Real Madrid skipped their pre-Copa del Rey final news conference and training session — as well as the official photo-call — on Friday, in protest over comments made by the refereeing team ahead of the game.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti and midfielder Luka Modric had been due to speak to the media at La Cartuja stadium in Seville before the team’s last training session ahead of Saturday’s high-profile game against Barcelona.
A source told ESPN that Madrid were considering boycotting the final itself over the comments, although another club source told ESPN that they did not believe the situation would escalate to that extent.
Madrid had requested a change in the refereeing team, a source said, although the Spanish football federation (RFEF) denied having received any such request, when contacted by ESPN.
The club were angered by the words of referee Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea and video assistant referee Pablo González Fuertes earlier in the day Friday, in which they spoke about Madrid’s frequent criticism of officials in videos broadcast on Real Madrid TV.
“Real Madrid C. F. considers the public statements made today by the referees appointed for the Copa del Rey final to be unacceptable,” the club said in a Spanish-language statement.
“These statements, which surprisingly focused on the videos of a media outlet protected by freedom of expression, like Real Madrid TV, made in a premeditated manner, 24 hours before, against one of the participants in the final, demonstrate, once again, a clear and manifest animosity and hostility of these referees against Real Madrid.
“Given the seriousness of what happened, Real Madrid hopes that those responsible at the RFEF and the refereeing establishment will proceed accordingly, adopting the corresponding measures in defense of the prestige of the institutions they represent.”
Earlier, De Burgos Bengoetxea was visibly emotional in the referees’ news conference, as he discussed the impact of attacks on officials in his personal life.
“When your son goes to school and people tell him his father is a ‘thief’ it’s really messed up,” De Burgos said in Spanish. “All I do is try to educate my son, to tell him his father is honorable, that he’s just another sportsperson. I want my son to be proud … We need everyone to reflect on where we want to go [as a society]. It’s very tough.”
“More than what is said [in the videos], it’s the consequences of what is said,” González Fuertes added, also speaking in Spanish.
“We’re seeing anonymous people on social media insulting people, and threatening people without any sort of control. Club social media managers are constantly attacking our profession, just for ‘likes.’ It gives rise to the belief that we’re not honest in our decisions.
“When you talk about ‘theft,’ with the frustration you generate in fans, who pays the price is the little boy or girl who picks up a whistle and has to referee a children’s game. It’s the consequence of putting a target on someone’s head.”
Real Madrid TV has frequently broadcast videos criticizing refereeing decisions before and after matches in recent years, including one focused on De Burgos — who has refereed two previous finals involving Madrid and Barcelona, the 2017 and 2023 Spanish Supercopas — this week, highlighting past decisions involving the club. Madrid sent a formal complaint on refereeing to the RFEF in February, after one, high-profile decision in their 1-0 defeat at Espanyol on February 1, in which defender Carlos Romero was not shown a red card for a bad challenge on Kylian Mbappé.
Club president Florentino Pérez has called for widespread reforms in Spain’s refereeing system, and RFEF president Rafael Louzan has claimed Pérez told him he’d like to see English officials working in Spain.
Madrid are set to face Barcelona in Saturday’s final in Seville under pressure, after being eliminated from the Champions League at the quarterfinal stage by Arsenal.
However they could still win a domestic double, as they go into the cup final just four points behind Barcelona at the top of the LaLiga table, with five games left, while Barcelona are chasing a treble.
