José Mourinho appeared before the media in the press room at the Metropolitano after the match against Atlético. Our coach stated: "We could skip the press conference because the story of the match is here (shows two photos). They were two clear red cards. The difficulties we had playing eleven against ten, we can only imagine what it would have been like for fifty minutes with eleven against nine. Therefore, I must limit myself to embracing my players, who gave everything and played a very classy and confident first half. After that, the ones who should be happy, obviously beyond Atlético's fans because they got the points, is the referee appointment committee."

"It was all very strange. The first thing is that a week before the match, it was already known who the referee would be, when, as I've been told, it should be announced 24 hours before. A week before, it was already known who the referee was. Then, it’s a 41-year-old referee who isn’t even international, and it’s not because he’s a great referee. The poor guy came here and couldn’t handle the pressure, which I call the pressure of the '80s, something you rarely see today. Then there’s Mr. Trujillo, who was on VAR. He called him for the first red card, and I think he didn’t call him for the second, which was even clearer than the first. He has a very complete history as a VAR in Real Madrid matches."

"Last season alone, there was the Real Sociedad match in the Copa del Rey, and then there was Osasuna and Girona. This is a VAR with a lot of history. If you can say that the poor referee is inexperienced and not equipped to handle a derby, then this gentleman (Trujillo) doesn’t have any pressure because in Las Rozas there is no pressure. Or maybe there is pressure and we just don’t know about it. I would have liked to leave here today with a victory, without having to talk about this. I’ve been here for three months now, and I think you’ve all understood that I don’t usually go in this direction. Two red cards against Elche, and we still won; two red cards today—it’s a bit more difficult. This combination: a poor referee who has only officiated small games and a VAR official with a long history. Congratulations to the referee appointment committee.”

Huijsen’s Red Card
“As for Huijsen’s red card, I must confess I haven’t seen it yet. It happened too far away from me to make a judgment. In the locker room, they told me the foul started outside the box, and if that’s the case, it’s a foul, a red card, and 0–0. If it’s inside, it’s a penalty, and if there’s a clear act of pulling the shirt, then it would be a red card. But all of this happened in the second half. In the first half, we’re talking about a derby where it was eleven against nine. In the second half, it was eleven against ten. You could see the difficulties, and the players gave everything they had to compete. Imagine if it were eleven against nine—there are no miracles in football, and we can already imagine how it would have ended. Honestly, I still haven’t seen Dean’s red card yet.”

Position in the Standings
“Obviously, we want to be in first place, and we don’t want to be in second, third, or fourth. We want to have more points than we currently have, obviously. But under normal conditions—because it’s not about how you start but how you finish—we’re talking about the end of September, and there’s a lot left to play. I’ve already said too much; I didn’t want to say more, but things have been seen in recent weeks: the disallowed goal against Osasuna is laughable, the penalty in San Sebastián is laughable, and the penalty for Barcelona is laughable. The non-expulsion against Athletic Club, with this gentleman who was very kind to a guy who is a great player—these are things that have been adding up".

"I thought I’d find a League different from the one I left. They told me no, and they explained why it wasn’t different from the League I left years ago. But we’ll keep fighting. The boys are leaving upset, but with their coach’s embrace, because I respect a lot what they feel on the pitch, and it’s not easy to be on the pitch as they are. If we want to remember the two red cards against Elche, no, but in the first minute, the yellow card for Diomande. What our players feel on the pitch isn’t normal, but I liked my team as a team. I really liked the first half, and in the second half, it was obviously very difficult to keep the ball and control possession against a good team with an extra player. I liked the pride, the determination, and it’s a good feeling for me not to be disappointed with my players and to have nothing to reproach them for. Despite the negative result, it’s a positive feeling for me.”

Do you think it’s difficult to win the League?
“If they leave us alone, in peace, and let us compete on equal terms with everyone, there’s still a long way to go. I don’t want to go too far and say this was prepared. I don’t want to think that. I want to think they simply made mistakes. Just as a coach or a player can make mistakes, I want to think the referee committee made mistakes. Poor people—they made mistakes, sending someone who’s 41 years old and has never been in a situation like this, alongside someone else with a very rich history against Real Madrid.”

Is the League still tainted by the Negreira case?
“Negreira is no longer here, and if he’s not here, the League isn’t tainted by Negreira.” 

Disclaimer: Translation generated by artificial intelligence. It may contain inaccuracies.