Refereeing officials took center stage in a moving press conference on Friday as the countdown to the highly anticipated Copa del Rey final match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, which is set for Saturday at 22:00, began.  They emphasized the impact of these tensions on their families and voiced their serious concerns about the constant pressure and animosity from clubs, with Real Madrid frequently leading the charge.

The referee assigned to handle this pivotal match, Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea, revealed a heartbreaking personal revelation.  “It is really difficult when your child is labeled a ‘thief’ at school because of your line of work and comes home crying.  My goal is to educate my son and teach him that his father is a good man.  I want my son to be proud of me after I stop officiating.  Everyone should consider their values and expectations in relation to football and sports.  “I want you to know that this is really difficult,” he continued, his eyes welling with tears.

Real Madrid TV gave De Burgos a lot of attention this week.  The Madrid club’s official media outlet, the network, expressed shock at his selection for such a significant game, pointing out that UEFA has never proposed him to officiate a Champions League match.  They implied that the Basque referee might be biased in favor of Barcelona, pointing out that the Catalan team has outperformed its opponents in terms of wins under his watch.