Zinedine Zidane has claimed that Real Madrid will not give Barcelona a guard of honour if his club's rivals have lifted the La Liga title before next month's Clasico, claiming that Barcelona have already broken that tradition.
Barcelona lead La Liga by nine points with eight matches left and entertain Real in the penultimate round of the season. In Spain it has become traditional for opponents to form a guard of honour for the champions.
If results go in Barcelona's favour, they could win the title ahead of their clash with Real Madrid at the Nou Camp in May, which would normally lead to the title winner's opponents clapping them out onto the pitch. However, this is a sight that would turn Real Madrid fans' stomachs, and their manager has ruled out his team giving Barcelona this bragging right.
"We're not going to do the guard" Zidane said at a press conference ahead of the Madrid derby against Atletico, who are also Barcelona's closest pursuers.
"It's my decision and that's it," said Zidane. "I don't understand the point of the guard, so we aren't going to do it. Anyway, we are a long way from the end of the season."
Zidane insisted the decision had nothing to do with Barcelona's refusal to form a guard of honour at the Clasico in Madrid in December just after Real had won the Club World Cup.
Even so, he acknowledged that Barca had "broken tradition".