Atletico Madrid have pushed back against the complaints raised by Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho regarding the officiating in Sunday’s derby. Mourinho arrived at the post‑match press conference clutching printed sheets that highlighted two incidents he believed should have resulted in red cards for Atletico players.
The former Chelsea boss accused the match officials of making decisive errors that, in his view, influenced the 2-1 defeat suffered by Real. In the days that followed, Atletico took to their official X (formerly Twitter) account to launch a two‑part campaign aimed at countering Mourinho’s narrative.
The first post featured a short video in which a piece of paper was printed with the hashtag "#StopAcosoArbitalYA," a Spanish phrase that translates to "stop referee harassment now." The second post displayed a still of Mourinho at the press conference, overlaid with the same hashtag, clearly signalling the club’s intention to defend the referee and reject what they saw as an unfair attack. Mourinho’s grievances centered on two specific moments.
The first involved Atletico centre‑back Cristian Romero, who was seen stamping on Real’s midfielder Jude Bellingham. Mourinho argued that the contact was severe enough to merit an immediate dismissal, but the referee only issued a yellow card. The second incident concerned Lee Kang‑in’s challenge on Federico Valverde.
Again, Mourinho felt that the referee should have shown a red card, yet the play went unpunished. Both moments, Mourinho suggested, altered the balance of the game, especially after Real were reduced to ten men just five minutes into the second half. "We could skip the press conference because the story of the match is right here," Mourinho declared, holding up the printed images.
He launched into a near‑five‑minute tirade, insisting that the two tackles were "clear red‑card offences" and speculating that the match could have looked very different if the referee had applied the rules correctly. "The difficulties we faced after the sending‑off – eleven against ten – we can imagine what fifty minutes of eleven against nine would have looked like if justice had been done," he added. The match itself unfolded with Real taking an early lead when defender Dean Huijsen was sent off for bringing down Giuliano Simeone inside the penalty area, allowing Alejandro Grimaldo to convert a low spot‑kick.
Atletico responded quickly, with Jonathan David doubling the lead six minutes later. Antonio Rudiger later reduced the deficit for Real with a headed free‑kick, but the damage was already done. Mourinho, while praising his own players for their "class and great character" in the first half, directed his sharpest criticism at referee Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias and the officials responsible for his appointment.
"They have placed a 41‑year‑old referee with no international experience in this match – it is certainly not because he is a great referee," Mourinho said. He went on to describe the pressure on Ortiz Arias as "80s‑style pressure," a level of intensity he claimed is rarely seen in modern stadiums. When asked about Real’s six‑point gap behind Barcelona in the league table, Mourinho responded with a pointed remark: "If they just leave us in peace and let us compete on a level playing field with everyone else, we still have a long way to go." He stopped short of suggesting any conspiracy, adding, "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 issued an official match report that echoed many of Mourinho’s points, describing the encounter as "marked by poor officiating." The club’s statement claimed that Ortiz Arias failed to send off Cristian Romero for stepping on Bellingham’s knee, despite reviewing the incident on the monitor, and also missed a clear foul by Lee Kang‑in on Valverde’s ankle. According to Real, these two decisions were pivotal, shaping the outcome in Atletico’s favour.
The report detailed the sequence of events: in the 30th minute, Bellingham reached a contested ball before Romero, who then planted his studs into the Real player’s left knee. Ortiz Arias initially booked Romero but, after a request from referee supervisor Trujillo Suárez, consulted the video replay. The referee then rescinded the yellow card for Bellingham and issued a yellow to Romero instead of a red. Nine minutes later, Lee Kang‑in struck Valverde’s left ankle with his studs, a challenge that the referee again failed to penalise, neither with a yellow nor a red, despite being close to the incident.
Atletico’s response on social media was not merely defensive; it also highlighted a broader issue within Spanish football regarding the treatment of referees. By using the hashtag #StopAcosoArbitalYA, the club called for an end to what it perceives as systematic harassment of match officials. The campaign seeks to foster a more respectful dialogue, emphasizing that referees, like any other participants in the sport, deserve fair treatment and constructive criticism rather than public vilification. In the larger context of the La Liga season, the derby result has significant implications.
Atletico’s victory narrows the points gap to the league leaders, while Real’s loss intensifies pressure on Mourinho to secure points in upcoming fixtures. The controversy surrounding the officiating may also influence future referee appointments, as the Spanish Football Federation faces scrutiny over its selection criteria and the support provided to officials during high‑stakes matches.
Overall, the episode underscores the tension that can arise when managerial criticism meets referee accountability. While Mourinho’s passionate defence of his side is understandable, Atletico’s measured rebuttal and call for respect highlight the need for balanced discourse. Both clubs now turn their focus to the next round of matches, hoping that the spotlight will shift from controversy to performance on the pitch.