Atletico Madrid forward Alex Baena sat down for an interview during the Spain national team's camp and addressed the recent derby controversy involving Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho.
Atletico Madrid forward Alex Baena gave an interview to TeleMadrid during the Spain national team's camp. In it, he discussed the national team's current situation and the recent controversy in the Madrid derby, where certain refereeing decisions sparked Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho's fury, and he lashed out at the referees and the committee that appointed them.
The interviewer began by asking, "I am going to ask you about the derby hangover too; does Madrid complain too much?" in reference to the Portuguese coach's criticism of Ortiz Arias and Trujillo Suarez. Baena said: "Well, I think they complain because they lost; if it had gone the other way, I think there would not be so much talk about this refereeing controversy. I think it is what always tends to happen when Madrid loses against Atletico: it tries to look for excuses to not focus on it."
The interviewer responds: "But is it not like a tantrum? Like a little kid: I lost because of the referees." The player responds: "To me, it can seem so, because the show that was given in the press conference with the little papers does seem to me like a tantrum and like not knowing how to lose."
Let's remember that all this "show" at the post-match press conference, as Baena mentions, started when Mourinho showed a sheet with the two most controversial plays from the match. Lee Kang-in's studs-up challenge on Federico Valverde's left ankle, as well as 'Cuti' Romero's stomp on Jude Bellingham's knee. Both plays that were for the Portuguese were clear red cards that would have changed the balance of the game.
He questioned the quality of referee Ortiz Arias by saying that he is a referee without a FIFA badge, so he has not had international experience, something that, for 'Mou', is indispensable for a match of the caliber of a derby. In turn, paired with the VAR referee, who, according to the Portuguese coach, already has a history against the merengues, this becomes a strange appointment by the Refereeing Committee.
All this involved both Atletico Madrid, which posted a short video with the text "Stop referee harassment now," and LaLiga president Javier Tebas, who used it to add another chapter to his book of constant clashes with Real Madrid and its president, Florentino Perez.
Currently, Mourinho needs to start adding three again, since Barcelona is already six points ahead. In addition, El Clasico is only four weeks away; the Chamartin side will visit the Camp Nou in a match of utmost importance, but currently they have many of their stars injured, among them Valverde himself, Kylian Mbappe, Ibrahima Konate, and Brahim Diaz, waiting for them to recover and be at 100% for Oct. 25.
