Atletico Madrid responds to Mourinho’s referee criticism after derby defeat

Jose Mourinho lost a Madrid derby on Sunday. Then he lost the post-match press conference, too, at least according to Atletico Madrid. Atletico secured a 2-1 victory over Real Madrid at the Metropolitano Stadium on September 20, with goals from Alex Grimaldo (penalty) and Jonathan David overcoming Antonio Rudiger’s strike for the visitors. Mourinho pulls out the receipts In a move that was vintage Mourinho, the Real Madrid manager arrived at his post-match press conference armed with printouts. His target was referee Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias, whom Mourinho criticized for lacking international experience. The Portuguese manager highlighted two specific tackles by Atletico players that he argued were “clear red cards,” using his printed evidence to make the case that the officiating had directly influenced the result. Real Madrid’s official report echoed the sentiment, attributing the defeat to what it described as “poor officiating” by Ortiz Arias. The club’s frustration was compounded by the fact that they played the entire second half with 10 men after Dean Huijsen received a red card. Atletico fires back with a hashtag Atletico’s official channels launched a counter-campaign usin...