The military police chief looks, by any standards, magnificent - shoulders back and proudly wearing the black uniform of the Carabinieri. "Our history goes back more than 200 years," he says. "We remember our past, and our place. The only people with black uniforms are the priests, the judges and the Carabinieri." He leaves the rest unsaid - the Carabinieri sit at the heart of Italian cultural life. Pope latest: Security ramping up ahead of funeral Once, they defended the borders of a young nation. Now, they have a new challenge that has its own weighty burden - to keep St Peter's Square safe during the funeral of Pope Francis. This is no easy task. Hundreds of thousands will descend upon the Vatican for the event. Many of the world's best-known politicians and dignitaries will be welcomed into St Peter's Basilica. Inside will be Donald Trump, Sir Keir Starmer, Joe Biden, Emmanuel Macron, Prince William and dozens upon dozens of other dignitaries. Outside will be the Carabinieri. They won't be alone - there are thousands of other police officers due to be assigned to protect the event - but the Carabinieri are affiliated to the military; the most highly-trained officers on duty. Read more:How Pope Francis's funeral will unfoldPope's doctor reveals pontiff's last regret "This is an extraordinary operation," says Sarnelli, as we look out over the crowd. "So we have employed some special units that belong to Carabinieri - the bomb squad, a dogs unit, snipers and helicopters. We want to assure the people who are arriving here that they can take part in this event in the best way, in a secure way." He says they are ready for "common crimes" - like pickpockets in the crowd - but also "the biggest, terrifying events". He says there is "excellent coordination" with police forces from other countries. Around him, his officers are smiling, chatting to tourists and Romans alike. The security here is overt but friendly, even if I'm told there are also plenty of plain-clothed officers mingling within the crowd. Guns and grins both on show. A police helicopter circles above. In the port of Rome, a naval destroyer has been primed for action; there are fighter jets ready to take off. You can watch full coverage of the funeral live on Sky News on Saturday If the impression is relaxed, the reality is different. The classic swan. All the strands are pulled together from one place and, what's more, it offers a perfect view of Vatican City. From where I'm standing, I can see the front of St Peter's Basilica, the side, and the roads around it. I can see the crowds coming in, and the crowds going out. And I can see an anxious policeman drumming his fingers. But we are not in St Peter's and not even in the Vatican. This is the high-security control room on the fifth floor of Rome's police headquarters. And from here, you can see everything. An array of screens are in front of us and, watching them, men and women, huddled over screens and all wearing contrasting uniforms. Some are military, some national police, some wear the clothes of firefighters. A few are in plain clothes and there is even a man wearing the badge of the prison officers' service. This centre is a hub for collaboration and decision-making and it brings together every service that is involved in ensuring the safety and security of the funeral. There is a Carabinieri officer here, as well as the Guardia di Finanza national police and the Roman force. The government's secret intelligence service is represented here, too. Elisabetta Accardo is from Rome's police department. We talk against the gentle hubbub in the control room, colleagues pointing at screens and agreeing plans. I ask when Italy last had to deal with a security operation on this scale, and she laughs. "Hundreds of years," she says. "It is unprecedented. The level of security is at the maximum." She describes the plan as "structured three-dimensional security". It is a plan that has been long in the making, but which has been reshaped over the past few days to react to the whims of the Pope's final wishes. It is, after all, more than a century since a pope was buried outside the walls of the Vatican. You get the impression that the people designing the security plan could rather have done without having to add an hour-long procession through Rome into the plan. But so be it. By Saturday night, it will be done. Rome can start to get back to normal; the foreign leaders will be on their way home. And the Rome police will breathe just a little bit easier.

