Madrid axe tour plans

"This year we are going to give the priority to the sports section of the club, and so we are not going to do a tour," Real board spokesman Miguel Angel Arroyo said.

"It will be the longest pre-season we have had, with the team only having a national profile, so that we avoid the tiredness caused by long trips."

The club have accepted an invitation to play a friendly in Israel against a combined Israeli-Palestinian team on June 19, just after the end of this season.

Under former president Florentino Perez, Real embarked on extensive pre-season tours of the Far East and North America as part of the club's policy to develop and expand its image across the globe.

Players and coaching staff complained that the tours had a negative effect on the team's performances during the season.