Atletico Madrid have pushed back against the complaints made by Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho regarding the officiating in the recent derby on Sunday. Mourinho arrived at the post‑match press conference clutching printed sheets that highlighted two incidents he believed warranted red cards for Atletico players.
The former Chelsea boss accused the match officials of making pivotal mistakes that, in his view, influenced the 2‑1 defeat suffered by Real. In response, Atletico took to their X (formerly Twitter) platform on Monday with a pair of posts. The first post featured a short video that displayed a printed sheet of paper bearing the hashtag "#StopAcosoArbitalYA," which translates to "stop referee harassment now." The second post showed a still image of Mourinho at the press conference, overlaid with the same message, signalling the club's displeasure with the criticism. During the conference, Mourinho displayed photographs of the two tackles he deemed egregious.
He was particularly incensed that Atletico defender Cristian Romero was not shown a red card after a stamp on Real midfielder Jude Bellingham. Mourinho also raised concerns about a challenge from Lee Kang‑in on Federico Valverde, which occurred before Real were reduced to ten men just five minutes after the break. "We could skip the press conference because the story of the match is right here," Mourinho said, holding up the images as he launched into a near five‑minute tirade. "Those were two clear red cards.
The difficulties we've faced since the sending‑off – 11 against 10 – well, we can imagine what 50 minutes of 11 against nine would have been like if justice had been done." The match itself saw Real defender Dean Huijsen sent off after bringing down Giuliano Simeone inside the penalty area, allowing Alejandro Grimaldo to convert a low spot‑kick. Six minutes later, Jonathan David doubled Atletico's lead, and Antonio Rudiger later headed in a free‑kick to reduce the deficit for Real. Mourinho claimed he could only "hug" his players after what he described as a first half "full of class and great character," yet he directed sharp criticism at referee Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias and the officials responsible for his appointment. "They've put a referee, aged 41, with no international experience – it's certainly not because he's a great referee," Mourinho asserted.
"Then the poor chap has come here and hasn't been able to cope with the pressure – and it really is intense pressure. I call it '80s‑style pressure' here in this stadium, which you hardly ever see these days." When asked about Real's six‑point gap behind Barcelona, Mourinho offered a pointed reply: "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." He stopped short of alleging a conspiracy, saying, "I don't want to go so far as to say this was set up... I want to believe that they simply made a mistake." Real Madrid later released an official match report that echoed Mourinho's grievances, describing the loss as "marked by poor officiating." The club wrote that the derby was "characterised by the poor officiating of Ortiz Arias, who failed to send off Cristian Romero in the first half for stepping on Jude Bellingham's knee (despite reviewing the play on the monitor) and Lee Kang‑in for stepping on Valverde's left ankle." According to the report, these decisions shaped the outcome, which was ultimately decided in the second half in Atletico's favour. The report noted that until the 30th minute, the game featured few dangerous moments, but from that point onward, controversy dominated the narrative.
At the 35th minute, during a contested ball, Bellingham reached the ball before Romero, and the Atletico defender planted his studs into the Madrid player's left knee. Ortiz Arias initially booked the Real player but, after being prompted by referee supervisor Trujillo Suárez to review the incident on the monitor, rescinded the card for Bellingham and issued a yellow card to Romero instead of a red.
Nine minutes later, the referee allegedly committed another critical error by not penalising Lee Kang‑in for a challenge on Valverde, where he struck the midfielder's left ankle with his studs. The report claimed Ortiz Arias was close to the incident but did not show a red card—or even a yellow—to the Atletico player, nor was he alerted by Trujillo Suárez on this occasion.
The controversy surrounding the derby highlights the ongoing tension between clubs and match officials in La Liga, where decisions are increasingly scrutinised through video‑assistant technology and post‑match analysis. Both sides have called for clearer guidelines and better communication to avoid similar disputes in the future. Atletico's social‑media campaign, using the hashtag #StopAcosoArbitalYA, underscores the club's frustration with what they perceive as undue criticism and pressure on referees, while Real's official statements reinforce their belief that the officiating directly impacted the result. As the season progresses, both clubs will need to navigate these off‑field battles while focusing on their on‑field performance.
Atletico, under Diego Simeone, will look to build on their derby victory and maintain pressure on the league leaders, whereas Real, guided by Mourinho, will aim to tighten defensive discipline and seek consistency in their results to close the gap with Barcelona. The debate over referee standards is likely to continue, with the Spanish Football Federation expected to review the incidents and possibly issue guidance to ensure greater transparency and fairness in future matches. For fans seeking more coverage, a video recap of the match is available through a Chrome‑compatible player, and the clubs have encouraged supporters to stay engaged via official channels. Additionally, a promotional note invites readers to participate in the "Super 6" competition for a chance to win £1 million, with entry available free of charge.