It was the biggest robbery of an individual in France for more than 20 years - and made front pages around the world. Now, almost a decade on, the case is finally coming to court. Why has it taken so long? Will Kardashian give evidence? And who exactly are the "grandpa robbers" facing trial? Here's everything you need to know. What happened? Two years after Kardashian and rapper Kanye West tied the knot in an ostentatious week-long celebration spanning Paris and Florence, the Kardashian-West clan were back in the French capital for Paris Fashion Week. Her then husband had returned to the US to pick up his Saint Pablo tour - but Kardashian, along with her sister Kourtney and various members of their entourage, remained in Paris, staying in an exclusive set of apartments so discreet they've been dubbed the No Address Hotel. Nestled on Tronchet Street, just a stone's throw from Place de l'Opéra, and close to the fashionable Avenue Montaigne, the Hotel de Pourtalès is popular with A-list stars staying in the French capital. A stay in the Sky Penthouse, the suite occupied by Kardashian, will currently set you back about £13,000 a night. On the evening of 3 October, after attending a fashion show with her sister, Kardashian remained in the apartment alone while the rest of her convoy - including her bodyguard Pascal Duvier - went out for the night. At about 2.30am, three armed men wearing ski masks and dressed as police forced their way into the apartment block - and according to investigators, they threatened the concierge at gunpoint. Two of them are alleged to have forced the concierge to lead them to Kardashian's suite. He later told police they yelled at him: "Where's the rapper's wife?" Kardashian said she had been "dozing" on her bed when the men then entered her room. She has said she believes her social media posts provided the alleged robbers with "a window of opportunity". "I was Snapchatting that I was home, and that everyone was going out," she said in the months after the incident. The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star vividly described the attack in a police report, as reported in the French weekly paper Le Journal Du Dimanche. "They grabbed me and took me into the hallway. They tied me up with plastic cables and taped my hands, then they put tape over my mouth and my legs." She said they pointed a gun at her, asking specifically for her ring and also for money. Kardashian says they carried her into the bathroom and put her in the bathtub. She said she was wearing only a bathrobe at the time. She had initially thought the robbers "were terrorists who had come to kidnap me", according to a French police report taken in New York three months after the robbery. Kardashian told officers: "I thought I was going to die." According to police, the robbers - who left the room after grabbing their haul, escaped on bicycles with items estimated to be worth about $10m (£7.5m), including a $4m (£3m) 18.88-carat diamond engagement ring from West. After they had left, Kardashian said she escaped her restraints and went to find help. After speaking to detectives, she immediately returned to the US on a private jet and later hired a completely new security team. What was stolen? As well as her engagement ring, Kardashian said the thieves took her large Louis Vuitton jewellery box, which she said contained "everything I owned". In police reports given to the French authorities at about 4.30am on the night of the alleged robbery, Kardashian listed these items as having been stolen: • Two diamond Cartier bracelets• A gold and diamond Jacob necklace• Diamond earrings by Lauren Schwartz• Yanina earrings• Three gold Jacob necklaces• Little bracelets, jewels and rings• A Lauren Schwartz diamond necklace• A necklace with six little diamonds• A necklace with Saint spelt out in diamonds• A cross-shaped diamond-encrusted Jacob cross• A yellow gold Rolex watch• Two yellow gold rings• An iPhone 6 and a BlackBerry Police recovered only the diamond-encrusted cross that was dropped by the robbers while leaving. It's likely the gold in the haul was melted down and resold, while the diamond engagement ring that is now so associated with the robbery would be far too recognisable to sell on the open market. What will happen in court? The hearing will begin at the Court of Appeal of Paris - the largest appeals court in France - on 28 April and is scheduled to last a month. It will consist of a presiding judge, two professional assessors, and six main jurors. The hearing involves more than 2,000 documents and there are four civil parties. Who is being tried? There were initially 12 defendants in the case, but one person has died and another has a medical condition that prevents their involvement. This means 10 people - nine men and one woman - are standing trial. Five of them, who were all aged between 60 and 72 at the time of the incident, face armed robbery and kidnapping charges. They are: • Yunice Abbas• Aomar Ait Khedache• Harminv Ait Khedache• Didier Dubreucq• Marc-Alexandre Boyer Abbas, 72, has admitted his participation in the robbery. In 2021, he published a book about the robbery, titled I Kidnapped Kim Kardashian. In 2021, a court