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Copa Del Rey Final: Who's the controversial referee for Real Madrid vs Barcelona El Clasico Cup finale?

Copa Del Rey Final: Who's the controversial referee for Real Madrid vs Barcelona El Clasico Cup finale?

The Hindu26-04-2025

Barcelona, in scintillating form, faces a stumbling Real Madrid in Saturday's Copa del Rey final that offers the Catalan side a chance to inflict a third humiliation on its rival, which is seeking redemption as it bids to avoid a trophyless campaign.
Despite the mouth-watering clash at hands, the main focus of the match remains on the match officials, especially the referee.
Los Blancos have already clashed with the RFEF and now, it has taken an unexpected turn towards off-field matters with La Liga chief Javier Tebas also getting involved.
Who is the referee for Copa del Rey final?
Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea will officiate the final in Sevilla.
The 39-year-old began officiating in the Segunda Division in 2011, and in 2015 he was promoted to La Liga. In 2018, he was put on the FIFA referees list. He officiated his first senior international match on 10 October 2019 in UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying between Belarus and Estonia.
De Burgos Bengoetxea is a native of Bilbao, and works as a dental technician.
What is the row between the referee and Real Madrid?
Copa del Rey final referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea welled up on Friday when speaking about the pressure officials have faced from Real Madrid TV this season.
Following which Los Blancos cancelled the open training, press conference and asked the federation to change the officials.
The 15-time European champions also threatened to boycott the final and issued a public statement amid all the controversies.
ALSO READ | Copa del Rey final referee statements 'unacceptable': Real Madrid after boycotting final build-up
RMA vs BAR - list of match officials
Referee - Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea (ESP)
Video Assistant Referee (VAR) - Pablo Gonzalez Fuertes (ESP)

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He did not register a shot on goal in the first hour, was late to the crosses from the flanks and after early excursions, the wingers too stopped feeding him, aware of its futility. The referee bore the brunt of his ire, as he frequently engaged him in arguments. He was almost off-side in Portugal's first equaliser, saved by a defender's boot. He flicked the ear of Spanish midfielder Mikel Oyarzabal after VAR confirmed Portugal's first equaliser. If Ronaldo watched his performance either side of the goal, he would lament at the passing of his youth. He is not what he once was. He is aware too, and hence the increasingly flimsy histrionics. Recently, he posted a video saying that some tests revealed that his biological age is still 29 and joked that he could play competitive football in his 50s too. He still scores a bucketful of goals, important goals too. So why shouldn't he play till he nudges into his 50s? He brings back the eternal argument, about the balance between individual attainment and collective success. As prolific as Ronaldo is in front of the goal, producing the most definitive metric in the game, he is limiting the collective powers of his ultra-talented teammates. To accommodate Ronaldo, the rest of Martinez's crew have to log in extra shifts, which could leave them knackered in a long tournament. They have to slow the game down, even sacrifice the goal on the altar of the country's most famous footballer. Take him out and the group transforms into a dynamic side that could swat adversaries around. In the early days of Martinez's tenure, he struggled to fit the individual star into the collective scheme. But in the Nations League, he struck a finer balance. The team's sole intention is not to ping crosses into the centre of the boxes, as it was during the Euros last year, but to mix the game up. 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