La Liga president Javier Tebas has laughed off suggestions that Real Madrid are victimised by Spanish referees and suggested Jose Mourinho looks a little closer to home to find the root cause of their current problems. Mourinho took the predictable step of blaming match official Miguel ngel Ortiz Arias and VAR Daniel Trujillo Surez for the 2-1 defeat at city rivals Atletico at the weekend.The Portuguese even brought printed photos of incidents that he claimed should have resulted in the dismissals of Cristian Romero and Lee Kang-in to the post-match press conference.Instead, the only player to see red in Atletis victory was Madrid defender Dean Huijsen for bringing down Giuliano Simeone.The officiating has brought accusations of bias from sections of the Madrid-based media but Tebas says that is not the case.He wrote on social media: Claiming that referees are directed against Real Madrid is living in another galaxy.That narrative serves as an excuse to cover up other shortcomings that are plain to see in these first matches of the season.Its more comfortable to point to a conspiracy than to explain whats happening on the pitch.Table of ContentsJury still out on Mourinhos second stint at Real MadridAtletico quick to poke fun at Mourinhos MadridJury still out on Mourinhos second stint at Real MadridHis remarks were clearly directed at Mourinho, whose antics on Sunday did little to quell the suspicion he is ill-suited to close the gaping chasm between Madrid and two-time defending champions Barcelona.The story of the game is here, Mourinho said after the game at the Metropolitano, holding up the images of the two challenges. Theyre two clear red cards. With the difficulties we had afterwards with 11 versus 10 [players] you could imagine what it would have been like [for us] for 50 minutes with 11 versus nine.Its the CTA [the referees committee]. Its all been very strange. Its a referee [Ortiz Arias] who, at 41, doesnt have international experience. I dont know why he was the referee. The poor guy came here and couldnt cope with the pressure.But for [the VAR] theres no pressure, at [RFEF HQ] Las Rozas theres no pressure. Or maybe there is and we dont know. That combination a poor referee, whos only done small games, and a VAR with a big history. Congratulations to the CTA.Atletico quick to poke fun at Mourinhos MadridThe result left Madrid in fourth, already six points adrift of table-topping Barca and one behind Atletico, who were quick to poke fun at their rivals with a series of tweets on X.The first was a video showing a sheet of paper coming out of a printer with the words #StopAcosoArbitralYA, meaning stop referee harassment now.A second post showed a picture of Mourinho at the news conference with the same message. Topics Atletico Madrid Jose Mourinho Real Madrid CF Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read Five England players to watch during the international break Cian Cheesbrough 21st September, 2026 Stop referee harassment now: Atletico take swipe at Mourinho after fiery Madrid derby Cian Cheesbrough 21st September, 2026 Jose Mourinho rants about referees again after Real Madrid defeat Ben Miller 21st September, 2026 Atletico v Real Madrid as it happened: Stats and updates as Blancos are beaten Jon Fisher 20th September, 2026 Atletico 2-1 Real Madrid: Report, result, goals as hosts go second in La Liga Ben Miller 20th September, 2026 Atletico vs Real Madrid: David puts hosts 2-0 ahead after Huijsen red card Ben Miller 20th September, 2026
