Less than 48 hours before the final of the Copa del Rey between Real Madrid and Barcelona, the official channel of Real Madrid released a video harshly criticizing Ricardo de Burgos, the referee of the match.

The video was published by Real Madrid TV on Thursday afternoon and lasts more than 3 minutes. In it, not only is De Burgos’ refereeing standards questioned, but a series of his past decisions—allegedly against Real Madrid—are reviewed.

The video begins with: “What you are about to see is the identity card of Ricardo de Burgos, the referee chosen for the Copa del Rey final between Real Madrid and Barcelona. With this Basque referee, Real Madrid has only a 64% win rate, while Barcelona has an 81% win rate—a staggering difference that coincides with the fact that Ancelotti’s team has won only 2 of their last 5 matches under his officiating.”

Later, Real Madrid TV questions De Burgos’ credibility: “Although he has been an international referee since 2018, UEFA has never selected him for a Champions League match, and FIFA has not used him in any of its competitions. Yet, this is the third Real Madrid-Barcelona final he will officiate. He is well-known in Spain, but not internationally.”

The video concludes by reviewing a series of controversial decisions made by De Burgos—both on the field and in the VAR room—which, according to Real Madrid’s official channel, have consistently gone against the club. From the club’s perspective, the final has effectively begun even before the first whistle.