Atletico Madrid has responded to Jose Mourinho's post-match claims of poor refereeing in their 2-1 win over Real Madrid. Mourinho had accused the officials of making key errors, claiming Atletico should have been handed two red cards in the first half. He arrived at his news conference with screenshots of incidents he believed should have resulted in red cards for Atletico. This move did not go unnoticed by Atletico.
Atletico took to their social media account X to hit back at Mourinho. They posted a video showing a sheet of paper coming out of a printer with the words #StopAcosoArbitralYA, meaning "stop referee harassment now". A second post showed a picture of Mourinho at the news conference with the same message. The response from Atletico received two million views on X within two hours of it being posted. This is not the first time Atletico has used social media to respond to rivals.
Atletico's response on social media was not a one-off, as they often use their accounts to respond to rivals. This summer, they repeatedly posted on X to ridicule Barcelona over their pursuit of Atletico's talisman Julian Alvarez. Mourinho's side had defender Dean Huijsen sent off early in the second half, when the game was goalless, for pulling down Atletico's Giuliano Simeone just inside the penalty area.
The match outcome was Real's second defeat of the season, having lost 1-0 to Real Betis earlier in September. Mourinho was vocal about his disappointment with the refereeing, saying that the story of the match was the errors made by the officials. He showed media printed images on sheets of A4 paper, highlighting two incidents he believed should have resulted in red cards for Atletico.
Diego Simeone, Atletico's coach, was asked to respond to Mourinho's refereeing rant. He said he was always respectful of everyone else's opinions and that coaches need to be careful about what they say. Simeone emphasized the importance of respecting others, including referees and colleagues. He also noted that when someone crosses the line of respect, it's not right.
The incident has sparked a debate about refereeing in La Liga. Real Madrid's match report published on their website said that the derby loss was decided because of "dreadful refereeing" by Ortiz Arias. Mourinho's comments have also raised questions about the pressure on referees and the impact of public scrutiny on their decisions.
The two teams have contrasting fortunes so far this season. While Real Madrid has struggled, losing two games, Atletico Madrid has had a better run. The win over Real Madrid has given them a boost, and they will look to build on this momentum in their upcoming games. The controversy surrounding the match will likely continue to be discussed in the coming days.
Key points
- Atletico Madrid responds to Jose Mourinho's claims of poor refereeing
- Mourinho accused the officials of making key errors in their 2-1 loss
- Atletico's response on social media received two million views within two hours
