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Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Barcelona win thrilling Copa del Rey and drive Madrid to red card fury
It was late and they were tired, but with four minutes left and long after midnight in Seville, everyone prepared for penalties, Jules Koundé found the strength to send a shot flying into the net and the Barcelona fans into raptures. The fireworks were lit and the men in blue and red sprinted towards him from all sides: here, at last, it was. An epic Copa del Rey final, a first clásico final in 11 years, had a winner. They had been a goal up and a goal down, they had thought they had a last-minute penalty to win it only to have it taken away, but now it was 3-2 and the Catalan side had done it. Done? Not quite, but very nearly. On an extraordinary night, there was still one last opportunity for Real Madrid when Kylian Mbappé was fouled in the area and the referee, Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea, pointed to the spot, only for the linesman's flag to be up. They had fought and rebelled, but they were defeated and, in a chaotic end, when all the emotion exploded at the final whistle, somewhere in the noise and the pandemonium they had three players shown red cards: Lucas Vázquez, Antonio Rüdiger and Jude Bellingham. The German had to be held back from going at the referee. This had been some night, swinging one way and then the next. You might call it a game of two halves, but there were four of them and they had all been superb. They also had an unlikely man at the heart of a decisive moment: Pedri, Mbappé, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Ferran Torres had all scored and then it was Koundé who did so. Not, though, before it had a very, very likely man standing in the middle of what might have been the decisive moment: after all the talk about referees, after Real had boycotted pre-match activities and the threat that they might refuse to turn up for the game, it was indeed the officials who took the spotlight at the decisive moment. With 30 seconds left of normal time De Burgos Bengoetxea, who had cried in the pre-match press conference, gave Barcelona a penalty. But Pablo González Fuertes, the video assistant referee who had accompanied him in that press conference and whose talk of taking action against those who criticise officials had so incensed Real, called him to the screen. So there was De Burgos Bengoetxea alone in a 70,000-strong crowd at midnight with time having run out, a career-defining decision to make that would ever be with him. After three long minutes, replays on the giant screens and players surrounding him, offering not entirely neutral advice, the penalty was withdrawn, and so it went to extra time and Koundé's moment. What a relief that Real had shown up, even if at the end they might have wished they had not, even if the fury and the frustration overflowed. They played their part in an enthralling final in which exhausted players gave everything – one that dignified this competition more than what happened the day before. At the end of it, Barcelona, whose high line, life lived on the edge, had already seen a Real goal and a penalty ruled out for offside before that last-minute decision against Mbappé, had the trophy. They hope it could be the first of three. Real face the prospect of winning none. How exhausted everyone was. How this game had shifted, changed, mutated. How the noise had travelled from one end to the other, the psychology of it all. How long ago, those early moments felt. It took 56 seconds for Madrid to even touch the ball and then, when they did, they immediately lost it. That set the tone for a first half that Barcelona dominated and led with a lovely Pedri goal, made by Lamine Yamal. Yet the half-time introduction of Mbappé and a new mentality shifted everything. Arda Guler and Luka Modric also tipped the balance. Real were alive, and could sense a vulnerability hidden, every action feeling like an opportunity. They got an equaliser when Mbappé was dragged down by Frenkie de Jong. Real wanted a red card but they got something better: from the free-kick, Mbappé bent beyond Wojciech Szczesny's right hand, celebrating with a gesture borrowed from Cristiano Ronaldo: calm down, I'm here. Barcelona knew: here was a speed and intent about Real, a directness, that soon led to Tchouaméni heading them into the lead. Into the corner they went, leaping about. But as the celebrating players broke Rüdiger needed a huge bandage applied to his leg, the significance of which was perhaps seen when with six minutes left, he could not catch Torres as the forward ran on to Lamine Yamal's lovely pass, went past Thibaut Courtois and struck a clean, low, angled finish into the empty net to make it 2-2 with only six minutes left. Rüdiger, in his defence, then made a huge interception to deny Lamine Yamal. He also might have been fortunate not to be punished for what then appeared to be a foul in the area on Torres. That was when the seemingly inevitable happened with just 30 seconds left. Raphinha went down under a challenge from Raúl Asencio. De Burgos Bengoetxea gave the penalty, González Fuertes called, and the referee was back in the middle of a storm. A single decision, a million consequences, so many thoughts to be blocked out until he said no penalty. Let someone else take the stage. In extra time when blows were exchanged and everyone lived on edge, Torres shooting just wide and Bellingham diving to just miss a header, someone did. A loose pass from Modric and Koundé stepped up to win the trophy.
