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Fans have reacted to reports of Real Madrid considering boycotting the Copa del Rey clash with Barcelona on Saturday (April 26) amid a referee controversy. The incident pertains to comments made by Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea, the referee assigned for the big game.
Following a RMTV video detailing the mistakes made by Bengoetxea during his career, the referee said (as per the Guardian):
"When a child arrives at school and his mates tell him that his father is a thief, it makes you sick. What I do is try to educate my son to tell him that his father is an honest man, that he makes mistakes like any other sportsman.
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"It’s very hard, I don’t recommend it to anyone … It is not right what we are going through for many colleagues, not only in professional football, but also in grassroots football. Let everyone reflect on where we want to go, on what we want from sport and from football.”
Madrid Xtra has reported that Los Blancos are preparing a statement about the ref's comments and are even contemplating going home without playing the Copa del Rey final.
Fans, though, didn't take kindly to the development, with one tweeting:
"Too scared to play, huh?"
Another chimed in:
"Embarassing club"
There were similar comments from other fans, with one tweeting:
"Why are Madrid this embarrassing? This is the biggest club in the world apparently."
Another wrote:
"Yeah, play the victim after spreading propaganda, classic Madrid"
One fan saracastically remarked:
"Never fails to amaze me"
Both teams are coming off 1-0 La Liga wins, with Madrid winning at Getafe and Barcelona seeing off Mallorca at home.
What happened the last time Real Madrid played Barcelona in a Copa del Rey final?
The upcoming meeting between Real Madrid and Barcelona will be the 260th edition of the famed El Clasico rivalry and the eighth time the two sides will clash in a Copa del Rey final.
The last time it happened was over a decade ago - in 2014 - when Los Blancos won 2-1, thanks to Gareth Bale's spectacular 85th-minute winner following a blistering run.
Earlier in the game, Angel Di Maria had opened the scoring in the 11th minute, which was cancelled out by Marc Batra midway through the second half. The win was Real Madrid's 19th in the Copa del Rey.
