Valencia have sent an official letter to UEFA complaining about a proposal from the Spanish FA to decide the allocation of European places for the 2020/21 campaign.
There are growing fears that the 2019/20 campaign will not be completed due to the indefinite suspension of football in Spain caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
As outlined by Marca and Cadena Cope, the Spanish FA say that the four Champions League places would go to the current top four in La Liga – Barcelona, Real Madrid, Sevilla and Real Sociedad.
The proposals would see Los Che excluded from European competition altogether and, as outlined by Marca, they have now filled an official complaint.
Albert Celades’s side currently sit seventh in La Liga – three points off Atletico de Madrid in sixth and automatic qualification for the Europa League.
Furthermore, they would qualify for Europe as things stand in the league if the Copa del Rey final were to be played and Real Sociedad defeat Athletic Club Bilbao.
Athletic would automatically fill the spot – designated for the side seventh in the league – if they won the Copa as they currently are not in a European spot, but the Spanish FA proposals would also see them take it if the final was not played.
As reported by both Cadena Cope and El Mundo Deportivo, the Spanish FA proposal has also left Getafe infuriated – as they would be playing in the Europa League rather than the Champions League.
Getafe are level on points with fourth-placed Real Sociedad and the two have the same goal difference.
La Real are ahead in the standings due to having scored more goals than Jose Bordalas’s side, but this is even more controversial due to the league’s head-to-head rules.
La Liga rules stipulate that if teams finish level on points, head-to-head record between the teams will be decisive and only if they are the equal, will the decision be deferred to goal difference.
However, that is only applicable if teams have played each other twice but Real Sociedad and Getafe have met just once this season – when Getafe won 2-1 in San Sebastian.
Getafe boss Bordalas is cited by the reports as saying ‘when a championship ends, the first criterion is the individual confrontation’, while the club president Angel Torres was even more indignant.
Torres is cited as saying that the Spanish FA have ‘no right’ to make these lists and added: “What we want is to play. Getafe wants to earn whatever we get on the pitch.”
