Copa del Rey final referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea has broken down in tears discussing the consequences of attack videos from Real Madrid TV.
The Basque official will be tasked with the tie between Los Blancos and Barcelona on Saturday evening in Sevilla, but pre-match preparations have been disrupted.
The official couldn’t hide his emotions when asked about the impact on youngstersRFEF He was comforted by an assistant as they discussed potential strike actionRFEFAs has become usual in recent seasons, RMTV released a pre-match compilation of refereeing mistakes in previous matches where said official has been in charge of Madrid games.
On this occasion they highlighted that Madrid have a 64 per cent win rate with Burgos Bengoetxea as opposed to Barcelona’s 81 per cent, and accused him of theft.
Ahead of Carlo Ancelotti and Hansi Flick taking their usual press conference duties, Burgos Bengoetxea and his assistants first appeared and emotions got the better of the man in the middle.
He first discussed potential strike action over the RMTV videos, but it was the final question that provoked the most surprising response.
A journalist asked if the videos impact children wanting to be referees, and Burgos Bengoetxea began crying during his response.
“When a child goes to school and is told their father is a thief, that’s really tough,” he said.
“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.”
At the start of the press conference he broached the subject of RMTV.
“There is more unity than ever, possibly due to the circumstances we are experiencing around us,” the 39-year-old said.
“A few weeks ago we had a meeting and we are more united than ever. We reaffirm our unity with our president.
Madrid and Barca have both been guilty of attacks on officialsGetty“There is no doubt that we are going to have to start taking much more serious measures than those that are being taken.
“We are not going to continue allowing what is happening. In a short time, you will have news.
“We are going to make history, because we are not going to continue putting up with what we are putting up with.”
Asked if that news could be a strike, he added: “You’ll hear from us soon.”
Burgos Bengoetxea also insisted that the attack videos don’t impact his performance, but it’s the effects on the next generation that bother him the most.
“I don’t care; it’s usually criticism… they’ll figure out what they have to do. I look at my own navel and know what I have to do,” he began.
“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.”
Conflict over refereeing has been constant in Spain ever since March 2023 when it emerged that Barcelona were being investigated over alleged historical payments to Jose María Enriques Negreira, a former vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees.
Two former Barcelona presidents were indicted, while incumbent Joan Laporta was later cleared.
Nevertheless the subject has dominated the news cycle ever since, with RMTV’s ‘highlight’ videos still causing problems.
In March 2024 the Spanish football federation [RFEF] upheld a complaint from Sevilla over one of the videos before a LaLiga match.
The subject is now in court to work out if RMTV is part of the club or a separate entity, and LaLiga will also appear, president Javier Tebas confirmed.
“We are not entitled to file a complaint, but we are going to appear, and I think that the issue of Real Madrid TV is an issue that goes against good sporting order,” Tebas said.
“It’s okay to criticise, to say that sometimes things aren’t good, but constantly the nagging, the superiority, when I believe that Real Madrid, as a club, cannot have that argument.
“I have not studied the subject, but Real Madrid TV is the official organ of the club, because, in accordance with Royal Decree 5/2015, it is where they broadcast the matches on a delayed basis at the end of each day.
“The reality is that it is the official organ of Real Madrid.”
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