Real Madrid cancel press conference and training before Copa del Rey final in protest | OneFootball

Real Madrid have continued their war on the refereeing body (CTA) and Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) over officials, and have cancelled their press conference and training session ahead of the Copa del Rey final.

Both teams were due to host open training sessions and press conferences before the final in Seville at La Cartuja before the final on Saturday night. On Friday afternoon, Copa final referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea and VAR Pablo Gonzalez Fuertes gave a press conference, with the former breaking down in tears over the persecution that referees face.

After that, Real Madrid requested a change of officials, feeling that de Burgos Bengoetxea and Gonzalez Fuertes were not in the correct state for the final. However the RFEF have rejected this request, noting unofficially that clubs would not be dictating them who referees games.

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Los Blancos have not taken this well, and have decided to cancel both their training session and their press conference ahead of the final in protest, as reported by Marca. They say that President Florentino Perez will not attend the institutional dinner either, and they also cast doubt on whether Los Blancos will show up for the final, albeit this is a remote possibility. They say that it is simply down to the ‘monumental’ anger at the press conference given by the referees.

As has become customary, Real Madrid TV released a hit piece on de Burgos Bengoetxea ahead of the final, calling him a ‘thief’. Barcelona manager Hansi Flick was also asked about the incident, and noted, to all clubs, players and managers, that putting pressure on referees goes against the principles of fair play. Certainly the pressure has been cranked up on the officials for the Copa del Rey final, despite what had seemed like an easing of tensions between the RFEF and Real Madrid over the past two months.