Atletico de Madrid mock Jose Mourinho after derby row with ‘stop harassing referees’ message

Atletico de Madrid have responded to Jose Mourinho and Real Madrid after the fallout from the Madrid derby, telling them to “stop harassing referees now”.

The club published the message on its social media accounts on 21 September 2026, using a printer-themed post to mock Mourinho after the Real Madrid manager displayed a printed image during his news conference.

The image showed two incidents which Mourinho believed were controversial, reinforcing Real Madrid’s view that they had suffered significant refereeing injustice during the derby at Riyadh Air Metropolitano.

Atletico’s post included a photograph of Mourinho inside the stadium’s media room, holding up the printed image, alongside the words: “Stop harassing referees now.”

The response came the day after the match, with the derby continuing to dominate attention in the Spanish capital. Atletico were in a positive mood after their victory and had the prospect of a three-week break ahead, while Real Madrid remained convinced that key decisions had gone against them.

Mourinho had made his position clear during his press conference by bringing the image to the room and presenting the two incidents he felt required attention.

Atletico manager Diego Simeone had already addressed the Portuguese coach from the same setting shortly afterwards.

“Not everything is permitted,” Simeone said. “Regardless of whether your name is Mourinho, Flick or Simeone, you must not cross the boundaries of respect.”

The club’s social media message underlined its support for Simeone’s comments and continued Atletico’s tradition of using derby-related posts to respond to criticism from their city rivals.

Atletico have previously issued similarly sarcastic messages during Madrid derbies, including posts that referred indirectly to a “media machine”.

The latest exchange adds another chapter to the rivalry between the two clubs, with the refereeing debate continuing after the final whistle and both Mourinho and Atletico choosing to make their views public.