travel for such fixtures is likely to come under review after recent governmental decisions in France banned domestic flights where a rail alternative would take under two and a half hours. In this case, Real Madrid would have been forced to travel by another means of travel for at least three games.
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