Cup draws

Copa del Rey

Further problems for the Federation when the draw took place for the semi-finals of the ill-fated Copa del Rey today. With two quarter finals as yet unfinished, the organizers were hoping that Espanyol and Real Madrid would at least be paired together, allowing them to play over the next two weeks and leave Espanyol free to play in the UEFA cup the week after. The other tie could then be delayed by a week, as Barcelona will not be playing their Champions League match until a week later. However this was not the case, with Real Madrid being drawn against the winner of the tie between Zaragoza and Barcelona, and Espanyol to meet either Deportivo or Valencia. The only matches to be played next week therefore will be the quarter final ties, with the resulting congestion of fixtures. Talks are going on as to how to sort this out. (27.01.06)

Euro 2008

The draw was also held today for the qualifying rounds of Euro 2008, the finals of which will be taking place in Austria and Switzerland. Spain were drawn in a group of seven sides, together with Sweden, Denmark, Latvia, Iceland, Northern Ireland and Liechtenstein. (27.01.06)