Jose Mourinho did not hide his frustration after Real Madrid’s 2-1 derby defeat to Atletico Madrid, focusing heavily on two first-half challenges he believed should have resulted in red cards. The intense match saw Dean Huijsen sent off for a last-man tackle, and while Los Blancos fought for a late consolation goal after falling 2-0 behind, the manager felt the result was heavily influenced by poor officiating.
Bringing physical evidence to his post-match press conference, Mourinho displayed images of the controversial incidents. He remarked that the briefing could have been avoided entirely because the visual proof told the full story of the match. He highlighted the disadvantage of playing a significant portion of the game with a numerical deficit, noting the immense difficulty of competing for 50 minutes with only nine players on the pitch.
Mourinho took particular issue with the officiating team, suggesting that the only parties satisfied with the performance, besides those associated with Atletico, were the Refereeing Appointments Committee. He described the situation as very strange, questioning the appointment of a 41-year-old official who lacks international experience and, in his view, was unable to handle the pressure of the derby. He further slammed VAR official Trujillo for failing to intervene on both potential red card incidents, arguing that the second oversight was even more serious than the first.
Regarding the dismissal of Dean Huijsen, Mourinho was more reserved, admitting he had not yet reviewed the footage. He acknowledged that if the foul began outside the penalty area as reported, the resulting red card would be technically correct, yet he remained firm in his stance that the officiating landscape had been problematic for his team throughout the season. He noted that in the first half of this derby, the match should have been played at 11 against nine.
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While the coach praised his players for their class and personality, he recognized the urgency for the team to address flaws during the international break. With a challenging set of fixtures awaiting them, Madrid must move past this result and sharpen their performance to avoid further setbacks when league play resumes. The report also notes that and Mourinho made sure to let everyone know what he thought of them, it was a game marred by refereeing controversies. The report also notes that as quoted by Mundo Deportivo, Mourinho even arrived at his post-match press conference carrying images of the incidents involving Romero on Jude Bellingham and Kang-in on Federico Valverde. The report also notes that mourinho argued that Madrid’s task would have been completely different had Atletico received the punishments he believed were warranted. The report also notes that “We can imagine the difficulties we would have had playing 11 against 10, so imagine 50 minutes playing 11 against nine,” he said. The report also notes that mourinho then spoke about the circumstances under which the referee for the game was announced. The report also notes that he questioned why the referee’s identity had become known a week before the derby and then criticised his experience. The report also notes that “The referee is 41 years old, he isn’t international, and it won’t be because he’s a great referee, ” Mourinho said.