ruled he would not benefit financially from the book. Aomar Ait Khedache, 69, known to French crime reporters as "Old Omar", has also admitted participating in the heist but denies the prosecution's accusation that he was the ringleader. The remaining five defendants are charged with complicity in the heist or the unauthorised possession of a weapon. They are: • Florus Heroui• Gary Mader• Christiane Glotin• François Delaporte• Marc Boyer Among those, Mader was a VIP greeter who worked for the car company Kardashian used in Paris, and Heroui was a bar manager who allegedly passed on information about Kardashian's movements. With many of the accused now ageing and with various serious health conditions, and some having spent time in jail following their arrest, all are currently free under judicial supervision. If found guilty, those accused of the more serious crimes could face 10 years to life imprisonment. Will Kardashian give evidence? Yes. Lawyer Michael Rhodes said Kardashian has "tremendous appreciation and admiration for the French judicial system" and "wishes for the trial to proceed in an orderly fashion in accordance with French law and with respect for all parties to the case". A trainee lawyer herself, Kardashian has become a high-profile criminal justice advocate in the US in recent years. Why has it taken so long to come to court? There was initially a manhunt after the robbery, with French police under pressure to prove that Paris's security was not in question. Just the year before in 2015, the capital had been shaken by terrorist attacks by Islamic militants, in which 130 people were killed, including 90 at a music event at the Bataclan theatre. French police initially arrested 17 people in the Kardashian case in January 2017 - three months after the robbery - assisted by DNA traces found on plastic bands used to tie her wrists. Twelve people were later charged. It was ordered to be sent to trial in 2021 - at a time when limited court proceedings were happening due to multiple COVID lockdowns, and France was holding its largest ever criminal trial over the November 2015 terror attacks. What has Kardashian said about the incident? Kardashian has described the robbery as a "life-changing" moment. She took three weeks away from filming her reality TV show Keeping Up With the Kardashians, and took a three-month break from social media. In a March 2017 episode titled Paris, Kardashian first spoke publicly about her ordeal. She described first hearing a noise in her apartment, and calling out, thinking it was her sister and assistant: "At that moment when there wasn't an answer, my heart started to get really tense. Like, you know, your stomach just kind of like, knots up and you're like, 'OK, what's going on?' I knew something wasn't quite right." She went on: "They asked for money. I said, 'I don't have any money'. They dragged me out to the hallway on top of the stairs. That's when I saw the gun, clear as day. I was looking at the gun, looking down back at the stairs. I was like, I have a split second in my mind to make this quick decision. "Either they're going to shoot me in the back or if I make it [down the stairs] and the elevator does not open in time or the stairs are locked, there's no way out." Three months later, she told a Forbes Power Women's Summit she had changed her approach to posting on social media: "They had followed my moves on social media, and they knew my every move and what I had." She added: "It was definitely a huge, huge, huge lesson for me to not show off some of the things that I have. It was a huge lesson to me to not show off where I go. "It's just changed my whole life, but I think for the better." In October 2020, Kardashian told US interviewer David Letterman she feared she would be raped and murdered during the heist, and that her sister had been at the forefront of her mind during the incident. Speaking on My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, Kardashian said: "I kept on thinking about Kourtney, I kept on thinking she's going to come home and I'm going to be dead in the room and she's going to be traumatised for the rest of her life if she sees me... I thought that was my fate." When speaking to French police about the impact the robbery had had on her three months after it, Kardashian said: "I think that my perception of jewellery now is that I am not as attached to it as I used to be. I don't have the same feeling about it. In fact, I even think that it has become a bit of a burden to have the responsibility of such expensive jewels. "There is nothing of sentimental value to compare with the act of going home and finding one's children and one's family." She went on to describe Paris as "not the right place" for her, and didn't return to the French capital for two years following the robbery. Kardashian has since said in a 2023 episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians that she did not purchase any jewellery in the seven years following the robbery, kept no jewellery at her home and only wore items that are either borrowed or fake. She said the realisation that material items don't matter has made her "a completely different person in the best way".

