«I congratulate you on such an appointment!»: Mourinho criticizes refereeing in the derby

After the fierce Madrid derby of the 7th round of Spanish La Liga concluded, another major refereeing scandal flared up in the football world. Following the match at Metropolitano, which ended in a 2:1 victory for Atlético, Real Madrid head coach José Mourinho launched harsh and sarcastic accusations against the refereeing crew led by main referee Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias and VAR official Trujillo.

The incident that decided the match in the 50th minute — defender Dean Huijsen being shown a straight red card and sent off, along with a controversial penalty awarded against Real's goal — provoked strong anger from the Portuguese specialist. In a statement to Marca, Mourinho openly «congratulated» the Spanish Referee Committee for appointing the 41-year-old referee to such a huge derby and emphasized that senior Trujillo, sitting in the video review center, has a rich «dark history» against Real.

So, will this statement by Mourinho lead to a new disciplinary punishment in La Liga, were the decisions in the derby really controversial, and how will this scandal affect Real's championship race?

«Referee of small games and a rich VAR history»: Mourinho at the press conference

The most sensational quotes from Real's head coach to the press:

• Criticism of inexperience and unsuitability: «The referee lacked experience to work in the derby. He is 41 years old. He is a weak referee who has only managed small games»;

• Sarcasm towards the Referee Committee: «I „congratulate“ the Referee Committee for making such an appointment for such an important match»;

• Open accusation against the VAR referee: «But senior Trujillo has a special history related to Real. We've seen it in the Cup, in matches against Girona and Osasuna. This is a VAR with a very rich history»;

• Decisive turning point: Huijsen's sending off and the awarded penalty put the «royal club», left with 10 men, in a tactically difficult position;

• Main factor of defeat: Mourinho explained his team's defeat in the derby (1:2) not by tactical mistakes, but precisely by the one-sided decisions of the refereeing crew.

Madrid Derby: Referee decisions and match record

Analysis of controversial situations in the match between Atlético and Real:

Expert analysis: What is Mourinho's attack aimed at?

Main conclusions of Spanish football analysts and sports experts:

• Deflecting attention from the team: Applying his classic tactic, José Mourinho shifted the pressure from the players for the derby defeat (Mbappé and Vinícius remaining goalless) and focused all attention on the referees;

• Crisis in the La Liga refereeing system: Recently, the appointment of referees and contradictory conclusions of the VAR system in Spain have faced serious objections not only from Real, but also from other grand clubs;

• Risk of disciplinary punishment: For the coach's personal accusations and sarcasms directed at the committee, the La Liga Disciplinary Committee could disqualify Mourinho for several matches;

• Standings situation: After this defeat, Real remains in 3rd place with 15 points, trailing Barcelona by 6 points, who have accumulated 21 points, which increases nervousness in the coaching staff.

This angry outburst by José Mourinho indicates that even though the Madrid derby has ended on the pitch, its continuation in the press and offices will last for a long time.

In your opinion, were the direct red card shown to Dean Huijsen and the penalty decision correct, or was the referee truly not ready for a derby-level match? Are José Mourinho's accusations justified, or is this a way to justify the defeat? Leave your thoughts and analyses in the comments and share the analysis of the Madrid derby's most sensational controversy with all football enthusiasts!