Jose Mourinho launched a fiery rant against refereeing decisions after Real Madrid's 2-1 loss to Atletico Madrid, prompting Atletico boss Diego Simeone to urge managerial restraint.
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho produced images of unpunished first-half tackles during a five-minute press conference rant following his side's 2-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid on September 20, 2026. Real were furious that Atletico defender Cristian Romero was not sent off for a stamp on Jude Bellingham, while also highlighting a tackle by Lee Kang-in on Federico Valverde. The club later announced that Valverde suffered 'severe trauma to his left ankle' and will undergo further testing.
'Those were two clear red cards,' Mourinho said, holding up images of the incidents. 'The difficulties we've faced since the sending-off. 11 against 10. Well, we can imagine what 50 minutes of 11 against 9 would have been like if justice had been done.' Five minutes into the second half, Real defender Dean Huijsen was shown a red card for bringing down Giuliano Simeone in the penalty area, allowing Alejandro Grimaldo to score from the spot. Jonathan David doubled Atletico's lead six minutes later, before Antonio Ruediger scored a late header for Real.
Mourinho directed criticism at 41-year-old referee Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias, claiming he lacked international experience and succumbed to intense '80s-style pressure' inside the stadium. Addressing Real's six-point deficit to league leaders Barcelona, Mourinho added, 'If they just leave us in peace and let us compete on a level playing field with everyone else, we've still got a long way to go… I want to believe that they simply made a mistake.'
In response to Mourinho's comments, Atletico manager Diego Simeone urged managers to remain respectful. 'Whoever is speaking — be it me, Mourinho, Hansi Flick or Manuel Pellegrini, anyone — we have to be careful what we say,' Simeone said. 'When you step outside the bounds of respect, whoever you are, it's not on. You can't cross that line.' Simeone praised his team's display, noting they controlled the match both 11 against 11 and 10 against 11.
The derby win propelled Atletico Madrid above Real into second place in the standings with 16 points, placing them five points behind leaders Barcelona and one point ahead of both Real Madrid and Real Betis.
Reporting sourced from The Hindu Football. Photo courtesy The Hindu Football.