José Mourinho Slammed in Spain: Harsh Criticism Following His Rant

Real Madrid’s loss in the derby against Atlético sparked an uproar: The Blancos deemed the refereeing to be terrible and made no secret of their disappointment with how referee Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias handled the match, and José Mourinho showed up at the postgame press conference with photos of two alleged refereeing errors.

The Portuguese coach had images printed of Kang-in Lee’s tackle on Federico Valverde and “Cuti” Romero’s tackle on Jude Bellingham: “Here are two clear red cards. A 41-year-old man who has never officiated international matches refereed this game; he came here and buckled under the pressure.” The Special One’s outburst, however, was not well-received by everyone.

Journalist Paco González didn’t mince words when commenting on Mourinho’s behavior: “After so many years, Mourinho is back in the spotlight. And, as usual, the referee is to blame for the loss,” he told ‘Tiempo de Juego.’ Real Madrid needed a modern coach, but instead they brought back the one from 15 years ago. They’ve hired a screenwriter for Real Madrid TV.”

Several Real Madrid fans also disapproved of José Mourinho’s behavior, pointing out that the club’s style should never be forgotten—not even by the coach. While they share the criticism of the refereeing, fingers are being pointed at the theatricality with which the Special One voiced his complaints.