Barcelona star praises Copa del Rey final referee after Real Madrid criticism

Barcelona star Inigo Martinez has backed Copa del Rey final referee Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea in the face of Real Madrid criticism.

De Burgos Bengoetxea and his VAR official Pablo Gonzalez Fuertes found themselves as headline news ahead of the final.

Gonzalez Fuentes’ criticism of Real Madrid tactic to broadcast videos of referees before important games caused a major backlash from Los Blancos.

In a chaotic build up to the final, Real Madrid requested a change of referee at the last minute, and cancelled all training and media duties before the game.

As the stakes ramped up, Real Madrid relented slightly, and issued a statement denying rumours they were planning to boycott the final, if their demands were not met.

The final itself saw pressure on De Burgos Bengoetxea as he overruled a Barcelona penalty via VAR and rejected a Real Madrid spot kick shout in extra time.

The real chaos erupted after the final whistle, with Antonio Rudiger facing a lengthy ban for allegedly throwing an object at the officials, as the German defender sent off alongside Jude Bellingham and Lucas Vazquez.

Martinez spoke out on the issue at full time with the experienced defender praising the officials for a difficult night’s work.

“I send my congratulations to Richi and his team of of officials; they’ve been at a great level. I hope we can all do the same,” as per quotes from Marca.

“It’s been very unfair to reach the level [of criticism] we did before the game and we have to support them. We all fail in life and it’s hard.

“Nobody likes to be in that situation. I knew it would be complicated, with a lot of fuss around it. I’m happy for him, he’s a great guy whose professionalism never fails to meet the standard it should.”