Atletico Madrid have pushed back against the complaints raised by Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho regarding the officiating in Sunday’s fiercely contested derby. Mourinho arrived at the post‑match press conference clutching printed sheets that highlighted two moments he believed should have resulted in red cards for Atletico players. The former Chelsea boss accused the match officials of making decisive mistakes that, in his view, cost Real the game, which ended 2-1 in favour of the hosts.
In the hours after the match, Atletico took to their X (formerly Twitter) account with two separate posts aimed at silencing what they termed unfounded attacks on the referee. The first post featured a short video of a piece of paper being printed with the slogan "#StopAcosoArbitalYA," which translates to “stop referee harassment now.” The second post displayed an image of Mourinho at the press conference, again overlaid with the same hashtag, signalling the club’s displeasure with the public accusations. During the press conference, Mourinho displayed photographs of the two incidents he felt warranted expulsions. He was particularly incensed that Atletico centre‑back Cristian Romero was not shown a red card after a stamp on Real’s Jude Bellingham.
Mourinho also complained about a challenge by Lee Kang‑in on Federico Valverde, which occurred before Real were reduced to ten men just five minutes after the interval. "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 faced after the sending‑off – 11 against 10 – we can only imagine what 50 minutes of 11 against nine would have looked like if justice had been done." The match itself saw Real defender Dean Huijsen sent off for 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, while Antonio Rudiger headed in a late free‑kick for Real to reduce the deficit. Despite the loss, Mourinho praised his players for a first‑half performance he described as "full of class and great character," before turning his sharp criticism toward referee Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias and the federation officials who appointed him. "They've put a referee, aged 41, with no international experience – it’s certainly not because he’s a great referee," Mourinho argued.
"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 delivered a pointed response: "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 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 published an official match report that echoed Mourinho’s grievances, describing the defeat as "marked by poor officiating." The La Liga club wrote that the loss at the Metropolitano was influenced by Ortiz Arias' failure to send off Cristian Romero for a stomp on Bellingham’s knee, despite a video review, and his omission of any sanction for Lee Kang‑in’s challenge on Valverde’s ankle.
According to the report, these two decisions shaped the outcome, with the second half swinging in Atletico’s favour. The report added that until the 30th minute the match featured few dangerous moments, but controversy began to dominate thereafter. Specifically, the report recounted that in the 35th minute, during a contested ball, Bellingham reached the ball before Romero, who then planted his studs into the Madrid player’s left knee. Ortiz Arias initially booked the Real player but, after a request from referee supervisor Trujillo Suárez, reviewed the incident on a monitor.
The replay led him to rescind the card from Bellingham and issue a yellow card to Romero instead of a red. Nine minutes later, Ortiz Arias allegedly missed another crucial moment: Lee Kang‑in’s studs‑on‑ankle challenge on Valverde. The report claimed the referee was close enough to see the incident but did not issue any card, nor was he alerted by Trujillo Suárez this time. The controversy has reignited the long‑standing debate over referee standards in high‑profile Spanish fixtures.
Critics argue that the lack of international experience for referees in marquee matches can lead to inconsistent decisions, while supporters of the officiating body contend that video‑assistant technology (VAR) is still being refined and that referees must make split‑second judgments under intense pressure. The incident also raises questions about the role of the referee supervisor, who in this case intervened after the first incident but not after the second, prompting accusations of selective enforcement.
Atletico’s social‑media campaign, using the #StopAcosoArbitalYA hashtag, reflects a broader trend of clubs and players using digital platforms to voice dissent and demand accountability. While some fans view such campaigns as necessary checks on authority, others worry they may undermine respect for officials and erode the integrity of the sport.
As the season progresses, both clubs will have to navigate the fallout from this episode. Real Madrid will be looking to close the gap with Barcelona and will likely continue to press for clearer guidelines on referee conduct and VAR usage.
Atletico, meanwhile, will aim to maintain momentum after their derby victory while defending their own players against what they perceive as unjust criticism. The episode serves as a reminder that football, beyond the tactics and talent on the pitch, is also a contest of narratives, where managers, clubs, and officials each vie to shape public perception of fairness and legitimacy. Whether the governing bodies will respond with policy changes or additional training for referees remains to be seen, but the debate sparked by Mourinho’s post‑match outburst is unlikely to fade quickly. For fans seeking more detailed analysis, the full match footage is available through official club channels, and a variety of expert commentaries dissect the key moments, the VAR interventions, and the broader implications for Spanish football’s officiating standards.