Free Malaysia Today
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Free Malaysia Today
Real boycott Copa final build-up amid ref's ‘unacceptable' statements
Real boycotted the Ballon d'Or ceremony in October because their winger Vinicius Junior was not named the world's best player. (AP pic) MADRID : Real Madrid lashed out at the Copa del Rey final referees on the eve of today's match, labelling complaints about pressure from the club's television channel 'unacceptable' and boycotting all planned pre-match activities in protest. 'These statements… made in a premeditated manner 24 hours before the final against one of the participants, demonstrate, once again, a clear and manifest animosity and hostility of these referees towards Real Madrid,' said Los Blancos in a statement. Real Madrid refused to take part in the usual press conference, the open training in front of media, the traditional presidents' dinner and a pre-match photo-call. Spanish media reported Real were considering boycotting the final itself if the referees were not changed, but the reigning La Liga champions released another statement denying that. 'Our team has never considered not playing in tomorrow's final,' said Real. This week, the club's television channel aired a new video attacking the referee for the final at La Cartuja in Seville, something they have done to various officials this season. The main match referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea, welled up when speaking earlier yesterday about pressure officials have faced from Real Madrid TV over the past few months. 'Real Madrid considers the public statements made by the Copa del Rey final referees unacceptable,' said the club in their initial statement. Real took particular issue with the final's VAR referee Pablo Gonzalez Fuertes suggesting referees were 'united' and looking to take collective action against the pressure they had received from Real Madrid TV. Real said his words had 'a threatening tone' and suggested action would be taken that was 'far removed from the principles of fairness, objectivity and impartiality' necessary for the final. 'In view of the seriousness of what has happened, Real Madrid hopes that those in charge of the RFEF and the refereeing profession will act accordingly, adopting the relevant measures in defence of the prestige of the institutions they represent,' added Real. Los Blancos published an open letter in February claiming Spanish refereeing was 'rigged' and 'completely discredited'. Real Madrid have form when it comes to boycotts: in October they stayed away from the Ballon d'Or ceremony because their winger Vinicius Junior was not named the best player in the world. 'Real Madrid does not go where it is not respected,' the club said at the time. 'It's totally messed up' De Burgos Bengoetxea had spoken about the effect criticism from Real Madrid's television channel was having on his family life. 'When a child of yours goes to school and there are kids telling him that his father is a 'thief' and comes home crying, it's totally messed up,' De Burgos Bengoetxea told a news conference. 'What I do is try to educate my son, to say that his father is honest, above all honest, who can make mistakes, like any sportsperson,' he continued, becoming emotional. Wiping away tears, the 39-year-old called for deeper thought on the issue of referee abuse. 'Everyone should reflect about where we want to go, about what we want from sport and from football,' he added. Gonzalez Fuertes had suggested officials could take further action over Real Madrid TV's broadcasts in the coming weeks. 'Have no doubt that we are going to have to start taking much more serious measures than we are taking,' said Gonzalez Fuertes. 'We will not continue to allow what is happening. Soon, you will hear from us. 'We are going to make history, because we are not going to continue to bear what we are putting up with.' Real's behaviour drew ire from La Liga chief Javier Tebas. 'This is not football, this is about control of power,' said Tebas. '(Real) leaks that they will not turn up at the cup final, what thin skin… they don't want to improve football, they want their own football.'
