Marcelo Could Miss Champions League Second Leg Tie Against Chelsea Due To Election Duty

Real Madrid are set to be without defender Marcelo for their Champions League semi final second leg against Chelsea next week under bizarre circumstances.

As per a report in El Mundo, the Brazilian will not be able to travel with his teammates to London because he has been called up for electoral duties in the Madrid elections.

The report claims that Los Blancos have been working with the city’s electoral authorities to reverse the decision, which would see Marcelo be working on election day for the regional votes.

The Madrid assembly election will be held on Tuesday 4 May with Madrid’s trip to Chelsea the following day, but Covid-19 travelling restrictions would restrict him from travelling abroad having worked on those elections.

The veteran left-back – who was deployed as wing-back in the first leg draw on Tuesday – has firmly lost his starting role at left-back to Ferland Mendy but had been recalled in the Frenchman’s absence.

All Spanish nationals on the electoral register are liable to be called up to work at polling stations, for which they are paid 65 euros ($72), and require mitigating circumstances to be excused.

Footballers being called to work at polling stations is not uncommon. Levante goalkeeper Aitor Fernandez was named on a reserve list to work during a general election in 2019 but was excused as his side were playing Athletic Bilbao on voting day.

Athletic Bilbao’s Inaki Williams was also excused from working at a polling station in 2015 as voting clashed with a match against Levante.

Source – Football Espana

Additional information from Reuters

Image from Getty