Atleti hit back at Mourinho over referee complaints

Atlético Madrid pushed back against José Mourinho after the Madrid derby, which ended with the 2-1 win for the hosts. As BBC Sport reports, Mourinho arrived at his post-match news conference on Sunday carrying printed screenshots of two incidents he believed should have led to red cards for Atlético.

Mourinho brought printed evidence

Mourinho accused the officials of “key errors”, arguing that Real should have been shown two red cards in the first half. He said that because of the situation afterwards, Real had to play with a numerical disadvantage — and he added that if it had been an even bigger one (as he framed it), the challenge would have been even harder.

Atlético’s social media reply

BBC Sport says Atlético answered on Monday with two posts on X. The first showed a sheet coming out of a printer with the message #StopAcosoArbitralYA. The second post displayed a photo of Mourinho at his news conference with the same slogan. According to the outlet, the response drew two million views on X within two hours.

The report also notes Atlético’s wider pattern of using social media to respond to rivals, including barbs this summer at Barcelona over their pursuit of Julián Álvarez.

On the pitch, Dean Huijsen was sent off early in the second half when the game was still goalless for bringing down Giuliano Simeone inside the penalty area, BBC Sport adds. It was Real Madrid’s second defeat of the season, following a 1-0 loss to Real Betis earlier in September.

When asked to respond, Diego Simeone said he understands the scrutiny that coaches face but insisted they must stay respectful about referees and others, warning against crossing the line, as quoted by BBC Sport.