In the latest installment of his official column for Hollywoodbets Sports, Jerome Damon touches on the controversy surrounding referee Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea in a tense Copa del Rey final.
When your child goes to school and is told his father is a ‘thief’ and comes home crying, it’s really tough…
Everyone should reflect on where they want to go and what they want from sports and football.
The essence of the beautiful game is eroding fast, if the furore around the appointment of referee Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea to the recent Copa del Rey Final is anything to go by.
Having been on either side of the scale as referee and as committee member, appointing the referee for the cup final is not as easy. What are some of the criteria the Spanish Refereeing Committee would have had to consider?
One is reminded that in Spanish football, nothing gets bigger than Real Madrid against Barcelona; it’s more than just a game, it’s history, legacy, royalty, you name it, that would be it!
So, not just any referee can referee this match.
Let’s dig into the criteria: First and foremost has to be experience. It is not easy to pick up a whistle and perform in front of 80,000 crazed fans who only see their team.
This comes after many years of refereeing different matches and in different contexts, and even then, that may not be enough. The current form of the referees, who are the top performers recently, based on match observer reports?
What are teams saying about certain referees? How do players react when he referees? What are the media saying? Has the referee been out of the media spotlight… are some of the questions that they would have pored over.
Nothing draws stark attention to any match like the appointment of the match referee, so besides the obvious match fitness and freshness of the match official, it is BMT that counts for the most.
Like many fast-food restaurants, there is that one secret essence that makes the meal taste good, and this is the same in refereeing, a poor appointment, can ruin the occasion.
The Spanish Committee would have sifted through the entire season’s data and considered very carefully whom to appoint. From the pool of maybe three candidates, they would have preferenced their decision and even then, still considered the opinion of former Spanish football greats (we call them technical advisors), and they may have also snuck an opinion of the FA President, just to be sure.
I think that this is fair that the President of the Federation should know first.
And so when Senor Bengoetxea was announced as the Final Referee for the Copa Del Rey Final, there should have been acceptance that this was the best man for the job. Certainly, Referee Bengoetxea and his family would have been over the moon that his hard work, years of sacrifice, dedication and talent had been acknowledged.
It is any referee’s dream to referee a match between Real Madrid and Barcelona, let alone in the Final, in front of the King of Spain and in a packed stadium cauldron.
Sadly, this was not the case – Real Madrid’s social media gurus went about to profile the referee, but in doing so, they framed Senor Ricardo as the potential villain of the match, citing that Barcelona won more matches than Real Madrid with him in charge!
Going as far as highlighting errors that he has made in matches, which got his son bullied at school. No other role player has this type of scrutiny!
Imagine them profiling Mbappe’s missed chances before such an important match. Real Madrid issued a statement after, but the damage had already been done.
I know that teams try to sway public opinion, so-doing try to manipulate appointments – they have been doing it for years. One thing was for sure, the referee was set up for a hiding to nothing.
And this, is not fair play!
And as fate would have it, fast forward to the 90+4 minute of the final – scores are tied 2-2 and Real’s Raphinha goes down in the penalty area.
Señor Ricardo points to the spot. A penalty to Real Madrid. The crowd is delirious, but the VAR calls, “I recommend, please, Richi, that you come see the penalty you just awarded.”
The images clearly show that there was no contact. At that moment, there was no time to consider what had happened in the week, the ugliness, the hurt and the pain caused.
What was needed was professionalism, accuracy, and calm focus. After taking his time, Referee Bengoetxea cancelled the penalty and awarded a free kick to Barcelona instead.
Was it the correct action? 100%. Bengoetxea was the correct choice for the job, and this week, it’s SA’s turn, the double Soweto Derby over the next two weekends.
Let’s hope that neither Kaizer Chiefs nor Orlando Pirates resorts to these tactics. I believe that they are better, so Fair Play shall prevail.
Former referee Jerome Damon – who featured in multiple World Cup tournaments – delivers his authoritative column every week, exclusively for Hollywoodbets Sports…
