Mourinho brandishes printed images in derby rant after Real Madrid fall six points off Barcelona

José Mourinho arrived at his post-match press conference armed with printed images of controversial refereeing decisions after Real Madrid lost 2-1 to Atlético Madrid in the Madrid derby, a result that leaves them six points adrift of La Liga leaders Barcelona.

“We can skip the press conference because the story of the match is right here,” Mourinho said, holding up the sheets of paper containing screenshots of the incidents that had angered him. He argued that Atlético should have been reduced to nine men before half-time, insisting both dismissals were clear-cut. “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.”

Despite his frustration with the officials, Mourinho was careful to separate his criticism from any disappointment in his players. “I liked my team as a unit. Even in the first half I really liked them,” he said. “I liked their pride, I liked their determination, and it’s a good feeling for me to not be disappointed in my players.”

The defeat compounds a difficult run for Real Madrid, coming on the back of a 1-0 loss to Real Betis earlier in September. The pressure on Mourinho is mounting as Barcelona extend their advantage at the summit of La Liga.

Atlético manager Diego Simeone declined to engage in a war of words with his counterpart, instead issuing a broader appeal for restraint among coaches. “I understand that we’re in a privileged position with a lot of public scrutiny, as coaches, and whether it’s Mourinho, Flick, Pellegrini, me, or anyone else, we need to be careful about what we say,” Simeone said. “We have to know how to respect others, the referees, our colleagues. And when someone crosses that line of respect, it’s not right — you can’t cross that line.”

Mourinho, for his part, stopped short of accusing the officials of deliberate wrongdoing. “I want to believe they are simply mistakes, just as a coach makes mistakes, just as a player makes mistakes,” he said, though the theatrics of his printed evidence left little doubt about the depth of his grievance.