The video, posted on Atlético’s X account, showed a printer producing a copy of the by-now familiar photograph of Mourinho holding up his stills at Sunday’s press conference. The overlay read “#StopAcosoArbitralYA”, a Spanish hashtag meaning “stop referee harassment now”.

The wording briefed to journalists was harsher.

“There are red lines that cannot be crossed, and Real Madrid have crossed them again,” an Atlético source told Marca. The same source added that “the integrity of the game in Spain is at risk” and that “either we stop them now, or there will be no way back”.

The 41-year-old referee and two sheets of A4

Mourinho had walked into the Metropolitano press room on Sunday evening with printouts, and pointed at officials rather than his own side. Real Madrid had just lost 2-1, and his grievance was aimed at the referee, Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias.

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“They’ve put a referee, aged 41, with no international experience,” Mourinho said, per Al Jazeera. “It’s certainly not because he’s a great referee.”

The two printouts covered first-half incidents. Atlético’s Cristian Romero stepped on Jude Bellingham’s knee and was shown yellow; Lee Kang-in’s follow-through caught Federico Valverde’s ankle and drew no card at all. Both, in Mourinho’s reading, were straight reds.

“Those were two clear red cards. The difficulties we’ve faced since the sending-off, 11 against 10,” Mourinho added.

That sending-off was Real defender Dean Huijsen, dismissed early in the second half for a last-man foul on Atlético substitute Giuliano Simeone.

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‘You can’t cross that line’

Diego Simeone had delivered a version of the same message in his own press conference.

“We have to respect the referee and our colleagues,” Simeone said, as quoted by Sports Illustrated. “When you cross that line of respect, no matter who you are, Mourinho, Simeone, Flick or Pellegrini, it’s unacceptable; you can’t cross that line.”

Third, seven matches in

Sunday’s defeat was Mourinho’s first since returning to Real Madrid over the summer. Alejandro Grimaldo converted the penalty won after Huijsen’s red card, Jonathan David added Atlético’s second, and Antonio Rüdiger’s late header narrowed the gap.

Real Madrid sit third in La Liga after seven matches, six points behind leaders Barcelona and one behind Atlético, who climbed above them into second.

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