Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea, the referee for Saturday's Copa del Rey final between Real Madrid and Barcelona, was brought to tears on Friday, responding to a critical video published by Real's in-house TV channel (RMTV).
The video, released on Thursday, shows what RMTV says is a series of errors made by De Burgos throughout his career.
The release is the latest in a string of edits by RMTV, criticizing Spanish officials.
Copa del Rey referee crying
Este es Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea, el árbitro que pitará la final de la copa del Rey.
MÁXIMA DIFUSIÓN A ESTE VIDEO— Real Madrid Fans (@MadridismoreaI) April 21, 2025
️ "Lo que hago es intentar educar a mi hijo para decirle que es honrado, pero que se equivoca como una persona más".
➡️ "Quiero que mi hijo esté orgulloso de lo que es su padre".️ Ricardo de Burgos Bengoechea, árbitro principal.#CopaDelReyMAPFRE | #LaCopaMola pic.twitter.com/GzxSTCsvl9
— RFEF (@rfef) April 25, 2025
De Burgos expressed his distress during a press conference, stating: "When a child arrives at school and his mates tell him that his father is a thief, it makes you sick."
He went on to emphasize his integrity and the challenges faced by many officials, in professional football and at grassroots level.
"What I do is try to educate my son to tell him that his father is an honest man, that he makes mistakes like any other sportsman. It's very hard, I don't recommend it to anyone...
"It is not right what we are going through for many colleagues, not only in professional football, but also in grassroots football. Let everyone reflect on where we want to go, on what we want from sport and from football."
There was no immediate response from Real Madrid regarding De Burgos' comments.
Pablo Gonzalez Fuertes, the VAR official for Saturday's final, said referees would soon take action due to the continuous pressure they face.
⚠️ Real Madrid are set to cancel open training, press conference and clubs dinner today — reports @marca.
Real Madrid wants the referees for the Cup final to be replaced, following their recent comments — RFEF did not approve. pic.twitter.com/t6irkKZChj— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 25, 2025
"We are going to start taking real action, we are not going to continue to allow what is happening," he said.
"In a few days you all will see. We are going to make history and we are not going to continue to put up with what we are putting up with. A strike? You will have news from us soon."
In February, the Spanish soccer federation (RFEF) highlighted referees' concerns over abuse, citing the case of official Jose Munuera Montero, who faced a backlash after issuing a red card to Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham.
A few weeks earlier, Real had also lodged a letter of complaint against the Spanish referees following their 1-0 defeat by Espanyol.
(Reporting by Fernando Kallas, Editing by Toby Davis)
