The Merengue club published a statement this Friday (4/25) to demand action from the Spanish Football Federation amid controversy over refereeing.
Real Madrid is experiencing a tense moment with the Spanish Football Federation. Amid speculation that the team might not even attend the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona due to problems with the refereeing team selected for the final, played this Saturday (4/26), the club published a statement this Friday (4/25).
During the week, Real Madrid released a video in which it compiled errors made by referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea, chosen to be the “owner” of the whistle in the tournament’s final. Later, Bengoetxea spoke about the case in an interview and emotionally vented about how the situation affected his personal life.
On Friday, Spanish newspaper Marca reported that the club has formally requested that the refereeing team for the match be changed and that it is even considering not attending the game if this does not happen.
In a statement, Real Madrid stated that it considers the referee’s statements to be “unacceptable” and stated that he has “clear and manifest animosity and hostility” towards the institution. However, according to Marca, the Spanish Federation does not consider accepting Real’s request.
Full statement from Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F. considers unacceptable the public statements made today by the referees appointed to the Copa del Rey final, scheduled to be played tomorrow, April 26, 2025. These protests, which surprisingly drew attention to videos from a media outlet protected by freedom of expression, such as Real Madrid TV, deliberately made 24 hours beforehand against one of the participants in the final, demonstrate, once again, the clear and manifest animosity and hostility of these referees towards Real Madrid. Even more surprising statements, in a threatening tone, alluding to the unity of the referees, were used to announce alleged measures or actions that fall far short of the principles of justice, objectivity and impartiality that should prevail just hours before a football event that captures the attention of hundreds of millions of people around the world. Given the gravity of what happened, Real Madrid expects those responsible for the RFEF and the refereeing body to act accordingly, adopting the necessary measures to defend the prestige of the institutions they represent.