The leader of the opposition criticised talk of "stitch ups" ahead of next week's local elections and said she was instead focused on ensuring that voters have a "credible Conservative offer". Speaking to reporters from Stratford-upon-Avon, she said: "We are not doing a deal with Reform. There's not going to be a pact. "What we need to do right now is focus on ensuring that voters have a credible Conservative offer. "When we start talking about stitch ups before an election it sounds as if we are not thinking about the people out there but just about how we win. "Winning is just the first step - we need to talk about how we are going to deliver for the people of this country." Her words come after Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen suggested his party may have to join forces with Nigel Farage's Reform UK. In an interview with Politico, he said: "I don't know what it looks like. I don't know whether it's a pact. I don't know whether it's a merger … [or] a pact of trust and confidence or whatever. "But if we want to make sure that there is a sensible centre-right party leading this country, then there is going to have to be a coming together of Reform and the Conservative Party in some way." He added: "What that looks like is slightly above my pay grade at the moment." The intervention from the Conservatives' last remaining mayor will create further trouble for Ms Badenoch after shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick vowed to "bring this coalition together" to ensure that Conservatives and Reform UK are no longer competing for votes by the time of the next election. According to a leaked recording obtained by Sky News, Mr Jenrick - who lost the Tory leadership campaign to Ms Badenoch - said he would try "one way or another" to make sure the two right-wing parties do not end up handing a second term to Sir Keir Starmer. Mr Jenrick has denied his words amounted to calling for a pact with Reform - and told Good Morning Britain: "I've said time and again that I want to put Reform out of business ... I want to send Nigel Farage back to retirement." Read more:Chancellor Rachel Reeves outlines red lines for US trade deal'Consensus has got to be rebuilt': Harriet Harman reacts to gender ruling Questioned about Mr Jenrick's remarks, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage told Sky News he was not going to do a deal with the Conservative Party. He said: "I mean he's clearly shaping himself up to be the next leader of the Conservative Party. He doesn't care what internal division he causes within the Parliamentary Party. "But he's actually mistaken. We are not going to do a deal with a Conservative Party that gave us record tax levels since the war, mass migration, I mean I could go on."

Chris Eubank Jr knows that game. He is a poker player and has never been a man who was easy to read. But he is always capable of unveiling a surprise. Ahead of the most important fight of his life, he went all in. He showed his hand. Eubank's inner life is closely guarded. Not a man ever prone to small talk, he does not reveal his true feelings until he chooses. This was the time. Eubank Jr vs Benn fight time, ringwalks and undercardChris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn: How to book and ways to watchBook Eubank Jr vs Benn to watch on TVBook Eubank Jr vs Benn to watch online A boxing press conference, especially one featuring Eubank, is usually a stage for bombast, a platform for presenting a carefully curated image of oneself. But Eubank, as he grinds away the final few pounds to make weight on Friday, sheared off the veneer. In front of this Saturday's opponent, his personal rival Conor Benn and the son of his father's great rival Nigel Benn, he spoke disarmingly of his most acute vulnerabilities, the psychological wounds that any fighter would want to shroud in secret privacy, at least until the next contest was done. But, disarmingly, Eubank sat at the final press conference and spoke of grief and confusion and the worst kind of pain. He spoke of his brother Sebastian, who died in Dubai, and left a young son to grow up without him. He spoke of the rupture in his relationship with his own father, which has come under more scrutiny than ever before with the approach of this particular fight. Eubank Jr is the son of a boxing superstar. But he has not lived a life of ease. He has seen his family lose a fortune and gone out to win it back. He has faced tragedy in his life, and near tragedy in the ring when Nick Blackwell collapsed with a brain injury after their bout. All these wounds leave their scars. "Going through the life experiences that I've gone through, from a very early age, from 12, 13, 14, dealing with things that are not ordinary, it shapes you," Eubank told Sky Sports. "It turned me cold. "It shapes your mind and spirit. I guess you could say it killed any type of real emotion that I had. "I don't say that as a bad thing because it's enabled me to do the things I've done in boxing. It's enabled me to get through these things, these very painful and hard situations and it's