Real Madrid coach José Mourinho arrived at the press conference following the "Madrid derby" match the day before yesterday, carrying a printed A4-sized sheet, containing photos of two moments he believes should have resulted in Atlético Madrid players being sent off.
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Mourinho accused the officiating crew of making impactful errors, following Real Madrid's 1-2 loss to Atlético Madrid in the seventh round of the Spanish league, affirming that the home side should have faced two red cards during the first half.
This was Real Madrid's second defeat this season, having also lost to Real Betis 0-1 earlier in September.
Mourinho, showing the printed photos to the media, said: "We can shorten the press conference, because the story of the match is right here."
He added: "These are two clear red-card incidents. Given the difficulties we faced afterward playing 11 against 10, we can only imagine what things would have looked like had we played 50 minutes 11 against nine players."
He continued: "So I'll settle for embracing my team's players, who gave everything they had, and played a first half in which they showed a great deal of quality and character, putting us in the best possible position to win the match in the second half."
On the other side, Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone was extremely happy with the result, and when asked about his opinion on Mourinho's criticism of the officiating, he affirmed that he always respects others' opinions.
Simeone said: "I understand that as coaches we're in a prominent position and subject to a great deal of public scrutiny, and whether it's about Mourinho, Hansi Flick, Manuel Pellegrini, me, or anyone else, we have to be careful about what we say."
He added: "We need to know how to respect others, the referees, and our colleagues, otherwise we'll all be the losers. And when someone crosses the line of respect, that's not right, and you can't cross that line."
Mourinho believed the two decisions made in the first half had a major impact on the match, while insisting at the same time that his team showed strong character despite the circumstances it faced.
The first incident Mourinho pointed to involved Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham and Atlético defender Cristian Romero in the 37th minute, when the two players contested a loose ball, with the contact ending in a yellow card shown to Bellingham.
At that moment, Mourinho demanded the referee send off the Argentine defender for violent conduct, after the replay showed Romero's boot studs making contact with Bellingham's knee.
Following a VAR review, the yellow card shown to Bellingham was rescinded, while the referee showed a yellow card to Romero instead.
The second incident involved a challenge by Atlético Madrid's Lee Kang-in on Fede Valverde, a play Mourinho believed should have resulted directly in a red card.
The Portuguese coach also raised questions about the selection of the match's officiating crew, stressing that he wants to believe the decisions made were simply mistakes rather than deliberate, saying: "I want to believe they're just mistakes, just as a coach makes mistakes, and a player makes mistakes."
Despite the defeat, Mourinho affirmed he has no complaints about his players' commitment, praising their performance, especially during the first half.
He said: "I liked my team as a unit. Even in the first half I liked the team a lot, and in the second half it clearly became very difficult to get the ball and stop Atlético's possession."
He continued: "I liked their pride, and I liked their determination, and it's good for me not to feel disappointed in my team's players."
Mourinho also addressed Dean Huijsen's red card, the incident from which Atlético Madrid earned a penalty, admitting he hadn't yet seen the replay of the VAR review.
The loss left Real Madrid in fourth place in the Spanish league standings, while Atlético Madrid sits in second place, five points behind leaders Barcelona.
Still, Mourinho was keen to stress that there's still a long way to go in the season, saying: "Under normal circumstances, it's not about how you start, but how you finish."
For his part, Simeone rejected the idea that the officiating controversy could overshadow Atlético's win, affirming that his team imposed its dominance over the match.
The Argentine coach said: "The match I watched was strong and intense, and I think we controlled it throughout."
He continued: "We faced an opponent with an amazing capacity for transitions, and exceptional players who of course play for their team and do so very well. We managed to control almost all the transitions they could have executed."
Simeone described the derby as an extremely intense match, and praised his players' defensive organization and the collective work they showed against a Real Madrid side that includes a number of dangerous attacking players.
He said: "I think we controlled the match throughout, through our work as a team, our defending, our collective effort, the group's dynamic, and our style of play."
He closed by saying: "We were looking for the area where we could hurt them, and we knew it was the right side."
The Spanish league is now on pause due to the international match window, with competitions set to resume on Friday, October 9.
Resource: Al Ghad.
