What’s the story?
The RFEF, Spain’s Football Federation, has received a petition to strip Real Madrid of four Copa del Rey titles. Los Blancos lifted the cup four times between 1903 and 1909, but the petition claims that those victories should be rescinded owing to them not being ‘official’ tournaments organised by the RFEF themselves.
In case you didn’t know...
The Copa del Rey was formed in 1903 to celebrate the coronation of King Alfonso XIII of Spain, with the competition then called the Copa de Su Majestad El Rey Alfonso XIII. La Liga had not been formed then, thus the King’s Cup was Spain’s national tournament at that time. Athletic Bilbao won the inaugural edition and defended their crown the following year without even playing the final, with Real Madrid then proceeding to lift the trophy for the first time in 1905.
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The heart of the matter
The petition submitted to the RFEF hinges around the fact that the RFEF themselves did not come into existence until 1909 and thus the competition could not be considered ‘official’. Real Madrid won the trophy four years in succession – 1905, 1906, 1907 and 1908, with the last trophy notable for the fact that only 1 game was played in the entire tournament.
Curiously enough, the request has been filed by Barcelona ultra Joaquim Molins, a member of socio group Un Crit Valent. Molins uses the precedent of the RFEF stripping Levante and Barcelona of two trophies in the past – the Copa del Presidente de la Republica won by Levante in 1937, and the Mediterranean League won by FC Barcelona in 1937 as well. The RFEF noted that these two cups were not organised by the national body recognised by FIFA and thus could not award them an ‘official’ status.
In his lawsuit, Molins contends that since the RFEF did not even exist, and that the competition was organised by Madrid themselves, they cannot be considered 'official'. No mention is made of the two trophies Athletic Bilbao won at the start.
What's next?
Real Madrid have taken part in 39 Copa del Rey finals, the most of any club in Spain, although Barcelona will equal them when they take on Deportivo Alaves in the King's Cup final this year. The Catalans have the record of most trophies (28), with Real Madrid far behind on 19. Should the RFEF yield to this request, Madrid will be even further behind on 15
Sportskeeda’s Take
One look at the person who filed this petition is enough to learn of the motivation behind it, but the argument is sound, nonetheless. In its opening few years, the Copa del Rey was mired in controversy, and could barely be called a competition, given that the clubs were invited by Madrid themselves. There is a precedent, although the likelihood of Real Madrid actually being stripped of those titles is very little.
