Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has criticised Spain’s refereeing appointment committee after his side suffered a 2-1 defeat to city rivals Atletico Madrid in a heated La Liga derby at the Metropolitano Stadium on Sunday.
Mourinho accused the match officials of failing to send off two Atletico players for challenges on Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde, arguing that the decisions significantly influenced the outcome of the encounter.
Real Madrid entered the derby hoping to keep pace with leaders Barcelona but were beaten after Dean Huijsen was sent off early in the second half. Atletico took advantage of their numerical superiority, with Alejandro Grimaldo converting the resulting penalty before Jonathan David doubled the hosts’ advantage. Antonio Rudiger scored a late header for Real Madrid, but Atletico held on for the victory.
After the match, Mourinho appeared at his press conference holding photographs of the two incidents he believed should have resulted in red cards.
“We could skip the press conference because the story of the match is here,” Mourinho said while displaying the images. “They were two clear red cards.”
The first incident involved Atletico defender Cristian Romero, who was booked after a challenge on Bellingham. Mourinho was particularly unhappy that the referee, Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias, reviewed the incident on the pitch but decided not to issue a red card.
The second incident involved Lee Kang-in and Valverde. Mourinho argued that the Atletico midfielder should also have been dismissed following a challenge that left Valverde with a serious ankle injury. Real Madrid later confirmed that the midfielder had suffered severe trauma to his left ankle and would undergo further medical tests.
Mourinho also questioned the appointment of Ortiz Arias, pointing to the referee’s lack of international experience and arguing that the occasion created significant pressure.
He also criticised VAR official Daniel Jesus Trujillo, claiming that the video assistant referee intervened in the Romero incident but failed to do so over the challenge on Valverde.
“The ones who should be really happy are the referee appointment committee,” Mourinho said, describing the combination of officials as unusual and questioning the decision-making during the match.
However, Mourinho stopped short of directly alleging that the decisions were deliberately made against Real Madrid. When asked about the possibility of the outcome being arranged, he said he did not want to go that far and preferred to believe the officials had simply made mistakes.
The Real Madrid manager also acknowledged that he had not reviewed the incident that led to Huijsen’s dismissal and therefore declined to give a definitive assessment of whether the foul occurred inside or outside the penalty area.
Despite the defeat, Mourinho praised his players for their performance, particularly in the first half. He said the team showed character and continued to compete after being reduced to 10 men.
Atletico’s victory lifted them to second place with 16 points, while Real Madrid remained one point behind their city rivals and six points adrift of Barcelona at the top of the table.
Atletico manager Diego Simeone, meanwhile, called for restraint in the aftermath of the controversial derby. He said coaches and football figures should be careful with their public comments and avoid crossing the boundaries of respect.
The defeat represents Real Madrid’s second loss of the campaign and leaves Mourinho’s side with ground to recover in the early stages of the title race. The controversy surrounding the officiating, however, is likely to remain a major talking point following a derby in which refereeing decisions played a central role.