also enabled me to be able to be so calm in such hostile and excitable situations. "My heartbeat doesn't change, doesn't move, it doesn't matter what's going on in front of me. "I don't waste energy, I'm very, very calculated with what I do and how I feel. For better or for worse, that's made me who I am today." Eubank Jr has a cold fury of his own, while Benn is aggressive, in his public pronouncements and his fighting style. That does not leave much impression on Eubank. "It doesn't really work outside of the ring, not against guys like me who understand how to control emotions and how to speak," he said. "That doesn't scare guys like me. You can scare normal people with that attitude. But guys who have been hurt so many times, as I have, guys who have been through so many painful situations, in boxing and in life, you can't scare them, intimidate them with aggression. "You're not going to do anything to me that hasn't been done to me 20 times worse, a hundred times before. But as a young kid, a young undefeated kid, he doesn't understand it. You just want to be big and bad and tough." But Eubank added: "That's the attitude he really needs to have going into this fight. He needs to have that confidence, that brashness, that disregard for anything and anybody except for what he wants to do, which is have a tear-up. That's what's going to make this fight so exciting." However Benn, in Eubank's estimation, has not broken out of his father's shadow. "No, he hasn't. He's still unproven and I'm not unproven. I've had 37 fights, a lifetime of fights. People know what I am, what I'm capable of," he said. "I am my own man. "At the beginning of my career, I was Chris Eubank's son. Now no one calls me that, I'm never introduced as that because I've walked my own path, made my own way in this sport. Something that you can't do just being the son of someone. "The fight game is too real. If you're pretending in any way, shape or form, you're going to get found out, you're going to get hurt and you're going to lose. "You're not going to make it if you're not real. If you're not true to yourself, who you are as a man, who you are as a fighter, you don't get to where I've got to. "Conor Benn still has a lot to live up to, a lot to prove. He's had a great start; he's undefeated, he's got the fanbase, he's got the following. But he still hasn't been in there with 'killers'. I have and I am one myself. "This will be the first time he's in there with a genuinely dangerous man. How's he going to deal with it?" Chris Eubank vs Conor Benn will be live on Saturday April 26 on Sky Sports Box Office. Book now!

Shortly after arriving in Rome for Pope Francis's funeral, the US president said high-level officials should now meet to "finish [the deal] off". "A good day in talks and meetings with Russia and Ukraine," Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. "They are very close to a deal, and the two sides should now meet, at very high levels, to 'finish it off'. "Most of the major points are agreed to. Stop the bloodshed, NOW. We will be wherever is necessary to help facilitate the END to this cruel and senseless war!" Throughout the week, the US president has attacked both Ukraine and Russia for failing to agree to a peace deal. On Wednesday, he accused Mr Zelenskyy of harming peace deal talks on Truth Social, saying "the man with 'no cards to play' should now, finally, GET IT DONE". A day later, after nine people were killed in Kyiv after a Russian missile and drone strike, Mr Trump said: "Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Let's get the Peace Deal DONE!" The president and other officials have also threatened to walk away from negotiations if no progress toward a peace deal is made. It comes after Mr Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff met Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss a US-brokered peace plan for Ukraine. The talks allowed Russia and the United States to "further bring their positions closer together" on "a number of international issues", a Kremlin aide said. Speaking earlier on the flight to Italy, the US president said he hadn't been fully briefed on Mr Witkoff and Mr Putin's meeting - but added it was a "pretty good meeting". Read more:US and Russia talks moving in 'right direction', top diplomat saysA 'barbaric' 24 hours in a 'horrendous' war Russia and Ukraine have not held direct talks since the early weeks of the war, which began in February 2022. Ukraine has repeatedly said it would not accept a deal conceding land or handing over sovereignty to Russia. However, Mr Trump said in an interview with TIME magazine that "Crimea will stay with Russia," describing the region as a place where Moscow "had their submarines" and "the people speak largely Russian". "Zelenskyy understands that, and everybody understands that it's been with them for a long time," he added. "It's been with them long before Trump came along." When asked on Friday about Mr Trump's comments, Mr Zelenskyy did not want to comment but repeated that recognising occupied Ukrainian territory as Russian is a red line.

