Tebas rejects Mourinho refereeing bias claims after derby

La Liga president Javier Tebas rejected claims of anti-Real Madrid refereeing bias on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, days after coach Jose Mourinho blamed officials for the club's 2-1 derby defeat at Atletico Madrid. Mourinho brought printed photos of two challenges he said should have resulted in red cards for Atletico's Cristian Romero and Lee Kangin to his postmatch press conference after Sunday's loss at the Metropolitano. The only player sent off in the match was Real Madrid defender Dean Huijsen, who was dismissed for bringing down Giuliano Simeone. "The story of the game is here. They're two clear red cards," Mourinho said, according to the accounts. He questioned why referee Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias, who is 41 and lacks international experience, was appointed to the match, and described the combination of the referee and VAR official Daniel Trujillo Suárez as "strange." He also referenced VAR officials at RFEF headquarters in Las Rozas. Tebas responded on social media, writing that "claiming that referees are directed against Real Madrid is living in another galaxy.