Mourinho and Tebas Clash After Explosive Madrid Derby

Real Madrid’s 2-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano Stadium has reopened a long-running dispute over refereeing and league governance in Spanish football. The result left Real Madrid fourth, six points behind leaders Barcelona and one point behind Atletico Madrid.

The match turned on several contested decisions, including a red card for Real Madrid defender Dean Huijsen after his challenge on Atletico forward Giuliano Simeone. Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho instead centered his post-match press conference on referee Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias and Video Assistant Referee (VAR) Daniel Trujillo Suárez.

Mourinho brought printed photographs before the media and argued that Atletico players Cristian Romero and Lee Kang-in should have been sent off for earlier challenges. “The story of the game is here,” Mourinho said, holding up the images. “They’re two clear red cards. With the difficulties we had afterwards—with 11 versus 10—you could imagine what it would have been like for 50 minutes with 11 versus nine.”

The Real Madrid manager also criticized the Comité Técnico de Árbitros (CTA), the technical refereeing committee of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF). He questioned the credentials of the 41-year-old Ortiz Arias, who lacks international experience, and suggested that pressure had influenced decision-making at the federation’s headquarters in Las Rozas.

La Liga President Javier Tebas rejected the claim that Spanish referees systematically target Real Madrid. “Claiming that referees are directed against Real Madrid is living in another galaxy,” Tebas wrote on social media. “That narrative serves as an excuse to cover up other shortcomings that are plain to see in these first matches of the season. It’s more comfortable to point to a conspiracy than to explain what’s happening on the pitch.”

The dispute adds to the established tension between Tebas and Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez. Their clashes have included the club’s support for a breakaway European Super League, disagreements over the centralization of television rights and disputes involving commercial agreements such as La Liga’s partnership with private equity firm CVC Capital Partners.

Mourinho’s attacks on officials also follow the pattern of his managerial career. During his first spell at Real Madrid, from 2010 to 2013, his press conferences often included criticism of referees, UEFA and the competitive integrity of La Liga, particularly during the multi-match series against Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona in 2011.

His confrontational history with officials includes a four-match UEFA suspension in 2023 after he confronted referee Anthony Taylor in a stadium parking lot following the Europa League final. The current dispute has also brought the division of authority in Spanish football back into view: La Liga administers the top two professional divisions, while the CTA, operating under the RFEF, controls refereeing appointments, training and technology, including the VAR center at Las Rozas.

That separation of powers frequently places refereeing performance at the center of friction among the league, the federation and individual clubs. Atletico Madrid joined the post-match exchange by mocking Real Madrid on social media, publishing a video on X that showed a sheet of paper being printed with the hashtag `#StopAcosoArbitralYA` (“Stop Referee Harassment Now”). The club followed it with a second post superimposing the same message over an image of Mourinho’s press conference presentation.