Atletico responds after Mourinho criticises refereeing in Madrid derby

# What happened Jose Mourinho arrived at his post-match press conference after Real Madrid's 2-1 loss to Atletico Madrid with printed images showing two tackles. Mourinho said both incidents should have resulted in red cards to Atletico players, specifically referencing a stamp by Cristian Romero on Jude Bellingham and a challenge by Lee Kang-in on Federico Valverde. He argued those decisions affected the balance of the match.

# Atletico's response On Monday Atletico published two posts on their X account. One clip shows a sheet being printed with the phrase "#StopAcosoArbitalYA" (translated in English posts as "Stop referee harassment now"). The second post used an image of Mourinho at the press conference with the same message. The club's posts were posted as a direct rebuttal to Mourinho's public criticism of the refereeing.

Real also issued an official match report after full time describing the defeat as "marked by poor officiating," mirroring Mourinho's public complaints.

# Mourinho's complaints Mourinho criticised referee Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias by name, noting the referee is 41 and saying he has no international experience. He said the official failed to cope with what he described as the intense pressure at the stadium and called the missed incidents "clear red cards." Mourinho suggested the game was affected by those decisions and said he hoped for a level playing field, stopping short of claiming the match was deliberately influenced.

# Match moments cited in the dispute

• Cristian Romero's stamp on Jude Bellingham: Mourinho said this should have been a red card.
• Lee Kang-in's challenge on Federico Valverde: Mourinho identified this as another red-card incident.
• Dean Huijsen's sending off: Huijsen was dismissed for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity, which led to the Grimaldo penalty.

# Reactions and context Atletico's social posts framed Mourinho's public displays as a form of harassment against referees and urged that it stop. Related coverage notes Atletico coach Diego Simeone also urged Mourinho to show more respect toward match officials. The exchange highlights tensions between the two clubs over refereeing decisions in a high-profile derby.

# Why this matters to readers The dispute illustrates how a single derby can trigger public disputes over officiating, escalate through social media, and involve both club statements and coach behavior in the media. It also shows how high-stakes games produce contested narratives: Real pointed to missed decisions they believe cost them a fair result, while Atletico used social channels to push back against those claims.

# Bottom line