Mourinho blames ref committee for Real Madrid derby defeat

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho criticized Spain's refereeing committee following his team's 2-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid in a La Liga derby match on Sunday. The loss dropped Madrid to third place, six points behind league leaders Barcelona. Mourinho's team was unhappy about two fouls committed by Cristian Romero and Lee Kang-in on Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde in the first half, which Mourinho claimed should have resulted in red cards.

The second-half penalty awarded for Dean Huijsen fouling Giuliano Simeone further aggravated Madrid's frustration. Mourinho blamed the Spanish refereeing committee, citing the recent assignment of 41-year-old referee Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias, who had never officiated an international match. He also mentioned that VAR official Daniel Jesus Trujillo had a history with Madrid.

The coach had not seen the incident that led to Huijsen's red card. In February 2025, Madrid had filed a formal complaint against Spanish refereeing, labeling it "rigged" and "completely discredited." Despite Mourinho's discontent, he praised his players for a quality first-half performance. Madrid showed no signs of conceding the Spanish title if they could compete on equal terms with their opponents.