Real Madrid has turned its ire from the pitch to the officials on the eve of one of Spanish football’s most watched spectacles. The club’s decision to cancel its pre-match press conference, training session, and even the customary club dinner ahead of Saturday’s Copa del Rey final against Barcelona signals a deepening rift between the 14-time European champions and Spain‘s refereeing body.
At the heart of the storm is Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea, the referee assigned to oversee the final at La Cartuja in Seville. On Friday, the 39-year-old official broke down in tears during a news conference intended to promote transparency. Instead, it exposed the emotional toll of being the subject of Real Madrid TV’s latest video campaign—a carefully edited clip highlighting what the club believes to be a pattern of officiating errors in past Madrid games.
“When one of your children goes to school and there are kids who tell him that his dad is a thief and he comes back home crying, that’s really f—ed up,” De Burgos said, his voice breaking. “What I do is try to educate my son to tell him that his father is honorable. Above all honorable, that he makes mistakes, like any sportsperson.”
Madrid doubles down on the referees
Rather than back down, Madrid escalated. The club publicly condemned the referees’ emotional remarks as “unacceptable,” accusing them of “clear and manifest animosity and hostility” toward Real Madrid. In a sharply worded statement, the club claimed the referees’ comments revealed a “threatening tone” and a lack of objectivity, making them unfit for duty. The RFEF allegedly received a request from Madrid that expects De Burgos and VAR official Pablo González Fuertes to be removed.
Club president Florentino Pérez has long made refereeing integrity a public concern, especially after the Negreira case involving Barcelona’s past payments to a former refereeing official. RMTV has functioned as both megaphone and magnifying glass, routinely dissecting officiating decisions ahead of major matches. The club views it as editorial independence; critics say it is institutional pressure.
Barcelona, meanwhile, has moved in the opposite direction. Coach Hansi Flick called Madrid’s conduct “not fair play,” while Ronald Araujo emphasized respect. “Being a referee is a very difficult profession,” he said. “You have to respect what they do.”
Refereeing in Spain is not new to controversy. What is new is the emotional candor of its officials and the visible fracture between the country’s biggest club and the sport’s governing body. Whether Real Madrid’s protest influences Saturday’s final remains to be seen. But the fissures are no longer behind closed doors.
