Kylian Mbappe has declined to criticise the referee after Real Madrid’s 2-1 defeat by Atletico Madrid, although he agreed that Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias made mistakes during the derby.
Jose Mourinho strongly questioned the officiating after Sunday’s defeat at the Metropolitano, claiming Ortiz Arias should have sent off both Kang-in Lee and Cristian Romero for first-half challenges. The Real Madrid manager brought printed photographs of the incidents to his post-match press conference.
Mbappe refused to join in the criticism. “I don’t think I’ve ever been a player who talks much about referees,” the France forward said. “I’m not going to start now. I have my own thoughts, but I’ll keep them to myself. Referees are human, they make mistakes – and those were mistakes – but I don’t want to get into that.”
Romero was shown a yellow card after a VAR review, although the decision was dubious given it was Jude Bellingham who slid in and challenged him as he moved with the ball. Lee was not punished for a high boot that caught Federico Valverde on the ankle.
The defeat leaves Madrid six points behind Barcelona after seven games and adds to the pressure on Mourinho at the start of his second spell at the Bernabeu. Madrid have now lost twice in La Liga, having also been beaten 1-0 by Real Betis earlier this month.
Mourinho’s complaints have also prompted a response from Atletico, who posted three messages on social media mocking the Madrid manager’s decision to bring the photographs to his press conference.
Mbappe said Madrid needed to respond through their performances rather than the controversy surrounding the derby.
“It’s a step backwards,” he said. “It’s very tough, we wanted to win, and we knew what kind of game it would be.
“But the team gave everything, and we’re moving forward, because there’s still a long way to go this season, and we have to stay on the right track. We have to work, and do more. We have to put the work in.”
Mbappe will now join France for international duty under Zinedine Zidane, who has replaced Didier Deschamps as head coach.
“It’s a new era with a new coach,” Mbappe said. “The Nations League is coming up, with four matches to see how things go, and it’ll be a new experience for everyone, because we’ve only ever known Deschamps. It’ll be a change for us, but I think everything will go really well.”
