Copa del Rey final referee statements "unacceptable": Real Madrid

Copa del Rey final referee statements “unacceptable”: Real Madrid

(FILES) Real Madrid's Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti holds a press conference at the Ciudad Real Madrid training ground in Valdebebas, outskirts of Madrid, on February 9, 2024 on the eve of their La Liga football match against Girona FC. - Spain prosecutors seek jail term for football manager Carlo Ancelotti for tax evasion AFP reports on March 6, 2024. (Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP)

Real Madrid said complaints made by Copa del Rey final referees against pressure from the club’s television channel were “unacceptable” on Friday, after pulling out of planned pre-match activities.

“These statements… made in a premeditated manner 24 hours earlier against one of the participants in the final, demonstrate, once again, a clear and manifest animosity and hostility of these referees towards Real Madrid,” said the Spanish champions on the eve of Saturday’s cup final in Seville.