Copa del Rey ref breaks down in tears in press conference after Real Madrid TV shows disgraceful video of him

The referee for the upcoming Copa del Rey final broke down in tears in an emotional press conference after being on the receiving end of a shocking online attack from Real Madrid TV.

Real and Barcelona meet in the third El Clasico of the season, contesting yet another Copa del Rey final at Estadio de La Cartuja in Seville on Saturday night.

But ahead of the showpiece, Real's TV channel has caused a major stir by going after Ricardo de Burgos Bengoechea - implying that he is biased against them with an astonishing three-and-a-half minute video.

In the compilation, RMTV criticised a host of decisions De Burgos Bengoechea has made in games involving Los Blancos - whether as the main official or in the VAR booth.

They also compared Real and Barcelona's winning percentage with De Burgos Bengoechea as referee and diminished the 39-year-old's status as an experienced referee.

"With the Basque referee, Real Madrid has only a 64% win rate," RMTV stated.

"On the other hand, Barcelona has an 81% win rate. An incredible difference, to which is also added that Ancelotti’s team has only won two of the last five games with him on the field. But the most striking thing comes next, because although Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea has been an international referee since 2018, UEFA has never appointed him for a Champions League match.

“FIFA has not counted on him for any of its competitions either. However, in Spain, this will already be his third final between Real Madrid and Barcelona, after the 2017 and 2023 Super Cups. A recognition in Spain that he does not have at the international level, but even so he continues to referee matches of this calibre.”

Real Madrid TV have released a video going after the referee who will oversee the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona (Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea)
pic.twitter.com/utqUrXriyN

— Luis Mazariegos (@luism8989) April 24, 2025

The actions from RMTV are not new and have been a feature of their content ahead of big games. But prior to the fixture, De Burgos Bengoechea and VAR official Pablo Gonzalez Fuertes took part in a press conference and one question in particular had his eyes watering during his response.

"When a child goes to school and is told their father is a thief, that's really tough,” he said, discussing the impact of the videos on deterring youngsters from becoming referees.

“All I'm trying to do is educate my son so he knows his father is honest, to teach him what refereeing is, so everyone can reflect on where we want to go. I'd like you all to know; it's very hard."

Earlier on in the press conference, De Burgos Bengoechea hinted that he and fellow officials could go on strike in response to the abuse they have had to contend with.

He said "there is more unity than ever" and that refs are "not going to continue putting up with what we are putting up with."

Speaking directly about RMTV's pre-match videos, he commented: "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.

“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.

“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."

On Friday evening, amid sensational reports that they were prepared to pull out of the Copa del Rey final, Real issued an official statement where they said that comments from

from De Burgos Bengoechea and Pablo Gonzalez Fuertes were "unacceptable" and urged the RFEF to "act accordingly".

The statement read: "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."

Real Madrid have filed official complaint about against referee

There is some confusion as to whether RMTV is directly linked to Real but La Liga president Javier Tebas has gone on record to say it is the "official organ of Real Madrid".

But Real's official channels have also been vocal in slamming referees. In March, the 15-time European champions filed an official complaint to the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) after a 1-0 loss to Espanyol - specifically expressing their unhappiness with referee Muniz Ruiz and VAR referee Iglesias Villanueva after Carlos Romero avoided a red card for a challenge on Kylian Mbappe.

In a four-page letter, Florentino Perez demanded the audio recording of the match as Real said the Spanish refereeing system was 'totally discredited'.

In response, Tebas said Real had "constructed a narrative of victimhood".