After Real Madrid suffered a devastating loss to Atletico Madrid in La Liga, Madrid manager Jose Mourinho arrived at his post-match conference carrying an A4 sheet of printed screenshots showing two incidents he believed should have resulted in the dismissal of Atletico Madrid players.
When asked about his point of view on the match, Mourinho held out the A4 sheet with photos of the two fouls committed by Atletico that he believes should have been straight red cards. Fans are discussing it on social media: “Where and how did Mourinho get the printer from”
Football accounts have been discussing how Mourinho got a printer in the dressing room seeing as they were in enemy territory and not at their home ground.
All the havoc started after Real Madrid lost their La Liga match on 20th September against Atlético Madrid 2-1, pushing them to fourth position on the points table and Atlético to second.
During the press conference, Mourinho stated that the officials made clear errors and that Atlético deserved two red cards in the first half.
“We can skip the press conference because the story of the match is right here,” Mourinho said as he showed the media the printed papers.
“Those were two clear red cards. Given the difficulties we faced afterwards playing 11 against 10, we can only imagine what 50 minutes of 11 against nine would have been like” Mourinho added.
The first foul mentioned by Mourinho involved Real’s Jude Bellingham and Atleti’s Cristian Romero in the 37th minute; both went for a loose ball, resulting in a confrontation that led to Bellingham receiving a yellow card. After this, Mourinho pleaded with the referee for a red card to be shown to Romero for dangerous foul play, because replays showed Romero stepping with his studs on Bellingham’s knee. Bellingham’s yellow card was retracted after a video assistant referee review, and Romero was given a yellow.
The second incident involved Atletico’s Lee Kang-in and Fede Valverde, where Kang-In Lee stepped on Valverde’s left ankle in the 43rd minute of the game. Mourinho believed it should have been a straight red card. But the referee, Ortiz Arias, did not show a red card or even a yellow card on this incident.
The Real Madrid manager said he believes the decisions made by the official are mistakes that normally a player or coach would make rather than deliberate.
Mourinho added that he believes in his team and players and praised them for their performance, especially in the first half. He said he admires his players’ determination and pride. When asked about the dismissal of Dean Huijsen, which resulted in a penalty for Atlètico, he said he has not yet watched the VAR replay.
Finally, about how he sees Real’s current condition in La Liga he said : “Under normal circumstances, it’s not about how it starts, it’s about how it ends.”
Atlético manager Diego Simeone rejected the suggestion that the result would be overshadowed by the refereeing debate, saying his team had controlled the contest.
Football fans on X are debating whether the foul by Atlètico was the actual reason for Real Madrid’s loss or whether Real Madrid has actually been giving their best this season. Even some Madrid fans are commenting that Josè Mourinho is just finding a reason to defend his players and himself.
“ Look, I’m a Madrid fan, and yeah, it’s true that the ref screwed us, but the ref isn’t to blame for us not shooting on goal… I’m already sick of the same excuses, another year without winning anything, thanks to Florentino Pérez,” says a Madridista on X
At the same time, the majority of Real Madrid fans are in support of the club and are calling out Atlètico’s foul play throughout the match. Fans are agitated at the clear foul the rival team committed, which did not earn a red card.
It was Real Madrid’s second defeat this season after losing 1-0 to Real Betis on 5th September. La Liga will resume on 9th October after the international break. Madridistas are hoping that Real Madrid will have a comeback and their strikers will be able to find a finish to secure goals.
