Jose Mourinho needed only a sheet of paper to deliver his verdict on Sunday’s (September 20, 2026) Madrid derby, waving images of two first-half tackles as he accused the officials of losing control in Real Madrid’s 2-1 defeat by Atletico Madrid.
The midfielder will undergo further tests, the club added. Real defender Dean Huijsen was dismissed for bringing down Giuliano Simeone inside the area as the last defender, allowing Alejandro Grimaldo to score with a low spot-kick. Jonathan David doubled Atletico’s lead six minutes later, with Antonio Ruediger heading in a free kick late to reduce the deficit. “When you step outside the bounds of respect, whoever you are, it’s not on. You can’t cross that line.”
Valverde finished the match but was later diagnosed with “severe trauma to his left ankle,” the club said in a statement. Mourinho said he could only “hug” his players after what he described as a first half “full of class and great character”, but he aimed sharp criticism at referee Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias and those who appointed him. “They’ve put a referee, aged 41, with no international experience — it’s certainly not because he’s a great referee,” Mourinho said. “If they just leave us in peace and let us compete on a level playing field with everyone else, we’ve still got a long way to go,” he said. “Whoever is speaking — be it me, Mourinho, Hansi Flick or Manuel Pellegrini, anyone — we have to be careful what we say,” Simeone said.
“We could skip the press conference because the story of the match is right here,” Mourinho said, holding up the images in what was the start of a near five-minute rant.
“Today we saw a great match; we defended very well against a team that plays very well,” he said.