Mourinho fumes at referee, Simeone urges respect after fiery Madrid derby

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Real Madrid's Bernardo Silva and Ibrahima Konate look dejected after the Madrid derby on September 20, 2026. | Photo Credit: Reuters

Jose Mourinho needed only a sheet of paper to deliver his verdict on Sunday's (September 20, 2026) ​Madrid derby, waving images of two first-half tackles as he accused the officials of losing control in ‌Real Madrid's 2-1 defeat by Atletico Madrid.

Real were furious that Atletico defender ​Cristian Romero was not sent off for a stamp on Jude Bellingham and ⁠also complained about a challenge by Lee Kang-in on Federico Valverde, before the visitors were themselves reduced to 10 men five minutes after halftime.

Valverde finished the match but was later diagnosed with "severe trauma to ‌his left ankle," the club said in a statement. The midfielder will undergo further tests, the club added.

"We could skip the press conference because the story ‌of the match is right here," Mourinho said, holding up the images in what ‌was ⁠the start of a near five-minute rant.

"Those were two clear red cards. ⁠The difficulties we've faced since the sending-off. 11 against 10. Well, we can imagine what 50 minutes of 11 against 9 would have been like if justice had been done."

Real defender Dean Huijsen was dismissed for bringing down ​Giuliano Simeone inside the area as ‌the last defender, allowing Alejandro Grimaldo to score with a low spot-kick. Jonathan David doubled Atletico's lead six minutes later, with Antonio Ruediger heading in a free kick late to reduce the deficit.

Mourinho said he could only "hug" his players after what he described ‌as a first half "full of class and great character", but he aimed sharp ​criticism at referee Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias and those who appointed him.

"They've put a referee, aged 41, with no international experience — it's certainly not because ⁠he's a great referee," Mourinho said.

"Then the poor chap has come here and hasn't been able to cope with the pressure — and it really is intense pressure. I call it '80s-style pressure' ‌here in this stadium, which you hardly ever see these days."

Asked about being six points behind Barcelona, Mourinho offered a pointed reply.

"If they just leave us in peace and let us compete on a level playing field with everyone else, we've still got a long way to go," he said.

"I don't want to go so far as to say this was set up... I want to believe that they simply made a mistake."