Jose Mourinho has swerved a potentially explosive disciplinary case after Spain’s refereeing authorities chose not to pursue action over his scathing criticism of the officials in Real Madrid’s derby defeat to Atletico.
The Real Madrid coach had been staring at the prospect of a formal complaint after he publicly went after referee Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias and VAR official Daniel Trujillo Suarez in the aftermath of the loss.
Instead, the storm has cleared. For now.
Refereeing bodies stand down
According to Mundo Deportivo, the refereeing union AESAF and the legal department of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) examined Mourinho’s comments and ultimately decided not to file a complaint with the federation’s Disciplinary Committee.
That internal decision shuts the door, at least at this stage, on a case that could have led to a suspension or financial punishment for the Portuguese coach. It keeps Mourinho on the touchline and out of the dock.
The potential complaint focused squarely on Mourinho’s post-match remarks, where he tore into the officiating team after the derby setback.
He openly questioned Ortiz Arias’ credentials, highlighting that the 41-year-old is not an international referee and had never overseen a match of similar magnitude. Mourinho then widened the target, turning his fire on Trujillo Suarez in the VAR booth and dragging in previous Real Madrid incidents from last season as part of his argument.
Those comments were serious enough for AESAF and the CTA’s legal arm to weigh whether they crossed the line into punishable territory and should be escalated to the Disciplinary Committee. Such a move would have triggered a formal investigation into the Real Madrid boss.
They stopped short.
Four-match ban avoided
Monday’s deliberations ended with the complaint being dismissed, which means no procedure will be opened and no immediate risk of sanction hangs over Mourinho.
The numbers underline what was at stake. Had the case gone ahead and resulted in punishment, Mourinho could have been hit with a suspension of up to four matches and a fine ranging from €601 to €3,005.06.
For Real Madrid, that’s no minor detail. With pressure already mounting after the derby defeat and scrutiny intensifying around Mourinho’s ability to keep the team at the sharp end of the title race, losing their coach to the stands for several games would have added another layer of instability.
Instead, he stays on the bench, fully available, fully exposed.
The controversy around his words has not vanished; debate over how far managers can go in attacking officials will rumble on. But the refereeing authorities have chosen not to escalate this battle.
Mourinho’s focus, and Real Madrid’s, returns to where the next verdict will really be delivered: on the pitch.
