After Real Madrid TV plays a shameful footage of him, the Copa del Rey referee breaks down in tears during a press conference.
After Real Madrid TV made a startling attack, Basque official Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea was unable to contain his tears.
Lawless, Josh
Lawless, Josh
Following a startling online assault by Real Madrid TV, the referee for the forthcoming Copa del Rey final broke down in tears during a tearful press conference.
At the Estadio de La Cartuja in Seville on Saturday night, Real Madrid and Barcelona square off in the third El Clasico of the season, competing in yet another Copa del Rey final.
However, in a shocking three-and-a-half-minute video, Real Madrid’s TV channel has caused a lot of controversy ahead of the showpiece by accusing Ricardo de Burgos Bengoechea of being biassed against them.
Whether serving as the primary referee or in the VAR booth, De Burgos Bengoechea has been condemned by RMTV for a number of his rulings during Los Blancos games.
Additionally, they lowered the 39-year-old’s reputation as an experienced referee by contrasting Real Madrid and Barcelona’s winning percentages under De Burgos Bengoechea.
Real Madrid’s win percentage under the Basque referee is just 64%, according to RMTV.
Barcelona, on the other side, has an 81% winning record. The fact that Ancelotti’s club has only won two of the previous five games with him on the pitch adds to the amazing disparity. The most startling aspect, however, is that despite Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea’s appointment as an international referee since 2018, UEFA has never used him to officiate a Champions League game.
“He has also not been relied upon by FIFA for any of its tournaments. However, following the 2017 and 2023 Super Cups, this will already be his third final between Real Madrid and Barcelona in Spain. He continues to referee games of this magnitude despite not having the same recognition in Spain as he does on the international front.
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Although RMTV’s actions are not new and have always been a part of their content before major games, De Burgos Bengoechea and VAR official Pablo Gonzalez Fuertes participated in a news conference before the match, and one question in particular caused him to cry as he answered it.
Speaking about how the videos discourage young people from becoming referees, he stated, “When a child goes to school and is told their father is a thief, that’s really tough.”
“All I’m trying to do is teach my son about refereeing so that everyone can think about where we want to go and so that he knows his father is honest.” I want everyone to know that it’s really difficult.
De Burgos Bengoechea made a suggestion earlier in the press conference that he and other officials might go on strike in protest of the mistreatment they had experienced.
Referees are “not going to continue putting up with what we are putting up with,” he added, adding that “there is more unity than ever.”
“But I wanted to talk about the consequences of those videos, because for weeks we’ve been seeing referees being insulted on social media and our community being attacked,” he said, addressing RMTV’s pre-match recordings directly.
We’re witnessing declarations. The repercussions of this happening are the issue. The fans vent their wrath on the young person who grabs a whistle and has to go and whistle a junior team as some journalists discuss theft.
They then place a target on a teammate’s head as a result. We must go back to playing football in a cleaner, healthier manner.
Real Madrid released an official statement on Friday night in response to rumours that they were ready to withdraw from the Copa del Rey final, stating that remarks from
were “unacceptable” and asked the RFEF to “act accordingly” from Pablo Gonzalez Fuertes and De Burgos Bengoechea instead.
The statement said: “Real Madrid CF finds it unacceptable that the referees assigned to officiate the Copa del Rey Final, which is set for tomorrow, April 26, 2025, made public remarks today.
“These protests, which have surprisingly drawn attention to videos that were purposefully conducted 24 hours prior against one of the final’s participants by a media outlet that is protected by the right to free speech, like Real Madrid TV, show once again the referees’ obvious and obvious hostility and animosity towards Real Madrid.
“Just hours before a football match that draws hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide, even more shocking statements were made in a menacing tone, referring to the referees’ unity, to announce alleged measures or actions that fall far short of the principles of fairness, objectivity, and impartiality that should prevail.
“Given the seriousness of what happened, Real Madrid hopes that those responsible for the RFEF and the refereeing body will act accordingly, adopting the necessary measures to defend the prestige of the institutions they represent.”
Real Madrid has formally complained about the referee.
The “official organ of Real Madrid” is RMTV, according to La Liga president Javier Tebas, but there is considerable misunderstanding over its formal affiliation with Real.
However, Real Madrid’s official channels have also been outspoken in their criticism of the referees. Following a 1-0 loss to Espanyol in March, the 15-time European champions officially complained to the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), voicing their displeasure with referee Muniz Ruiz and VAR referee Iglesias Villanueva for Carlos Romero’s avoidance of a red card for a challenge on Kylian Mbappe.
Real claimed that the Spanish officiating system was “totally discredited,” and Florentino Perez demanded in a four-page letter that the match be audio recorded.
According to Tebas, Real had “constructed a narrative of victimhood” in reaction.
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