Daily Mail
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Real Madrid TV launch fresh attack on referees ahead of LaLiga clash - after throwing Copa del Rey final into chaos with critical video targeting official
Real Madrid TV have launched a scathing fresh attack on another referee in the run-up to their LaLiga clash with Celta Vigo this weekend. Real Madrid's in-house television channel have previously been outspoken about officials, and even last week aired a highly critical video on Thursday targeting referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea. The segment claimed that Real Madrid had won 64 per cent of their matches officiated by De Burgos, compared to an 81 per cent win rate for Barcelona under his watch. A narrator described the difference as 'incredible', while De Burgos Bengoetxea's competence was questioned and images of alleged mistakes made throughout his career were shown on screen. Following the release of the video, De Burgos Bengoetxea gave an emotional press conference on Friday in which he broke down in tears while defending his integrity. Now, less than a week after their previous scathing editorial, the channel has again hit out at another official, Gil Manzano, who will officiate their match with Celta Vigo on Sunday. The latest video dubs Manzano 'the referee at the centre of the biggest refereeing scandal in recent times'. The 'scandal' in question, perhaps points to Manzano's decision not to award Real Madrid a winner over a year ago in their 2-2 draw with Valencia. In the ninth minute of added time - with seven initially indicated by the fourth official - Real had a corner which was headed away, but the ball was quickly crossed back into the box towards Jude Bellingham. However, despite it being a genuine goal-scoring opportunity for the visitors, who had battled back from 2-0 down, Manzano blew for full-time just before the cross, which was headed home by Bellingham, sparking outrage amongst the Los Blancos players. Though the incident happened more than a year ago - March 2024 - the Spanish giants seemingly have not forgotten, and saw fit to criticise the referee ahead of Sunday's game. Furthermore, data from Spanish outlet Marca suggests that games that have been officiated by Manzano have ended up with Real Madrid on the winning side on 40 of 52 occasions. Real Madrid are coming off the back of a bruising 3-2 defeat in extra time in the Copa del Rey final against arch-nemesis Barcelona. The game was overshadowed however by three red cards for Real in added time of extra time, one of which was shown after Antonio Rudiger threw an ice pack at De Burgos Bengoetxea. Bellingham thought he won it! 😱 The Englishman put the ball in the back of the net, but the final whistle sounded just seconds beforehand ❌ Real Madrid players are FURIOUS 😤 — Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) March 2, 2024 Real Madrid lost the Copa del Rey final last weekend after Real Madrid TV had launched another attack on the referee ahead of the game The German international was could also be seen insulting the referee, with some reports claiming the defender said 'you're a miscarriage' and 'son of a wh***', and was later handed a six-game ban for his actions. Ahead of the game, which was thrown into chaos by Real's accusations, Los Blancos swiftly pulled out of their scheduled pre-match media duties and cancelled their official training session in response to De Burgos Bengoetxea's press conference. However, the club later confirmed they would still fulfil the fixture. Earlier on Friday, Real had already released an initial statement defending the video aired by RMTV as being 'protected by freedom of expression' and accusing the refereeing team of showing 'clear and manifest animosity and hostility' towards them. They urged the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and the Refereeing Committee to 'act accordingly' to safeguard the credibility of the match. Although Real did not formally demand that De Burgos and his officiating team be replaced, a club source told Reuters the press conference was viewed as a 'clear conflict of interest' that had left the club in a state of 'unprecedented astonishment'. RFEF president Rafael Louzan appealed for 'calm, responsibility and common sense' but refused to comment further on whether any officiating changes would be made. Barcelona manager Hansi Flick also called for greater protection for match officials amid the mounting tensions. 'It is our responsibility to protect not only the players but all the people involved in the game,' Flick said.
New York Times
29-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Real Madrid's Antonio Rudiger given six-game ban for ‘throwing object' at referee, Jude Bellingham avoids suspension
Antonio Rudiger has been given a six-match ban for throwing an object at referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea during his side's 3-2 Copa del Rey final defeat by Barcelona — but his Real Madrid team-mate Jude Bellingham will not serve a suspension after being shown a red card following the game. Rudiger has been banned for six games for what the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF)'s Disciplinary Committee says constituted a 'minor violence against referees'. Advertisement The 32-year-old Germany centre-back had been substituted in the final but an outburst on the side of the pitch at the end of extra time saw him held back by team-mates and coaching staff. He was shown a red card and De Burgos Bengoetxea's referee's report said he was penalised for 'throwing an object from the technical area which did not reach me', adding he showed an 'aggressive attitude'. Bellingham avoided a sanction, despite De Burgos Bengoetxea's report saying of the England international's dismissal: 'He came towards us with an aggressive attitude, having to be held back by his teammates.' The RFEF concluded that, after reviewing video footage, which showed Bellingham displaying a 'calm attitude towards Barcelona players', they did not agree with the referee's report which led to his red card. 