Before the Copa del Rey final, La Liga president Javier Tebas criticized Real Madrid’s president after the club boycotted both training and the press conference.
It seems that Real Madrid and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) are at odds. The situation in Spanish football has been heated with Real Madrid’s request to change the referee for the Copa del Rey final and their refusal to participate in any of the pre-match formalities. In this context, La Liga president Tebas, who is also vice-president of RFEF, has strongly criticized Real Madrid’s president, Florentino Pérez.
On Friday night, Tebas took to social media to attack Pérez in harsh terms, although he didn’t mention Pérez by name.
“This is not football; this is a power struggle. He (Florentino Pérez) doesn’t like Tebas because when he asks for something, Tebas doesn’t comply. He doesn’t like Ceferin (UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin) because when he asks for something, Ceferin doesn’t comply. He doesn’t like TV commentators because when he asks for something, they don’t say what he wants. They (Real Madrid) don’t want progress in refereeing reform because it doesn’t align with what he wants,” Tebas wrote.
“Now, Real Madrid is annoyed by the constant harassment from TV, and after the referee’s comments, Pérez is responding in his own way: canceling press conferences, avoiding training in Seville, skipping the Copa del Rey final formalities, and spreading rumors that they won’t attend the final.”
Real Madrid’s TV channel, RMTV, often criticizes refereeing decisions, and on Thursday, they published a video showing several mistakes made by the final’s referee, Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea, during his career.
The pressure from RMTV’s criticism led to de Burgos breaking down in tears during Friday’s press conference. At the same event, the final’s Video Assistant Referee (VAR), González Fuertes, warned that they would soon take “action” against RMTV.
In response to these issues, Real Madrid requested that both de Burgos and Fuertes be removed from the final, but the Federation made it clear that there would be no change in the referee.
This led to Real Madrid boycotting the press conference and training session on the eve of the match.
Tebas also accused Pérez of not caring about football’s improvement.
“He doesn’t protest, he pressures. He doesn’t file complaints, he makes threats… He doesn’t want to improve football; he only wants it for himself. The worst part is, he doesn’t even try. The worst part is that many accept it, indulge him, and help him.”
