Before El Clasico, referee breaks down following Real Madrid row

Hours before Saturday’s Copa del Rey final, the referee who is in the eye of the storm broke down, saying his family has been ‘targeted and abused’. Real Madrid are set to lock horns with Barcelona in the final but the clash has been overshadowed allegations of poor officiating Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea, who will officiate in the match.
Ahead of the match, Real Madrid TV highlighted what they felt were ‘makes’ involving de Burgos when he officiated in matches involving the club. The Spanish giants’ in-house channel claimed the club’s win rate was 64 under his refereeing while Barcelona had 81 percent success rate.
The debate reached a stage where it was speculated that Real Madrid would boycott the final before the club confirmed they would take the field for the crucial clash.
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However, the referee spoke out, getting emotional and claiming that his family has been subject to abuse after Real Madrid’s allegations and his son faced bullying at school.
“When your son comes back from school and other kids have said to him that his father is a thief, it’s really hard,” de Burges was quoted as saying Xinhua. “They have no right to make us go through this, but it’s not just something between professionals; a lot of families depend on this, and everyone should take some time to reflect on what they are doing.”
The Video Assant Referee for the match, Pablo Gonzalez Fuentes, also criticised Real Madrid TV’s actions. “They have to understand the consequences of these videos,” he said, explaining that they lead to online campaigns against officials.
He added: “We’re seeing community managers on official social media platforms attacking the community for just one more like. We see actions football players that suggest we’re dishonest. When a journal talks about ‘theft,’ fans take that frustration out on the child who’s about to referee a youth team. We must address these types of situations and return to a healthier and cleaner style of football.”