The change has Real Madrid playing their semi-final against CONCACAF champions Cruz Azul in Marrakesh rather than in Rabat the day before the Saints meet Oceania’s Auckland City at the same venue.
“Tomorrow (Tuesday) we’ll be raising a formal complaint before FIFA for the change in the programme at this Club World Cup,” San Lorenzo president Matias Lammens announced.
“It’s evident the state of the field of play after three matches in 24 hours will be very bad and that clearly prejudices San Lorenzo,” he said on Monday on his Twitter account (@MatiasLammens).
World body FIFA decided on the change on Sunday after Mexico’s Cruz Azul beat Asian champions West Sydney Wanderers on a waterlogged pitch in Rabat in their quarter-final.
The schedule now has all the remaining matches scheduled for Marrakesh with European champions Real meeting Cruz Azul on Tuesday, the fifth-place playoff preceding San Lorenzo’s meeting with Auckland on Wednesday.
Coach Edgardo Bauza asked Lammens to make the complaint, the Argentine daily La Nacion reported on Tuesday.
“If Real Madrid have to play on our pitch, let them do so after us,” Bauza said.
“It’s not right, when San Lorenzo play it will be the third match in Marrakesh and the pitch will be a mess... On top of that it doesn’t stop raining.”
The final and third-place playoff are scheduled for Saturday.
(Writing by Rex Gowar in London; editing by Justin Palmer)
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