'It is evident that he is more than 15 metres from the referee's team,' the report said. 'That, given the distance between the player and the officials, it is impossible to conclude that the player went towards the position where the referees were in an aggressive attitude. Indeed, looking at the images, he did not even address them.' Lucas Vazquez, who like Rudiger had been substituted and was sent off for his touchline behaviour, has been given a two-match suspension for 'protesting' excessively in the direction of the officials. That suspension will be served during next season's Copa del Rey. The day after the final, Rudiger posted an apology to social media, saying there was 'no excuse for my behaviour last night'. Earlier on Tuesday, it was confirmed that the centre-back is expected to be sidelined for around six weeks after undergoing surgery for a meniscus tear. That timeframe covers Madrid's remaining five La Liga matches of the season, including their potential title decider against Barcelona on May 11, with Rudiger also set to miss the first game of the 2025-26 league campaign. Advertisement While suspensions in domestic Spanish football are competition-specific, a ban of four or more matches applies to La Liga as well. Rudiger has been a staple of Carlo Ancelotti's side this season, featuring 49 times in all competitions despite suffering ongoing knee problems throughout the campaign. The former Chelsea defender has been punished under a breach of article 101 of the RFEF's disciplinary code, which says: 'Mild violence toward the referees. Grabbing, pushing, or shaking, or generally using other attitudes toward the referees that, while only mildly violent, will result in a suspension of four to twelve matches.' Ahead of the match, referee De Burgos Bengoetxea broke down in tears during a pre-match press conference for the match officials after he was asked to speak about the impact of the scrutiny from Madrid's in-house television channel, Real Madrid TV. He became visibly emotional when recalling an incident when his child returned from school after his classmates had called him a 'thief.' Madrid, who responded by saying the incident was 'premeditated' and showed 'animosity and hostility' towards the club, subsequently cancelled their pre-match news conference. Madrid return to action in La Liga against Celta Vigo on May 4. By Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero Rudiger's outburst was a grimly predictable conclusion to a Copa del Rey final like no other. On Friday, De Burgos Bengoetxea broke down in tears as he explained the toll criticism from Real Madrid TV and other outlets had taken on him and his family. He spoke about his son coming home to tell him that classmates had called his father 'a thief' and the referee added that 'everyone should reflect on where we want to go and what we want from sport and football'. Madrid's response was to issue an angry statement arguing the press conference showed the match officials' 'clear and manifest hostility' towards the club, before publishing another statement in which they said 'they never considered withdrawing' from the game amid suggestions that could be a possibility. But the die was cast long ago when it comes to Madrid's relationship with referees. Advertisement RMTV regularly shows compilations of referees' supposed mistakes before games and 'corruption in the federation' chants are par for the course at the Bernabeu after it emerged that Barcelona paid €7.3million (£6.4m; $7.8m) to a company owned by the former vice-president of Spanish football's refereeing committee Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira from 2001-2018. He and Barcelona have denied the payments he received constitute any wrongdoing, with the club saying he was hired as an 'external consultant' who provided reports 'related to professional refereeing'. Officials in Spain already face huge levels of scrutiny, with daily newspapers and late-night radio shows dedicated to both Clasico rivals. Rudiger's actions will only have increased the pressure — and he has been punished accordingly.
New York Times
28-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
A wild Copa clasico's defining moments examined: Red cards, close calls and a spectacular winner
Goals, comebacks and red cards — the latest Clasico had something for everyone. Even before the final of the Copa del Rey kicked off on Saturday, Real Madrid made their frustrations known after referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea's comments in a pre-match press conference. During the match itself there were all the ingredients for a chaotic, emotional game that finished 3-2 to Barcelona. Here, The Athletic breaks down the key big moments that defined a wild Clasico. Let's start with the elephant in the room: Antonio Rudiger's dismissal from the bench, which was an ugly watch. As extra time winds down, Kylian Mbappe charges forward with the ball but catches Eric Garcia in the face ever so slightly. Garcia goes down and De Burgos Bengoetxea awards Barcelona a free kick. The Madrid bench almost pour out on to the pitch and objects are thrown