Real Madrid skipped their pre-Copa del Rey ultimate information convention and coaching session — in addition to the official photo-call — on Friday, in protest over feedback made by the refereeing crew forward of the sport.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti and midfielder Luka Modric had been on account of converse to the media at La Cartuja stadium in Seville earlier than the crew’s final coaching session forward of Saturday’s high-profile recreation in opposition to Barcelona.
A supply instructed ESPN that Madrid have been contemplating boycotting the ultimate itself over the feedback, though one other membership supply instructed ESPN that they didn’t consider the state of affairs would escalate to that extent.
Madrid had requested a change within the refereeing crew, a supply mentioned, though the Spanish soccer federation (RFEF) denied having acquired any such request, when contacted by ESPN.
The membership have been angered by the phrases of referee Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea and video assistant referee Pablo González Fuertes earlier within the day Friday, by which they spoke about Madrid’s frequent criticism of officers in movies broadcast on Actual Madrid TV.
“Actual Madrid C. F. considers the general public statements made in the present day by the referees appointed for the Copa del Rey ultimate to be unacceptable,” the membership mentioned in a Spanish-language statement.
“These statements, which surprisingly targeted on the movies of a media outlet protected by freedom of expression, like Actual Madrid TV, made in a premeditated method 24 hours earlier than in opposition to one of many individuals within the ultimate, display, as soon as once more, a transparent and manifest animosity and hostility of those referees in opposition to Actual Madrid.
“Given the seriousness of what occurred, Actual Madrid hopes that these accountable on the RFEF and the refereeing institution will proceed accordingly, adopting the corresponding measures in protection of the status of the establishments they characterize.”
Earlier, De Burgos Bengoetxea was visibly emotional within the referees’ information convention, as he mentioned the affect of assaults on officers in his private life.
“When your son goes to high school and other people inform him his father is a ‘thief’ it is actually tousled,” De Burgos mentioned. “All I do is attempt to educate my son, to inform him his father is honorable, that he is simply one other sportsperson. I would like my son to be proud … We’d like everybody to mirror on the place we wish to go [as a society]. It’s extremely powerful.”
“Greater than what is claimed [in the videos], it is the implications of what’s mentioned,” González Fuertes added.
“We’re seeing nameless individuals on social media insulting individuals, and threatening individuals with none form of management. Membership social media managers are consistently attacking our occupation, only for ‘likes.’ It provides rise to the idea that we’re not trustworthy in our choices.
“While you speak about ‘theft,’ with the frustration you generate in followers, who pays the worth is the little boy or woman who picks up a whistle and has to referee a kids’s recreation. It is the consequence of placing a goal on somebody’s head.”
Actual Madrid TV has regularly broadcast movies criticizing refereeing choices earlier than and after matches in recent times, together with one targeted on De Burgos — who has refereed two earlier finals involving Madrid and Barcelona, the 2017 and 2023 Spanish Supercopas — this week, highlighting previous choices involving the membership. Madrid despatched a proper criticism on refereeing to the RFEF in February, after one, high-profile determination of their 1-0 defeat at Espanyol on February 1, by which defender Carlos Romero was not proven a crimson card for a foul problem on Kylian Mbappé.
Membership president Florentino Pérez has referred to as for widespread reforms in Spain’s refereeing system, and RFEF president Rafael Louzan has claimed Pérez instructed him he’d wish to see English officers working in Spain.
Madrid are set to face Barcelona in Saturday’s ultimate in Seville below strain, after being eradicated from the Champions League on the quarterfinal stage by Arsenal.
Nevertheless they might nonetheless win a home double, as they go into the cup ultimate simply 4 factors behind Barcelona on the prime of the LaLiga desk, with 5 video games left, whereas Barcelona are chasing a treble.
