Madrid, Feb 21 (IANS): The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) decided that the Copa del Rey final between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid will be played in Valencia's Mestalla Stadium April 16.
The news is a slight surprise given that the original date expected was April 19, which is Easter Saturday, while April 16 is a working day, reports Xinhua.
Real Madrid representative Emilio Butragueno explained Thursday that the fact that either or both sides could have a Champions League semifinal the following week was a factor that had been taken into account when bringing the game forward.
"Two years ago we played the King's Cup final between the first and second legs of the Champions League and both sides ended up paying for it," he said.
Each club will have an allocation of 19,350 tickets in a ground which holds just over 47,440 spectators.