in the referee's direction. Replays confirmed later that Rudiger was responsible for launching a projectile. De Burgos Bengoetxea sends Rudiger off. A seething Rudiger is held back, first by three Madrid staff members… … before fellow defenders Ferland Mendy and Jesus Vallejo join in to contain him as he mouths something to the referee. Rudiger was eventually taken to the stands by an official as play continued. Madrid captain Lucas Vazquez was sent off in the melee too, while Jude Bellingham received his marching orders after full time. Nursing a potential injury, conceding a late goal and a questionable foul call all contributed to Rudiger's mood. But two marginal decisions that went against Madrid — one that occurred just moments prior to Mbappe's foul on Garcia — are likely to have incensed him too. In the 118th minute, Brahim Diaz picks out Mbappe with a pass. Mbappe receives and dribbles past Inigo Martinez, but is slide-tackled from behind by Gavi. De Burgos Bengoetxea takes a moment before pointing to the spot as Gavi and Barcelona appeal in disbelief. But the referee then notices a flag up for offside on his right and signals for that instead, leaving Madrid's players and bench frustrated. Replays show that Gavi got a toe on the ball, which may have seen the penalty overturned anyway… It eventually becomes clear that, before his pass to Mbappe, Diaz was offside when receiving Fran Garcia's pass. The other moment occurred in first-half stoppage time with the score still at 1-0. Bellingham slips Vinicius Junior in behind Pau Cubarsi in transition. Vinicius Jr bears down on goal but miscontrols in the box, allowing Wojciech Szczesny to collect — but he ends up on the ground in the process. De Burgos Bengoetxea immediately points to the spot before noticing the offside flag on the far side. Replays show that Martinez slides into Vinicius Jr, suggesting that the penalty might have stood. But the semi-automated offside replay shows that Vinicius Jr had gone too early. Barcelona saw some first-half appeals turned down too, with Dani Ceballos involved in a scuffle with Cubarsi from a Dani Olmo corner that could have ended in a penalty. Their biggest appeal came late in regulation time with the score at 2-2 and extra time beckoning. Fermin Lopez lays off Cubarsi's header to Pedri, who passes to Raphinha. The Brazilian carries the ball into the box before going down under pressure from Raul Asencio. Once again, De Burgos Bengoetxea points to the spot immediately. Replays suggest Asencio's back leg may have caught Raphinha. However, having awarded the penalty with the clock at 95:21, a VAR check continues for more than three minutes before De Burgos Bengoetxea is called to the pitchside monitor. The zoomed-in replays hint that Raphinha was on his way down with no or minimal contact from Asencio, which convinces the referee to change his decision with the clock at 99:21. If not for the pre-game controversies, the quality on show would have been this Clasico's headliner. Barcelona's opener was a brilliant back-to-front move facilitated and finished off by Pedri. They were in control but wasted their chances. When Carlo Ancelotti brought on Mbappe, Arda Guler and Luka Modric within the first 10 minutes of the second half, it lit the fuse for a Madrid comeback. Their shape changed from a compact 4-4-1-1 to one where all their outfielders bar Rudiger, Asencio and Fran Garcia pushed forward to overload Barcelona's midfield and defence. Advertisement Barcelona responded by keeping their front three high, with Olmo joining the attack in transitions, giving them four players against Madrid's three. It also meant neither team had space to play out from the back and repeatedly went long, a ploy that favoured Madrid. Ancelotti's side pounced on loose balls and forced errors, one of which led to Frenkie De Jong fouling Mbappe at the edge of the box in the 68th minute. Barcelona's wall to defend the free kick was poorly constructed, daring Mbappe to shoot through the middle without needing to thread the needle. Szczesny was slow to react and Mbappe converted to make it 1-1. That was followed by Aurelien Tchouameni promptly scoring from Guler's corner. Suddenly, Madrid were in the ascendancy and Barcelona looked flustered. Both managers' desire to keep the game open, though, meant Hansi Flick's team needed just a moment of quality, and Lamine Yamal provided it. Receiving a pass near the halfway line, with Fran Garcia slow to close him down, the 17-year-old lofts a pass towards Ferran Torres, who is marked by Rudiger. Despite starting behind the German, Torres sprints ahead of him and dribbles past Thibaut Courtois, who is slow to come off his line… Torres scores — his sixth goal in this season's competition — into an empty net. The penalty incident involving Raphinha aside, chances remained at a premium from thereon until an innocuous moment led to the winner. Martinez's pass to Raphinha on the left wing was intercepted by Federico Valverde, with Modric pouncing on the loose ball. He then looks to pass across the pitch to Diaz, with Jules Kounde (edge of the frame) beginning a run from deep to close him down. Diaz chooses to let the ball run toward him rather than attacking it and Kounde pounces to intercept. Madrid's defence is too deep and Kounde has the freedom to pass to Raphinha, Lopez or Yamal. Instead, Kounde shoots and the effort sneaks underneath Courtois into the bottom left corner, winning the game for his team in the 116th minute. It was a spectacular goal that is etched in Clasico history and it should overshadow everything that came before and after it.