The 46-year-old is alleged to have shared a compromising image in a tweet posted in April 2024 of Kaur, who appears regularly on Good Morning Britain and has previously appeared on GB News. Fox, of Peldon in Essex, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Friday, charged with two counts under the Sexual Offences Act 2003. He is accused in the first count of sharing a "photograph or film of the person in an intimate state intending to cause alarm, distress or humiliation". The second alleges he sent a "photograph or film of genitals to cause alarm, distress or humiliation". Kaur has waived her right to anonymity. Fox, who has recently attempted to enter the world of politics, spoke to confirm his identity and enter not guilty pleas to both charges. Read more from Sky News:Kim Kardashian robbery trial: Everything you need to knowOasis fans lost more than £2m to ticket scams The police previously said Fox had been "charged with an offence contrary to section 66A of the Sexual Offences Act 2003" which "relates to an image that was posted on a social media platform in April 2024". Section 66A of the Sexual Offences Act relates to "cyber flashing". The charge, introduced in 2023, makes it an offence to intentionally share a sexual image of someone without consent, with the aim of causing alarm, distress, humiliation or for sexual gratification. Upskirting, taking pictures of people under their clothes without their permission, became a specific criminal offence in 2019. Fox elected for a jury trial at crown court and will appear at Woolwich Crown Court for a pre-trial hearing on 23 May. Hailing from the well-known Fox acting family dynasty, Fox is best known for his role in Inspector Morse spin-off, Lewis. Fox was fired from a presenter role at GB News in October 2023 after the channel deemed comments he's made about a female journalist "totally unacceptable".

Amid growing attacks on its climate policies from the Trump administration, UK political parties and some businesses, the government this week reiterated its assertion that clean power will make Britain more secure. Wrapping up a two-day summit on energy security in London, Mr Miliband said: "The critics need to know that if they want to fight about this, this government says 'bring it on'." Clean power provides "energy security, lower bills [and] the biggest economic opportunity of the 21st century", he said. Whereas "insecure" fossil fuels are to blame for "the cost of living crisis, which ruined family finances, which ruined public finances, which ruined business finances". Renewable electricity in the UK is cheaper than gas, but the benefits don't reach households very easily because prices are still closely linked with the cost of gas - something the government wants to fix. In the last week, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage MP accused Mr Miliband of "net zero lunacy", while President Trump's US official at the London summit Tommy Joyce on Thursday called net zero "harmful and dangerous". In a news conference on Friday, Mr Miliband said: "Whether it is political parties or other forces that want to take on net zero and the clean energy transition, they need to know this government is not for bending, this government is not for buckling, this government is standing firm." But, with trade talks under way and the UK still heavily reliant on US oil and gas, Mr Miliband said Britain will find "common ground" with America on energy, despite wildly different views on climate policy. "Obviously there are some differences, but there is also common ground," he said, citing shared interests in boosting nuclear power. The American official at the summit, acting assistant secretary Tommy Joyce, enjoyed plenty of time with the government during his visit, sitting next to Mr Miliband at a ceremonial dinner on Thursday evening, and meeting energy minister Michael Shanks on Friday. Also on the charm offensive with the Americans this week was Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who has been in Washington trying to win favour for a US-UK trade deal. Washington's attacks on climate and net zero policies, which Mr Trump sees as a threat that empowers rival China, threatened to overshadow the energy security summit. But it wrapped up on Friday with little fanfare, just closing remarks from co-host the International Energy Agency and Mr Miliband about the importance of clean energy and the materials need to build them. They will both be pleased that they and the other 60 countries present held the line on the transition to cleaner energy. On Thursday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told the summit that clean power was "in the DNA of my government". But his government was also the target of environmental protesters outside the summit at Lancaster House, who called out its wavering over the Rosebank oil and gas field. It has also been criticised for approving airport expansions and relaxing rules around electric vehicles.

Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea, who will officiate the cup final between Real Madrid and Barcelona, broke down in tears during a press conference on Friday after being asked about Real Madrid TV videos attacking referees. A video released on Thursday by Real's in-house service claimed Madrid won 64 per cent of their games refereed by De Burgos Bengoetxea, compared to 81 per cent won by Barcelona under his watch. An unnamed voice called it "an incredible difference" while also questioning his talent and showing images of his alleged errors. Real Madrid cancelled media duties and the official training session prior to the final after De Burgos Bengoetxea's interview, before later confirming that they would still play in the game. "In light of the rumours that have emerged in recent hours, Real Madrid CF announces that our team has never considered withdrawing from tomorrow's final," a Real Madrid statement read. "Our club understands that the unfortunate and inappropriate statements made by the referees designated for this match, made 24 hours before the final, cannot taint a sporting event of global significance that will be watched by hundreds of millions of people, and out of respect for all the fans who are planning to travel to Seville, and all those who are already in the Andalusian capital. "Real Madrid believes that the values of football must prevail, despite the hostility and animosity that have been manifested once again today against our club by the referees appointed for the final." It is the latest development in an ongoing feud between Spanish officials and Real. Earlier this season Real lodged a letter of complaint against the Spanish league's referees, prompting LaLiga president Javier Tebas to accuse the club of "losing their minds". Concerns about abuse directed at referees prompted the RFEF to issue a statement in February after Jose Munuera Montero was the subject of a backlash after sending off Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham. Emotional De Burgos Bengoetxea hits back at Madrid TV video A tearful De Burgos Bengoetxea said: "Look, we are talking a lot about Real Madrid TV videos and it is truth that it is a lot of media attention about it, but I am going to give you a few samples of things that are happening to colleagues and then you give me your opinion about it. "When your child goes to school and is told their father is a thief by other kids, that's really tough. "All I'm trying to do is educate my son, so he knows his father is honest, especially honest, but that also makes mistakes like any other person, and that's really tough and I won't wish that to anybody. "But the day I retire I want my son to feel proud about what his father did and refereeing and its values. Everything that we are going through not just in professional football, that's affecting our families, but also in the grassroots football. "So, it is time for everyone to reflect what we want to do and what we want to achieve in sport and in football. OK? I just wanted you to know about it." Later on Friday, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) posted on social media: "Real Madrid CF has informed the RFEF that it will not hold the press conference or the official training session prior to the Copa del Rey final scheduled for today at La Cartuja stadium in Seville." The VAR for Saturday's final, Pablo Gonzalez Fuertes, had earlier said that officials will soon take action due to the continuous pressure they face. "We are going to start taking real action, we are not going to continue to allow what is happening," he said. "In a few days you all will see. We are going to make history and we are not going to continue to put up with what we are putting up with. A strike? You will have news from us soon." Real Madrid call on RFEF to 'act accordingly' In response to the comments, a Real Madrid statement read: "Real Madrid CF considers the public statements made today by the referees designated for the Copa del Rey final, scheduled to be held tomorrow, April 26, 2025, to be unacceptable. "These protests, which have surprisingly focused attention on videos from a media outlet protected by freedom of expression, such as Real Madrid TV, deliberately carried out 24 hours earlier against one of the final's participants, demonstrate, once again, the clear and manifest animosity and hostility of these referees toward Real Madrid. "Even more surprising statements, in a threatening tone, alluding to the referees' unity, were used to announce alleged measures or actions that fall far short of the principles of fairness, objectivity, and impartiality that should prevail just hours before a football event that captures the attention of hundreds of millions of people around the world. "Given the seriousness of what happened, Real Madrid hopes that those responsible for the RFEF and the refereeing body will act accordingly, adopting the necessary measures to defend the prestige of the institutions they represent." Real's feud with Spanish referees reached a new level following Bellingham's sending off in February. Earlier that month, Real Madrid wrote a formal letter to the RFEF after a 1-0 defeat by Espanyol, with the winner scored by Carlos Romero - who Real felt should have already been sent off for a late challenge on Kylian Mbappe. The club was also left incensed by a VAR-awarded penalty given to arch-rivals Atletico Madrid which saw the Madrid derby end in a 1-1 draw a week later.