FC Barcelona has reportedly ruled out playing a friendly match in Morocco before Christmas. The decision comes down to a tight and unforgiving schedule. The Spanish club scrapped the plan after LaLiga scheduled the Villarreal–Barça league game for Sunday, December 21, a shift that made any international trip unworkable, according to Mundo Deportivo. If the match had been played on Saturday, as initially expected, Barça could have combined the league fixture with the Morocco friendly. But the new date changes everything. According to Mundo Deportivo, players are required by LaLiga–AFE regulations to be back in Spain before midnight on December 22, the eve of the Christmas break. This mandatory return deadline makes a round trip to Morocco impossible within the allowed timeframe. Talks about a potential FC Barcelona friendly in Morocco first surfaced in early November. A Peruvian proposal was also considered, but Morocco quickly emerged as the frontrunner before the plan was ultimately dropped.
