Jose Mourinho arrived at his post-match press conference holding a printed A4 sheet featuring screenshots of two specific moments from the derby, which he argued warranted red cards for Atletico Madrid. Following Real Madrid’s 2-1 defeat, the Portuguese manager accused officials of critical errors that impacted the outcome.
This result marked Real’s second loss of the season, coming after a narrow 1-0 defeat to Real Betis earlier in September. Mourinho was visibly frustrated by the officiating, stating, “We can skip the press conference because the story of the match is right here.”
He suggested that the missed decisions heavily influenced the game, noting, “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 the loss, Mourinho praised his squad’s character and class, particularly in the first half.
The incident involving Jude Bellingham occurred in the 37th minute during a challenge with Cristian Romero. While Bellingham initially received a yellow card, it was retracted after a VAR review. Romero was issued a yellow instead, but Mourinho insisted replays showed the Argentina international made dangerous contact with his studs on Bellingham’s knee. Another contentious moment involved Lee Kang-in’s challenge on Fede Valverde, which Mourinho believed should have been a straight red.
Mourinho expressed a desire to view the calls as honest mistakes rather than deliberate actions. He added, “I want to believe they are simply mistakes, just as a coach makes mistakes, just as a player makes mistakes.”
Jose really said ‘we can skip the press conference’ while holding up paper. The irony is delicious.
Does bringing a prop to a press conference actually change anything? Feels like theater more than tactics.
I honestly thought Bellingham’s challenge was a red from where I sat. VAR missed something big there.
The printed screenshots thing is such a classic Mourinho move. Bold strategy, I respect it.