Spain referee body agrees with Mourinho and apologises to Real Madrid

The Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) has acknowledged that referee Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias committed severe officiating errors by failing to send off Atlético Madrid players Cuti Romero and Kang-in Lee during Real Madrid's 2-1 defeat in the Madrid derby.

The admission follows scrutiny from Los Blancos, who published a formal statement describing the officiating at the Metropolitano as "catastrophic."

According to Diario AS, the CTA reviewed the match and determined that Ortiz Arias missed two clear direct red cards in the first half that directly impacted the LALIGA fixture.

In the 35th minute, Romero caught Jude Bellingham's knee with his studs. Ortiz Arias initially booked Bellingham, but video assistant referee Trujillo Suárez intervened. 

Ortiz Arias subsequently rescinded Bellingham's card and cautioned Romero. The CTA concluded that the challenge warranted a straight red card for serious foul play.

Nine minutes later, Kang-in Lee stepped on Federico Valverde's left ankle from behind. The CTA ruled that the tackle carried excessive force in a dangerous area and should have resulted in a direct expulsion, noting that the VAR room failed to intervene.

While the CTA admitted faults regarding the Atlético challenges, the committee formally endorsed the decision to send off Real Madrid defender Dean Huijsen in the 52nd minute.

Huijsen held back Giuliano Simeone inside the penalty area to stop a clear goalscoring opportunity. Ortiz Arias initially awarded a penalty and a yellow card before Trujillo Suárez recommended an on-field review. The referee upgraded the punishment to a red card, a sequence the CTA considers procedurally correct.

Alejandro Grimaldo converted the resulting penalty, and Jonathan David added a second in the 59th minute before Antonio Rüdiger scored a late header to conclude the 2-1 result.

The CTA's assessment validates the post-match frustrations of Real Madrid manager José Mourinho, who brought a physical poster of the unpunished tackles to his media briefing.

Beyond criticising the specific on-field decisions, the Portuguese manager targeted the CTA's appointment process directly.

Mourinho argued that assigning Ortiz Arias to the fixture was a failure, stating that the referee lacked the requisite experience to manage the volatility and pressure of a high-stakes Madrid derby.