On August 1, Spanish media outlet Mundo Deportivo reported that Atletico Madrid is already preparing for its upcoming friendly matches. The first will be against Getafe. Afterwards, the team will travel to Asia for new friendlies.
The Rojiblancos will face Kitchee in Hong Kong on August 7, as part of their Asian pre-season tour. Two other matches, originally scheduled in China against Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan, were ultimately cancelled.
Wu Jian, owner of the Hong Kong Premier League team, has stated that the contract between the organizer and Atletico Madrid stipulates that the Madrid club’s players must play unless injured, transferred, attending to personal matters, or called up for international duty. This includes Antoine Griezmann, Koke, Jan Oblak, and also Rodrigo De Paul and Nahuel Molina.
In Hong Kong, they are aware of what happened last February, when Inter Miami played without Lionel Messi. That’s why they want to ensure this doesn’t happen again by including it in the contract.
Furthermore, the Kitchee owner stated, “We have confirmation from Atletico Madrid that even if their players reach the final of Euro 2024 or Copa America 2024, these players will arrive in Hong Kong on August 5 after a 21-day break.”
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