Mourinho’s refereeing claims revive old debate after Real Madrid derby defeat

Jose Mourinho has faced criticism from Spanish media after blaming referee Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias for decisions in Real Madrid’s defeat by Atletico de Madrid in the Madrid derby.

Mourinho’s comments brought the issue of refereeing back into focus after he argued that some of Ortiz Arias’ decisions had influenced the course of the match. His reaction also reminded Spanish journalists of the approach he adopted when dealing with difficult results during his first spell at Real Madrid.

Speaking on COPE radio’s Tiempo de Juego programme, journalist Paco Gonzalez criticised Mourinho’s comments, although he agreed that some of the referee’s decisions were open to question.

“Mourinho has appeared again. I don’t know how many years it has been since that happened. The blame for the defeat lies with the referee,” Gonzalez said during his analysis of the match.

Gonzalez acknowledged that Mourinho had a valid point about several incidents in the first half, where he felt players could have been shown yellow cards. However, he argued that the manager’s focus on refereeing reflected a familiar pattern from his earlier time in charge of the club.

Mourinho’s complaints were not limited to decisions made during the derby. The Real Madrid manager also questioned why Ortiz Arias had been appointed to officiate the fixture.

Gonzalez responded sarcastically to that argument, saying: “I don’t know if they hired a scriptwriter for Real Madrid TV.”

The journalist also criticised Real Madrid’s decision to appoint Mourinho, claiming the club should have chosen a different type of manager.

“Real Madrid needed a modern coach, but they signed a coach from 15 years ago,” he said.

Gonzalez added that the continued attention on refereeing could distract from a discussion about Real Madrid’s performance and the reasons behind their defeat by Atletico de Madrid.

The result was Real Madrid’s second defeat in La Liga during the first seven rounds of the season. It has also placed Mourinho back at the centre of media discussion after a relatively quiet period in his public appearances and comments since taking charge of the team.

The defeat came in the latest Madrid derby, with Mourinho’s post-match reaction ensuring that the debate extended beyond the decisions made on the pitch to questions about his management style and the club’s choice of head coach.