
Barcelona vs Real Madrid LIVE SCORE: Copa del Rey final updates as bitter rivals face off in crunch clash
Before the match, referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea broke down in tears during a press conference after being asked about a Real Madrid TV video attacking officials.
The video highlighted decisions that had gone against Real, which the club believe to have been incorrect.
Real were not happy to see De Burgos Bengoetxea put in charge of the final, branding the decision 'unacceptable' - and reports suggested that Los Blancos wanted the refereeing team changed for the huge clash this evening.
The Spanish giants cancelled media duties and the official training session after the interview, before rubbishing rumours that they would boycott the match.
On the pitch, Kylian Mbappe returns to the bench for Real, while Robert Lewandowski is out with injury for Barca.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mirror
23 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Liverpool facing potential injury crisis as Arne Slot rules out new signing
Liverpool have only played one game in the Premier League this season but have already suffered a major blow after news that right-back Jeremie Frimpong will be out for a number of weeks with a hamstring injury Liverpool boss Arne Slot has confirmed a huge blow with new signing Jeremie Frimpong set to be ruled out until after the first international break after suffering a hamstring injury. Frimpong was signed for around £30million from Bayer Leverkusen as a direct replacement for the outgoing Trent Alexander-Arnold, who joined Real Madrid after his contract expired. And the speedy right-back had impressed many fans with his displays during pre-season, with the player being substituted on the hour mark in their 4-2 win over Bournemouth on the opening day of the Premier League after complaining of a hamstring problem. But Liverpool will have to make do without their new addition for the next few weeks after his frustrating set-back, with potential replacements Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez also struggling for fitness. Bradley has only just returned from an injury issue of his own, training with the team for the first time on Thursday. However, Slot went out of his way to praise his medical staff, for ensuring Frimpong's issue didn't become more severe. "Conor trained with us for a few minutes today for the first time. Medical team was completely right about Jeremie to take him off because he's out until the end of the international break. We felt Jeremie had an issue in his hamstring - the medical team did. They were right. A good call from them as otherwise he could have been out for even longer." Slot played down the significance of the recent injury setbacks suffered by both players, saying fitness problems can happen to any player. "Jeremie has a very positive injury record," the Dutchman added. "Conor has been out once or twice last season. These things happen. We only have two injuries at the same moment but they are in the same position. Meanwhile, Slot gave another update on Joe Gomez, who has also been battling to return to the first team after a long-term injury. The former Feyenoord boss added that was impossible to avoid such a situation in defence if injuries occurred and said he couldn't sign more players in one position just in the event that players become available. "Joe Gomez hasn't had a setback but he wasn't able to train three days in a row. We will see where he is on Monday and if he can start. You can't prepare for injuries in one position - you can't have five right-backs. Although we do have three left-backs at the moment!" Should Slot determine both Bradley and Gomez aren't ready for the trip to Newcastle, he could be forced to shift either Curtis Jones or Dominik Szoboszlai there, who played right back last season and in the pre-season respectively. Liverpool have some big games coming up as they bid to defend their Premier League title. First, they face a testing trip to Newcastle on Monday before welcoming title rivals Arsenal to Anfield the following weekend.


The Guardian
23 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Au revoir to French: Spanish becomes most popular language GCSE
Despite a once bitter rivalry that dates to before the Spanish Armada in 1588, pupils in England are studying español in greater numbers than ever before, with it overtaking French as the most popular language for GCSEs. The rise of Spanish in schools has long been predicted, helped by the popularity of holidays in Spain and the Canary Islands and its greater global reach. More recently its popularity has been turbo-charged by cultural influences through music, cinema and much of the US media, with an added attraction for boys thanks to footballing superstars such as Lionel Messi of Argentina and the success of La Liga clubs including Real Madrid. The British Council said there had been a sustained rise of nearly 25% in Spanish GCSE entries since 2020. This year there were more than 136,000 entries, just ahead of French, the perennial modern foreign languages champion, with fewer than 133,000. Jevan Sathyamoorthy, a student at Wallington County grammar school in the London borough of Sutton, said he opted to take Spanish over French at GCSE because it seemed more immediately practical. 'I chose Spanish because I remember thinking it's more likely that I'll be going to a Spanish-speaking country than a French-speaking one, with most of Latin America and the Caribbean as well as Spain, so I'd say that was the biggest reason,' Sathyamoorthy said. 'And in my mind Spanish seemed easier, because the way its words were pronounced came more easily to me than French when I'd done a bit of both in primary school.' But as Spanish has risen, some other once-popular modern languages have had a marked decline, including German, where GCSE entries have fallen by more than 20% since 2020. Vicky Gough, the British Council's schools adviser, said: 'We need the success of Spanish reflected across all languages through exchanges, cultural programmes and real-world connections that demonstrate why languages matter. 'Our research also reveals a significant socioeconomic gap: pupils in the top fifth of the most advantaged state schools in England are around 32% more likely to take a language GCSE than their peers elsewhere, meaning many young people from less privileged backgrounds miss out on opportunities their peers benefit from. 'At a time of increasing global tension, helping young people connect across borders, build friendships and foster trust has never been more important.' The British Council said a number of other modern foreign languages had risen for the fifth year in a row, including Arabic, Chinese, Polish and Urdu.


Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Birmingham City launch ambitious bid to sign former Barcelona star - as Tom Brady-owned club eyes defensive reinforcements after strong start to the Championship season
Birmingham City have launched an ambitious bid to sign former Barcelona defender Mikayil Faye from French club Rennes. The Senegal international was sold by Barcelona last year to help alleviate their financial crisis and allow them to register signings such as Spain international Dani Olmo. Faye can play at centre back and left-back and is a powerful, athletic player who is capable of adding a goal also. The 21-year old was the subject of interest from a number of top European sides before joining Rennes but has only made 11 appearances and has seemingly struggled to settle. Birmingham could face a battle to convince him to come to The Championship but will hope their project and the presence of personalities such as Tom Brady can help to sway him. Premier League sides are also assessing the youngster as the transfer window draws to a close. Birmingham have won one and drawn one on their start to the season and face Oxford United at the weekend. The Blues have already welcomed a wealth of new additions this summer with the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Marvin Ducksch and Taylor Gardner-Hickman arriving for fees of £7.7million, £1.7m and £1.5m respectively. Despite splashing the cash on new recruits, Birmingham have also made the most of out-of-contract players this transfer window, signing ex-Premier League star Demarai Gray, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Kanya Fujimonto and Phil Neumann all as free agents. Brighton duo Eiran Cashin and James Beadle, as well as Wolves midfielder Tommy Doyle, have also joined the St Andrews' club on loan.