By KBC Associate 
Real Madrid have doubled down by petitioning the Royal Spanish Football Federation to remove the officiating team assigned to Saturday’s Copa del Rey final.
The club’s request targets referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea and VAR official Pablo Gonzalez Fuertes, following an emotional press conference on Friday.
De Burgos Bengoetxea reportedly broke down in tears while speaking about the toll recent criticism has taken on his family. Gonzalez Fuertes echoed those concerns, vowing that steps would be taken to address the ongoing harassment referees face.
Los Blancos interpreted the press conference as evidence of prejudice against them, pointing in particular to remarks made by Gonzalez Fuertes.
The Madrid-based club, known for airing critical pre-match referee profiles on Real Madrid TV, responded by demanding a change in the match officials.
However, reports say that the RFEF rejected the appeal, judging that there was no valid justification for replacing the referees at such short notice.
In response to the ruling, Real Madrid took the unusual step of skipping both their pre-match training session at La Cartuja and their scheduled press conference on Friday evening.
Official Announcement.
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) April 25, 2025
The club also released an official statement publicly criticising the referees and urging the federation to take immediate action.
“Real Madrid 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.”
Amid speculation that Real Madrid might boycott the final if changes aren’t made, there has been no official confirmation on whether they plan to follow through with such a drastic move.