Real Madrid Respond to Mauricio Pochettino's Joke About Training Facility Use

Real Madrid have refuted a joke made by Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino that his team was not able to sleep at Los Blancos' Valdebebas training facility ahead of the UEFA Champions League final. 

Tom Allnutt of the AFP relayed comments made by Pochettino, whose Spurs side will take on Liverpool at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid on June 1:

In a statement on their official website on Friday, Real said they were "surprised" by the manager's comments and added:

"Real Madrid C. F. wants to make it clear that it is completely false that this request has been made. Our club has always shown its absolute availability to meet all the requests made by UEFA, the Royal Spanish Football Federation, Club Atletico de Madrid, Liverpool FC and Tottenham Hotspur.

"All requests submitted to Real Madrid have referred solely and exclusively to the use of the training pitches at Real Madrid City and the changing rooms. And all of them have been granted by our club.

"Thus, Liverpool plan to train at our facilities on Saturday, June 1 in the morning. Tottenham, will do so on Thursday, May 30 and Friday, May 31.

"Real Madrid C. F. also wants to emphasise that the accommodation for the finalist teams of the Champions League is assigned by UEFA following organisation and security criteria. At no time has our club received requests that these teams could be accommodated in the facilities at Real Madrid City."

Dan Kilpatrick of the Evening Standard was surprised at Real's reaction, as he felt Pochettino had intended his words as a joke:

Football writer Seb Stafford-Bloor thought it was unnecessary to produce such a response:

Allnutt also questioned the statement, but he and football writer Andrew Gaffney thought the issue was not so clear cut in relation to the coach's comments:

The Argentinian has often been linked with taking over at Madrid in recent years, though Zinedine Zidane's return to the club in March makes it unlikely that Pochettino joins in the near future.

The Spurs boss has been complimentary of Los Blancos while speaking to the Spanish media ahead of the Champions League final.

He told El Chiringuito TV Real have "a competitive spirit and a soul that astonishes the world" (h/t Sport Witness' Tom Coast).

Amid his praise for the Spanish giants, it seems unlikely he would try to intentionally anger the club with his comments.

Pochettino could be about to add a Champions League title to his CV, having transformed Spurs into regulars in the competition during his five years in charge.

Whenever he leaves north London, Real and the rest of Europe's elite are likely to take a keen interest.