Real Madrid News
Just in – Real Madrid boycott press conference, training ahead of Copa del Rey final
Tensions have escalated sharply just hours before the Copa del Rey final between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, set to be played this Saturday at La Cartuja.
Indeed, according to MARCA, Real Madrid have decided not to attend any of the official pre-match events organised by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).
The Spanish capital giants have cancelled its participation in the scheduled press conference, the pre-match training session, and the official team photo.
According to the report, the decision is directly linked to the fallout from the referees’ press conference, which has triggered significant anger within the club.
As reported earlier, Real Madrid are unhappy with the comments made by match referee Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea as well as VAR official Pablo Gonzalez Fuertes in their press conference earlier today.
Los Blancos sought to replace the match officials citing concerns over whether the currently assigned referees can see the match through impartially. However, their request was not entertained by the RFEF.
In response, Los Blancos have now decided to boycott all official pre-match events heading into the final.
Real Madrid were originally due to speak to the media at 19:15 (CET), train at 20:00 (CET), and take part in the customary photo session featuring Luka Modric and Carlo Ancelotti alongside Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Hansi Flick.
All appearances have now been cancelled, marking a historic act of protest from the club.
The situation has left officials in Sevilla stunned. While it is still expected that Real Madrid will take the field for the final, uncertainty remains.
With all tickets sold and 30,000 Madrid fans having travelled to the city, the possibility of disruption looms large.
As one off-the-record source at Estadio de La Cartuja commented, “It is assumed they will show up,” reflecting the disbelief surrounding today’s developments.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid explored moves for Man City and Inter Milan stars before Ibrahima Konate transfer
Real Madrid’s summer activity saw the club bring in Ibrahima Konate on a free transfer. The former Liverpool star was one of many players to join the club in the summer.
While Konate has proven to be a shrewd piece of business, the club have once again lacked depth in central defence.
They have not been helped by the fact that Eder Militao is still out with an injury while David Alaba left in the club in the summer.
Real Madrid chose Ibrahima over Bastoni and Dias
According to Fabrizio Romano (h/t Madrid Zone), Real Madrid were fairly ambitious in the summer, as far as their defensive reinforcements plans were concerned.
The club had targeted a move for Alessandro Bastoni, which is not a secret at this point as arch rivals Barcelona were also interested. But inter Milan had no desire to sell, and the player ended up remaining at the club.
But one more player Real Madrid were targeting in the summer was Manchester City star Ruben Dias, who is considered one of the best in the Premier League.
Ultimately, though, Real Madrid abandoned the pursuit of both Dias and Bastoni in order to chose Konate. It did take a while for Los Blancos to convince the former Liverpool star to jump ship and join Santiago Bernabeu on a free transfer.
What’s next for Real Madrid?
Seeing the lack of depth in central defence this season, Real Madrid are once again expected to enter the market for a new centre-back.
Romano had earlier claimed that the club are keen on signing a centre-back, as well as a midfielder for the summer of 2027, with Jarrel Quansah as a potential target.
But given the way Real Madrid have struggled with a lack of options at the heart of the backline, it won’t be surprising to see the club make a move for a new centre-back in the upcoming January transfer window.
It will be equally interesting to see what transpires with the future of Raul Asencio, who is no longer a valued member of the first-team and the club remain determined to offload him in the near future.
