Real Madrid have been on a war with the referees for the last few days. Before their match against Barcelona in the final of the Copa Del Rey on Saturday, there was a flurry of drama unfolding when Real Madrid and their battle with the referees saw yet another twist.
Real Madrid released a statement about their disapproval of the current referee who is slated to officiate the Clasico final, after video assistant referee Pablo González Fuertes had some interesting things to say about the whole scenario.
This space would keep getting updated with the latest on the story.
A timeline of Real Madrid's bizarre referee situation before Copa Del Rey final vs Barcelona
April 25: Real Madrid announce they are going to play the match
They put out a statement that read: "Real Madrid C. F. communicates that our team has never considered giving up playing tomorrow's final.
Our club understands that the unfortunate and inappropriate statements of the referees appointed for this match, made 24 hours before the final, cannot stain a sporting event of global importance that hundreds of millions of people will see and also out of respect for all the fans who plan to travel to Seville, and to all those who are already in the Andalusian capital.
Real Madrid understands that the values of football must prevail, despite the hostility and animosity that have been evident today, once again against our club, by these referees designated for the final."
April 25: RFEF President announces there will be no change to the refereeing situation
RFEF president Rafael Louzan announced on Friday evening that there will be no changes about the way everything is being dealt with.
He said: "They are the designated referees, and that is all. I'm very calm, the Copa final will take place! I appeal to the responsibility of the clubs."
He also said a few minutes before about how calm he wanted to enjoy the brilliant final. He said: "We are going to enjoy this great match tomorrow."
April 25: The Athletic's sources expected the referees to be removed from the match
The Athletic claimed that there was an expectation by their sources for the referee to be removed from the match and someone else would be appointed.
However, they also said that their source at RFEF said no one had handed in a request to have the two referees removed from the match.
April 25: Real Madrid release official statement
Real Madrid released a statement talking about their discontent of the referee's quotes. They felt threatened by the quotes and felt that it showed a lack of impartiality.
This was Real Madrid's statement after the whole incident: "Real Madrid CF considers the public statements made today by the referees designated for the Copa del Rey Final, scheduled to be held tomorrow, April 26, 2025, to be unacceptable.
These protests, which have surprisingly focused attention on videos from a media outlet protected by freedom of expression, such as Real Madrid TV, deliberately carried out 24 hours earlier against one of the final's participants, demonstrate, once again, the clear and manifest animosity and hostility of these referees toward Real Madrid.
Even more surprising statements, in a threatening tone, alluding to the referees' unity, were used to announce alleged measures or actions that fall far short of the principles of fairness, 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 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."
April 25: RFEF announced the cancellation of Real Madrid's training and press conference on Friday
RFEF announced on Friday evening that Real Madrid had informed them about not attending their own press conference and training session.
The statement translates: "Real Madrid CF has informed the RFEF that it will not hold the press conference or the official training session prior to the final scheduled for today at the La Cartuja stadium in Seville."
Real Madrid had planned press conferences for Luka Modric and Carlo Ancelotti, that were set to be held around 7:15pm local time, but they ended up not taking place as Real Madrid informed their decision to the RFEF, presumably as a sign of protest after the quotes by the VAR.
April 25: Real Madrid request RFEF to change the referee, which was denied
Real Madrid, according to Managing Madrid and other media outlets, internally requested RFEF to change the referees for the match, to which they said no.
Real Madrid 'disqualified' the referees due to a lack of impartiality, and wanted RFEF to make a change, which did not happen.
April 25: VAR Pablo González Fuertes and referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea spoke to the media about RMTV's videos
In a pre-match conference for the referees, Gonzalez Fuertes and De Burgos Bengoetxea spoke about the videos made by RMTV about the referee, and how it hurts him on a day-to-day basis.
De Burgos Bengoetxea said: “We’re focusing a lot on the videos on Real Madrid Television, it’s what has the biggest repercussions, I’m not going to tell you otherwise. I’m going to tell you about situations that have happened to colleagues of mine and then you give me your evaluation because I want you to answer me.
“When one of your children goes to school and there are kids who tell him that his dad is a thief and he comes back home crying, that’s really f—ed up.
“What I do in my case is try to educate my son to tell him that his father is honourable. Above all honourable, that he makes mistakes, like any sportsperson. And that’s really f—ed up. I don’t wish it on anyone. But the day I leave here, I want my son to be proud of what his dad was and what refereeing is.
“Because refereeing has given us lots of values and there’s no right (to put us through) what we’re experiencing. Lots of male and female colleagues — not (just) professional football, because this affects our families — but above all at grassroots level. So everyone should reflect on where we want to go and what we want from sport and football. I’d simply like you to know that.”
Gonzalez Fuertes also had a few things to say after.
He said: “I am going to talk about those videos... More than what is said, it’s about the consequences of what is said. We are seeing anonymous people on social media who insult and threaten without any control. Officials from clubs’ official accounts are constantly attacking our group, as well as players’ actions and statements suggesting that we are not honest in our decisions.
"The consequence is that when you talk about robbery and use offensive words, the frustration you generate in the fans ends up being taken out on the boy and girl who pick up a whistle and have to referee a children’s match. It’s the result of putting a target on a colleague’s head. It’s good and healthy for everyone to return to a more wholesome football.”
April 24: RMTV release a video criticising De Burgos Bengoetxea
RMTV released a video on their channel about De Burgos Bengoetxea's mistakes when he has officiated Real Madrid matches in the past. They also discussed how Barcelona have won a larger percentage of games when he was the referee, compared to Real Madrid. It was not the best idea to release a video like that, as the match had not even happened and mistakes had not even been made
April 21: RFEF announce the referee for the Copa Del Rey final
This was obviously met with some sort of criticism by fans on X and other social media platforms, but no one could have guessed what it would lead to.