During Tuesday night’s thrilling Copa del Rey semi-final second-leg triumph against Real Sociedad, Luka Modric had to remind referee Alberola Rojas of a regulation. At the Bernabeu, Los Blancos had a 1-0 lead going into the game, but by the 80th minute, they were behind 3-1. They persevered, and in extra time, Mikel Oyarzabal’s late goal and goals from Aurelien Tchouameni and Antonio Rudiger guaranteed their spot in the final.
It was a night where the eventual champions relied heavily on experience. Modric, who has won four La Liga crowns, six Champions League trophies, and countless other medals during his 13-year stay at the club, is one of the best examples of Madrid’s mastery of knockout football. However, his depth of experience was not limited to his leadership on the field.
Due in large part to his name being associated with the Negreira case—the scandal involving Barcelona and purported payments to Jose María Enriquez Negreira, the former vice president of Spain’s Referees’ Technical Committee (CTA) from 2001 to 2018—Alberola Rojas has long been a contentious figure among Real Madrid supporters. The distance between the referee and the Bernabeu supporters only grew on Tuesday night.
Why Modric Had To Remind Referee of a Rule in Copa del Rey Win
Alberola Rojas wouldn’t let the Real Madrid captain speak to him
The referee was spotted shooing Modric away during the first few minutes of extra time, preventing the 39-year-old from speaking to him. However, the midfielder was one of just two players on the pitch who had the authority to speak with the referees about decisions because he was the captain. View the incident below:
Modrić had to point to his armband to emphasize his point to the referee, who told him to go away. The refereeing in Spain lol… pic.twitter.com/ZT9jCm2CSm
— Dr Yash (@YashRMFC) April 1, 2025
On Tuesday night, Rojas made sure he left the Spanish capital as a villain once more. He had already angered the home crowd with controversial choices earlier in the game before firing Modric.
Rojas himself failed to see what may have been a red-card infraction when Jon Olagasti recklessly challenged Vinicius Junior on the edge of the box, and VAR said nothing about Jude Bellingham’s potential penalty.
Warning Modrić for speaking to him despite being the captain, no VAR for Bellingham’s penalty, no review for a clear red card offense, ignoring an identical foul for Vini at edge of the box
pic.twitter.com/Qir59C7auHTh same referee that ignored 4 penalties while on VAR vs Osasuna https://t.co/uiuar2I05t
— MadMad (@MaadMadrid) April 1, 2025
‘The captain will be free to approach the referee but must take responsibility for assisting ensure that his teammates respect the captain-only zone,’ states IFAB’s Law 5, therefore Modric had every right to talk to Rojas.
Luckily for the Croatian, Real Madrid advanced to the Copa del Rey final, and none of the referee’s calls ultimately affected the result. On Wednesday night, they will play the victor of Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona. The match is scheduled on April 26 at Estadio de La Cartuja.
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