On September 27, journalist Tomás Hill López-Menchero from The Athletic (TA) wrote an article explaining why, despite being in the same time zone as the UK, kick-off times in Spain are often very late.
The article explains that if you’ve been to Spain, you’ll understand that everything here operates on a later schedule. Restaurants don’t close until 1 AM, and highly-rated TV shows run late into the night, so football follows this rhythm as well.
Kick-off times for the two giants of La Liga, Barcelona and Real Madrid, are frequently at 9 PM local time, with matches finishing around 11 PM. However, this is not the latest kick-off time in La Liga; previously, games started at 10 PM or even 11 PM. The Copa del Rey final between Athletic Bilbao and RCD Mallorca last season kicked off at 10 PM.
A source from La Liga stated that staggered kick-off times are used in the top Spanish league to allow fans to watch all ten matches over the weekend (if they wish).
Last year, Athletic Bilbao defender Yeray Álvarez criticized La Liga’s kick-off times before two consecutive matches, “It’s really annoying,” he said during a press conference. “Football belongs to the fans, and this scheduling doesn’t benefit anyone. It’s unacceptable.”
TA: Rich Nightlife in Spain Leads to Late Kick-Off Times for La Liga Matches. Author：Sports UEFA.Please indicate the source when reproduced：https://www.sportsuefa.com/football-world/47588.html
