Real Madrid shun all pre-Copa del Rey activities after referee for final stages his own news conference on Friday.
Who: Real Madrid vs Barcelona
What: Spanish Copa del Rey
Where: La Cartuja stadium, Seville, Spain
When: Saturday at 10pm local time (20:00 GMT)
Follow media Sport’s live text and photo commentary stream.
Real Madrid boycotted pre-match activities before their Copa del Rey final against rivals Barcelona after the match referee gave an emotional news conference in which he called out Real for criticising the official on their in-house TV channel.
Real said the complaints by Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea, which were echoed by the VAR referee appointed to the final, against pressure from the club’s television channel were “unacceptable”.
The Spanish champions boycotted the news conference, the open training in front of the media, the traditional presidents’ dinner and a pre-match photo-call.
“These statements … made in a premeditated manner 24 hours earlier against one of the participants in the final, demonstrate, once again, a clear and manifest animosity and hostility of these referees towards Real Madrid,” the Madrid club said on the eve of Saturday’s cup final in Seville.
A source close to the news agency Reuters said Real saw the news conference as “a clear conflict of interest” and, while they have not asked the Spanish FA (RFEF) to replace the officials, they believe the refereeing team should be changed.
RFEF did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Preparations for the final were thrown into chaos when match referee De Burgos gave a news conference in which he cried as he responded to the RMTV video.
The video, released on Thursday, shows what RMTV says is a series of errors made by De Burgos throughout his career.
The release is the latest in a string of edits by RMTV, criticising Spanish officials.
De Burgos expressed his distress during the news conference, stating: “When a child arrives at school and his mates tell him that his father is a thief, it makes you sick.”
He went on to emphasise his integrity and the challenges faced by many officials, in professional football and at the grassroots level.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick said on Friday that action should be taken to protect referees due to the pressure they face.
“For me, it’s only a sport. It’s only a game. It’s only football … It is our responsibility to protect not only the players but all the people involved in the game,” Flick told a news conference.
United Arab Emirates Dirham Exchange Rate
