Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Copa Del Rey, La Liga
Josh Lawless
Real Madrid are considering refusing to play the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona amid a row with referees, reports claim.
Los Blancos take on their La Liga rivals in the third El Clasico of the season on Saturday but may not even fulfil the fixture following a shock update.
Real have been at odds with officials all season and sent a four-page letter complaining about two officials in March after a 1-0 loss to Espanyol.
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And ahead of the cup final, Real Madrid TV posted a controversial video where they laid into referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoechea and implied that he has an agenda against them.
They highlighted a host of decisions they believe he got wrong against them as referee and on VAR and even mentioned their win ratio with him involved.
In a press conference, an emotional De Burgos Bengoechea addressed the video - while he and his VAR for the game Pablo Gonzalez Fuertes spoke passionately about the abuse referees are facing.
"But I wanted to talk about the consequences of those videos, because for weeks we've been seeing referees being insulted on social media and our community being attacked," he said.
“We're seeing statements. The problem with this is the consequences of it happening. When some journalists talk about theft, what it entails is that the fans take out that frustration on the kid or girl who grabs a whistle and has to go and whistle a junior team.
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“The consequence is that they then put a target on a teammate's head. We have to return to a healthier and cleaner style of football."
However, in an update delivered on Friday evening, El Mundo said that Real have boycotted the pre-match activities such as open training and the mandatory press conference and are even prepared to pull out of the final as they feel the referees are "unfit".
According to Fabrizio Romano, Real want the officials changed but the Spanish football federation (RFEF) have not approved the request.
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In addition, it's claimed Real president Florentino Perez will not attend the official dinner on Friday.
The 15-time European champions have urged the RFEF to "disqualify" them but believe the governing body will act over what they perceive to be a "conflict of interest."
When Real sent the four-page letter and demanded the audio recording of the match in question, La Liga president Javier Tebas said the club had "constructed a narrative of victimhood".