Atletico Madrid Hit Back at Mourinho After Derby Refereeing Row

Atletico Madrid’s 2-1 derby win over Real Madrid at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano was followed by an increasingly public dispute over refereeing, with Atletico using social media to answer Jose Mourinho’s furious post-match complaints.

Atletico answer Mourinho with printer post

Mourinho arrived for his media conference carrying printed images of two incidents he believed warranted Atletico red cards. The Real Madrid manager used the sheets to argue that decisive calls had gone against his side during the derby.

• Atletico posted a printer emoji after Mourinho displayed the images.
• The club also published the message: “Stop referee harassment now.”
• The response was widely viewed as a direct challenge to Real Madrid’s complaints about the match officials.

Real Madrid manager focuses on key decisions

Holding up the photographs, Mourinho said the evidence represented the central issue from the game and maintained that both incidents should have resulted in dismissals for Atletico players.

His criticism also centred on Dean Huijsen’s sending-off, which Mourinho felt changed a contest Real Madrid might otherwise have won. In a lengthy and visibly angry address, the Portuguese coach said he had expected a different competitive climate following his return to Madrid.

Mourinho said Real Madrid still had time to recover in the campaign if they were allowed to compete fairly. He stopped short of alleging any organised wrongdoing, while adding that he did not want to believe the situation had been arranged against his team.

Simeone refuses to extend refereeing debate

Diego Simeone, whose Atletico side secured the 2-1 victory, declined to be drawn into a wider argument over the officiating when questioned after the final whistle.

The Atletico coach accused reporters of seeking a provocative quote rather than discussing his team’s performance. Simeone insisted he was not interested in supplying that headline and said attention should remain on the match Atletico had played, rather than the controversy surrounding it.

The derby result has added further weight to the league-table conversation, but the immediate aftermath has been dominated by Mourinho’s allegations, Atletico’s social-media reply and Simeone’s effort to return the focus to the football.