Real Madrid has often complained about referees before, but this time they went further. They canceled their training session before the Copa del Rey final, and no one from the team showed up for the pre-match press conference.
Rumors started spreading that Real Madrid might skip the final. But the club later released an official statement saying they would still play, even though they were unhappy with the referee. The talk about not playing was just a rumor.
The issue began during the press conference of the referee for the final, Ricardo de Burgos. A TV channel from Madrid asked him about how often Barcelona wins when he is the referee, using some stats. After hearing the question, Ricardo got emotional and cried. He shared that he had a bad personal experience involving Real Madrid in the past.
Burgos said, “It’s really scary when your son goes to school and people call his dad a ‘thief.’ What matters most isn’t just what’s in the video, but what happens because of it.”
VAR referee Gonzales added, “We need to do something. We won’t let this keep happening. You’ll hear news soon — we’re going to make history. We’re done putting up with this.”
Real Madrid asked Spain’s football officials to replace the referee for the Copa del Rey final, but the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) said it’s too late to make a change.
