Liga reprimands José Mourinho and Real Madrid TV after their criticisms

The president of La Liga, Javier Tebas, responded on Sunday after the 2-1 defeat of Real Madrid to Atlético de Madrid, reprimanding José Mourinho and the official channel Real Madrid TV for their virulent criticism of the refereeing.

The Portuguese coach, forty‑one years old, was furious about the red card given to his player Huijsen and two fouls not called in favour of Atlético. He appeared at a press conference with two photos illustrating, in his view, refereeing errors.

“It’s obvious, those two fouls were red cards. The match should have been 11 against 9 for 50 minutes, and instead it was 11 against 10 against us,” Mourinho said. He added that “the referee did not have the necessary experience to officiate a derby.”

Javier Tebas recalled that he understood the complaints, but could not accept the manner used. “Real did not lose because of those actions,” he asserted, emphasizing the need to respect official procedures.

Real Madrid TV fires back at Atlético over referee claims in September

Javier Tebas' Analysis

The president of the Spanish League reviewed each contested decision. He deemed the red card given to Huijsen “undoubtedly justified” and confirmed the decision not to send off Cristian Romero.

Regarding the other incident, he judged that it was not a red, the player having touched the ball first. He nevertheless acknowledged an error concerning the lack of a red card for Kang‑in Lee after a boot to Federico Valverde’s ankle, noting that the incident was very quick.

Reminder of restraint for Real Madrid TV

Javier Tebas once again warned the club against the excesses of Real Madrid TV. “We denounced some time ago the behaviour of Real Madrid Television and, after what happened yesterday, we must continue to act in respect of ethics. It is an unfair and cruel way to put pressure on the referee,” he said.

This reminder underscores La Liga’s desire to maintain dialogue in mutual respect, even after a defeat that has fueled tensions between the club, its coach and the refereeing bodies.