HOW THE FARCE UNFOLDED...
SUNDAY
David De Gea flies to Madrid. He knows he has to meet up with his Spain team-mates on Tuesday evening for international duty and hopes he will be presented as Real Madrid’s new goalkeeper on Tuesday lunchtime. Meanwhile, Keylor Navas is told by Real Madrid to cancel his flight out of Madrid. He has a ticket to fly to the US where Costa Rica play Brazil on Saturday but he needs to be on standby as he becomes part of the De Gea transfer.
MONDAY 11am
Real Madrid initiate negotiations with Manchester United over the sale of De Gea. United say they want Navas (right) to be part of the deal.
1.39pm
Real and United reach an agreement for De Gea and Navas. Madrid draw up contracts and send them to United. The deal has been done quickly and De Gea has long since agreed personal terms with Real so all that remains to be pushed through are Navas’ terms with United.
9.42pm
United take eight hours to send the contracts back to Real. This delay is down to United negotiating with Navas’ representantives. The player and his agent Ricardo Cabanas are at the Bernabeu with legal representatives and Real chief executive Jose Angel Sanchez. Navas’ lawyers are unhappy at some of the clauses in his United contract and this slows the process considerably. Finally United send the contracts to Madrid.
9.44pm
Madrid now need both players to sign the contracts. De Gea — who is staying in Madrid with his girlfriend Edurne Garcia — signs his, as does Navas. The former now believes he is in touching distance of his dream move.
11.32pm
The signed contracts are sent back to United with just half an hour left of the window, but, according to United, De Gea has not signed all the necessary pages. Time is running out but if both clubs now register the deal with FIFA’s Transfer Matching System (TMS) that will allow Madrid just enough time to register the player with the Spanish League (LFP) before midnight. Madrid could warn the LFP that they may be making a late registration but they make no contact.
11.40pm
There is a further delay which United say is caused by changes made at the Madrid end. These appear to have been alterations made by Navas’ agents. The altered contracts require fresh signatures.
11.55pm
Only five minutes before the deadline, all papers are finally in order and received by Manchester United.
Midnight
Despite the fact that only five minutes were left before the midnight deadline in Spain, United register the De Gea deal with TMS.
12.02am
Real try to do likewise but the system is closed to them because the midnight deadline has passed. What is not clear is why Madrid waited until 12.02am to register the deal with TMS. In theory both sides should have accessed the FIFA database simultaneously, each club entering with their own passwords and filling out the online form with all relevant details. There is no need for one club to wait for the other. When both sides have entered the information, and provided the information matches, Fifa confirm the transfer. This confirmation is what Madrid needed to take to the LFP to register De Gea before midnight.
12.26am
Madrid claim TMS, having been closed, invites them to complete the De Gea transfer. It is not clear whether they end up registering De Gea’s signing with FIFA or not. The deadline has passed anyway.
12.28am
Madrid send some documentation to the LFP but this is a token gesture. The LFP say they had no communication from Madrid indicating that they would be making a late registration. Stories begin to emerge from the Bernabeu of documents that could not be opened and a deal having been in place at 11.59pm that did not leave Real enough time to register the player with La Liga.
YESTERDAY
A 10-point statement by Madrid directs the finger of blame at United. De Gea wakes up to the cruel reality that he will be back training with United goalkeeping coach Frans Hoek next week. Navas takes part in Real’s morning training session.