The Copa del Rey final between Real Madrid and Barcelona on Saturday was marred by a shocking incident involving Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger. In the dying moments of the match, which saw Barcelona score a late winner, Rudiger, clearly enraged by the outcome, lost control and threw a bag full of ice at the referee, targeting his head. The frustration boiled over after what Rudiger perceived as a controversial incident involving Kylian Mbappe, and his aggressive outburst needed to be restrained by his teammates.
The situation escalated quickly as the Real Madrid coaching staff intervened, with four members physically holding Rudiger back. The entire Real Madrid bench joined in protest, voicing their dissatisfaction with the match's officiating, particularly regarding a possible foul on Mbappe in the dying minutes. The referee, Ricardo de Burgos Bengoechea, responded to the incident by issuing a red card to Rudiger, while also handing marching orders to two other Real Madrid players, Lucas Vázquez and Jude Bellingham. Notably, only Bellingham was still on the pitch when the final whistle blew.
Rudiger now faces a potential multi-game suspension for his conduct, which included throwing the ice bag at the referee and engaging in an aggressive protest. In his official match report, de Burgos described the act as one where Rudiger “threw an object from the coaching area that didn’t reach me” and noted that the defender exhibited an “aggressive attitude.”
The incident occurred against the backdrop of controversy surrounding the officiating ahead of the final. Real Madrid had expressed strong disapproval of the referees selected to officiate the match, accusing them of harboring "animosity and hostility" towards the club. The club even went as far as to boycott the pre-match press conference in protest. This dispute stemmed from a video produced by Real Madrid TV that highlighted previous refereeing errors involving de Burgos. In response, de Burgos addressed a press conference, emotionally discussing the impact of the video package, comparing it to a child being told their father was a thief.
In his remarks, de Burgos explained the personal toll such accusations take, saying, "When a child arrives at school and his mates tell him that his father is a thief, it makes you sick." He stressed the challenges that referees face, not just at the professional level but also in grassroots football, and emphasized the importance of integrity in the role. "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. It's very hard, I don’t recommend it to anyone," he added.
The tensions surrounding the final and the actions of the players and officials have sparked widespread debate about the role of referees, the conduct of players, and the impact of media portrayals of refereeing decisions in high-stakes football matches.
