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Barcelona defender Inigo Martinez has made a big claim after the Blaugrana beat Real Madrid 3-2 to win the Copa del Rey trophy in Seville yesterday (April 26). Before the game, there was a lot of tension around referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea, who was publicly criticized by Madrid's official TV channel.
The referee was set to take charge of the cup final prior to the criticisms. However, in his press conference, he revealed that his son had been bullied at school due to the content from Madrid's TV, which caused the Spanish giants to demand a change in referees.
The Spanish Football Federation decided against such a change and insisted that De Burgos Bengoetxea would handle the game. This led to Los Blancos' decision to boycott all pre-game activities. The match eventually took place, with Barcelona beating Real Madrid 3-2 in extra time.
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However, it wasn't without a fair bit of controversy, as Jude Bellingham, Lucas Vasquez, and Antonio Rudiger all picked up red cards. Speaking about the referee afterwards, though, Inigo Martinez said (via Barca Universal):
“Congratulations to Richi (De Burgos) and his team-mates who have been at a very high level. I hope we all do the same and put ourselves in their shoes because it was very unfair to reach those levels.
“We have to support them because we all fail in life and it’s hard what they go through. Nobody likes to be in that situation."
The Barcelona defender slammed Real Madrid's earlier criticisms, telling the press:
“What happened yesterday is not up to the level of the great club that is Madrid. That’s my opinion. It’s not easy to be there and have everyone pointing the finger at you, that’s why I congratulated the referee today. We all make mistakes.”
“I think football won today and that’s what’s important. We knew there was a lot of hype around them and that it was going to be complicated but he was able to handle it and I’m happy for Richi because he’s a great guy."
The referee had to brandish a red card to Rudiger late in the game, after the defender threw an object towards the official late in extra time. Reports have revealed that Madrid defender could be punished with a ban of up to 12 games.
Barcelona beat Real Madrid 3-2 to clinch Copa del Rey
Barcelona were the better side against a strong Real Madrid side, needing extra time to snatch the Copa del Rey at Estadio La Cartuja. The Blaugrana opened the scoring through Pedri in the 28th minute, and it took until the 70th minute for a Kylian Mbappe free kick to level the game.
Aurelien Tchouameni put Los Blancos ahead with a header in the 77th minute, before Ferran Torres kept Barca in the game with an 84th-minute goal. In extra time, the Blaugrana needed Jules Kounde's long-range effort in the 116th minute to put the trophy in their hands.
The season isn't over for either club yet, as Real Madrid and Barcelona remain in the hunt for the La Liga title. Four points separate them, with the Catalan giants leading the pack. There are just five games left, leaving the door open for anyone to win the league.
