Atletico Madrid fire shots at Mourinho and Real Madrid: ‘Stop referee harassment now’ | OneFootball

The day after the Madrid derby, Atletico Madrid have responded to José Mourinho and Real Madrid with an ironic message on social media, taking aim at the club’s reaction to the refereeing decisions at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.

The fallout from the derby continues after Los Blancos fell to a 2-1 defeat away from home, extending their poor run of results at the Metropolitano in recent years

The result has left the hosts in good spirits heading into the three-week international break, while Mourinho & co. have been left seething over several refereeing decisions that they insist went against them.

Mourinho made his frustration clear in his post-match press conference, bringing a printed image showing two controversial incidents to illustrate his complaints.

“We could have saved ourselves the press conference because the story of the match is here,” Mourinho said while displaying the images.

“They are two clear red cards,” he added.

Atletico Madrid have now responded in kind.

Atletico’s pointed message

Indeed, earlier today, Atletico Madrid posted a photograph of Mourinho inside the Metropolitano press auditorium holding the printed image, accompanied by the message:

“Stop referee harassment now.”

The post was clearly aimed at the reaction from the Real Madrid camp following the derby, with Atletico once again using irony to address the controversy surrounding the officials.

It follows a pattern seen in previous derbies, when Atletico have used their social media channels to respond sarcastically to criticism of the match officials coming from their neighbours.

Simeone had already responded to Mourinho

Diego Simeone had already addressed Mourinho shortly after the Portuguese coach’s press conference.

Mourinho was far from happy with the referee. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)

Speaking after the match, the Atletico manager insisted that there are limits to how managers should conduct themselves, regardless of their reputation.

“We have to know how to respect the referee and our fellow professionals. When someone crosses that line of respect, whether your name is Mourinho, Simeone, Flick or Pellegrini, it isn’t right. You shouldn’t cross that line,” he said.

The derby may be over on the pitch, but the arguments surrounding the refereeing decisions and the reactions from both clubs are continuing into the international break.