Mourinho Blasts La Liga Refereeing After Real Madrid Derby Defeat
Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid were left frustrated after a 2-1 derby defeat to Atletico Madrid at the Estadio Metropolitano, with the coach directing a fierce post-match response at the officiating team and the wider standards of La Liga refereeing.
Atletico move above Real after derby win
Diego Simeone’s side took the points through goals from Alejandro Grimaldo and Jonathan David, overcoming a late Antonio Rudiger header to secure a significant league victory.
Rudiger scored from a set piece in the 89th minute, giving Real hope of an equaliser, but Atletico held on. The result lifted Atletico into second place on 16 points, five behind leaders Barcelona.
| Position | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barcelona | 21 |
| 2 | Atletico Madrid | 16 |
| 3 | Real Madrid | 15 |
| 4 | Real Betis | 15 |
Key decisions fuel Real Madrid anger
The match turned increasingly physical during the first half. Real believed Cuti Romero should have been dismissed after a high challenge with his studs showing on Jude Bellingham. Romero remained on the pitch.
Shortly after the interval, Real were reduced to 10 players when Dean Huijsen was shown a red card for bringing down Giuliano Simeone as the last defender. Mourinho’s complaints centred on the differing outcomes of those incidents.
- Atletico scored through Grimaldo and Jonathan David.
- Romero avoided a red card after his challenge on Bellingham.
- Huijsen was sent off after the break for his foul on Giuliano Simeone.
- Rudiger’s 89th-minute header was not enough to rescue a point.
Mourinho questions referee and VAR appointments
Mourinho singled out referee Ortiz Arias and VAR official Trujillo, arguing that the match officials were unsuitable choices for a fixture of such intensity. He said the 41-year-old referee lacked the background required for a Madrid derby and suggested that Trujillo’s previous involvement in cases concerning Real, including matches against Girona and Osasuna in the Copa del Rey, made the appointment troubling.
The coach said he wanted to believe the decisions stemmed from errors rather than anything deliberate. He maintained that Real would compete if given the same conditions as their opponents, while accusing the refereeing committee of making a poor appointment for the occasion.
Mourinho also claimed Real were not being treated on an equal footing with Barcelona and Atletico. He cited what he described as questionable decisions elsewhere in the division, including an Osasuna goal that was ruled out and incidents in San Sebastian, to argue that little had changed in Spanish football since his previous spell in the league.
Negreira reference and muted Real response
In his most pointed remarks, Mourinho invoked the continuing Negreira case involving former refereeing official Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira. He questioned whether the controversy surrounding Spanish refereeing had truly been left behind, while stopping short of directly alleging that the derby had been fixed.
Real Madrid’s dissatisfaction was also reflected in their immediate media policy. No players were made available to speak in the mixed zone after the final whistle, leaving Mourinho as the club’s sole public voice following a defeat that dropped his side below Atletico in the table.
