Mourinho Accuses Refereeing Injustice: Two Malicious Fouls by Atletico Should Have Been Red Cards

After suffering a defeat to their city rivals, Real Madrid head coach Mourinho expressed strong dissatisfaction with the on-field referee and the video replay system, claiming the opposition escaped at least two red card offenses. The derby ended 1-2, dropping Real Madrid to fourth place in La Liga.

The match turned in the second half when Grimaldo scored first from a penalty, after Real Madrid defender Hweisen was sent off with a straight red for fouling Simon. David then added a second goal to make it 2-0. Rudiger pulled one back in stoppage time, but it was too late to change the outcome.

Mourinho's fury focused on two first-half decisions: Atletico defender Romero stepped on Bellingham's knee and received only a yellow card, while Lee Kang-in's lunge tackle on Valverde went completely unpunished.

He brought screenshots of these two decisions to the press conference and showed them to journalists one by one, harshly criticizing referee Arias and VAR referee Suarez. "The footage speaks for itself," Mourinho said, holding up the photos. "These are two clear-cut red cards. Think about how we spent almost the entire match with one man down — if both sides lost a player within 50 minutes, the situation would have changed entirely."

He then turned his criticism directly to the referee committee. "This is the responsibility of the referee committee. The entire situation is suspicious. The referee is already 41 years old, yet has never officiated an international match. I don't know why he was assigned. He simply cannot handle this kind of pressure. And VAR, at the federation headquarters, may not have felt the pressure, or perhaps it remains unknown... An average referee paired with a seasoned VAR operator — this combination is terrible. I want to applaud the referee committee."

Mourinho also said he had not yet watched the replay of Hweisen's red card, and cited several recent controversial decisions in matches involving Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletico, hinting that certain teams have benefited. "The penalty Atletico received against Real Sociedad was utterly absurd, the penalty Barcelona received was equally ridiculous, and during Barcelona's match against Athletic Bilbao, someone should have been sent off but wasn't. So many coincidences... I thought that when I returned, I'd see different matches, but people told me otherwise and explained why. Nevertheless, we will continue to fight."

Real Madrid are six points behind leaders Barcelona after seven rounds, with the international break approaching. When asked about title prospects, Mourinho responded: "If they allow us to compete fairly, then there is still hope. I don't want to call it a conspiracy; I'd rather believe it's mistakes, just like coaches make mistakes. The referee committee made an error by selecting a 41-year-old referee who has never experienced a match like this — that was just a mistake."

— Transfer news: Arsenal are considering signing Endrick from Real Madrid in January; Real Madrid won the U20 Championship, while Santiago Wanderers had three players sent off in the match.

Atletico head coach Simeone declined to discuss refereeing details, focusing only on his team's performance. When asked about Mourinho's comments, he responded: "We always respect others' opinions. Our team is in a special position. Whether it's Mourinho, Flick, Pellegrini, or I myself, we must be careful with our words. Once the line of respect is crossed, it doesn't benefit anyone."