Mansion Sports – Jose Mourinho launched a scathing criticism of the refereeing standards in La Liga after Real Madrid suffered a heated defeat in the derby against Atletico Madrid.

The Portuguese manager questioned the integrity of the competition and suggested that systematic bias remains widespread in Spanish football.

Jose Mourinho launched a scathing criticism of the refereeing standards in La Liga after Real Madrid suffered a heated defeat in the derby against Atletico Madrid.

The Portuguese manager questioned the integrity of the competition and suggested that systematic bias remains widespread in Spanish football.

Mourinho Questions the Referee Appointment

After suffering a narrow 2-1 defeat at Estadio Metropolitano, Mourinho did not hold back when assessing the match officials.

The Real Madrid head coach specifically targeted referee Ortiz Arias and VAR official Trujillo, suggesting that their lack of experience at the highest level or their past records involving Los Blancos played a decisive role in the outcome.

Speaking to the media in the confrontational style that has become his trademark, Mourinho expressed his disbelief at the choice of officials for a match with such high stakes.

“The referee does not have the experience to officiate a derby. He is 41 years old. He is a poor referee who has only officiated small matches.”

“Congratulations to the refereeing committee on this appointment. But Mr Trujillo does have a history with Real Madrid. In the Copa, in Girona, Osasuna. He is a VAR official who has a lot of history.”

Heartbreak at the Metropolitano

On the pitch, the match was intense and exhausting, with Alejandro Grimaldo and Jonathan David securing three points for Diego Simeone’s side.

Real Madrid felt aggrieved after Cuti Romero escaped a red card for a high tackle with his studs raised against Jude Bellingham during a fiercely contested first half.

However, shortly after the break, it was the visitors who were reduced to 10 men when Dean Huijsen was sent off for fouling Giuliano Simeone as the last man.

Antonio Rudiger scored with a header from a free-kick situation in the 89th minute, but Real Madrid’s late comeback was not enough to change the result.

The result moved Atletico above Real Madrid into second place in the standings with 16 points—five points behind league leaders Barcelona and one point ahead of Real Madrid and Real Betis.

Allegations of Systematic Bias and Injustice

Mourinho did not limit his criticism to specific decisions. He went further by suggesting there was a broader issue concerning the lack of fairness in the way La Liga is managed.

He compared the treatment of Real Madrid with their rivals, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, and suggested that the competition was being played on anything but a level playing field.

As a tangible expression of the club’s anger over the refereeing, Real Madrid announced that none of their players would be allowed to speak in the mixed zone after the match.

The decision reflected deep frustration over what they considered a serious injustice.

The manager remained firm and insisted that his team had been forced to deal with more than just their opponents on the pitch.

“If they let us compete on equal terms, we will do it. I do not want to say that the match was fixed; I want to believe that they made mistakes.”

“That the Committee made a mistake by putting a 41-year-old in charge, and another one who has a history against Real Madrid.”

The Shadow of the Negreira Case

One of the most explosive moments of Mourinho’s outburst came when he mentioned the ongoing Negreira scandal, which has overshadowed Spanish football for months.

By raising the case involving former refereeing official Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, Mourinho questioned whether the shadows of the past continue to influence match outcomes in the present era.

Mourinho pointed to several specific incidents in different league matches to strengthen his argument that Real Madrid had been subjected to unfair treatment while other teams received more lenient decisions.

“Things happen in this stadium that are not normal. The disallowed Osasuna goal was a joke, what happened in San Sebastian... La Liga is still the same as when I left it. We will fight. My players are going home sad. Negreira is not here, right? Or is he still here?”