Real Madrid release statement blaming referee for Atletico defeat

Real Madrid have released an official statement criticising referee Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias's performance after their 2-1 defeat to Atlético Madrid in the Madrid derby at the Metropolitano on September 20.

​Los Blancos directed their frustration at the officiating after suffering an away defeat to their crosstown rivals. 

​The club published a formal release describing the match as marked by "catastrophic" and "very terrible refereeing" by Ortiz Arias, citing two first-half incidents involving Atlético Madrid players.

​"Real Madrid lost a derby at the Metropolitano Stadium marred by catastrophic refereeing decisions from Ortiz Arias, who did not send off Cuti Romero in the first half for stamping on Bellingham's knee, despite the incident being reviewed on the video technology screen, nor Kang-in Lee for stamping on Valverde's left ankle," the statement read.

​The club's statement concluded that the two unpunished tackles had a direct impact on the outcome of the match, which swung in Atlético's favour in the second half.

​The match remained in a deadlock until the 52nd minute, when Real Madrid defender Dean Huijsen was sent off for stopping a clear goalscoring opportunity.

​Alejandro Grimaldo converted the resulting penalty in the 53rd minute to give the home side the lead.

​Jonathan David subsequently doubled Atlético's advantage in the 59th minute, capitalising on the numerical superiority.

Antonio Rüdiger scored an 89th-minute header from a Bernardo Silva free-kick to reduce the deficit, but Atlético held on for the 2-1 victory.

José Mourinho amplified the club's complaints during his post-match press conference.

​The Portuguese manager arrived at the media briefing carrying a physical poster detailing the specific fouls he believed should have resulted in red cards for Atlético Madrid, highlighting the challenges on Jude Bellingham and Valverde.

​The post Madrid-derby protest aligns with Real Madrid's recent institutional strategy of scrutinising match officials, frequently using their in-house television channel to broadcast compilations of perceived refereeing errors prior to fixtures.