UCL: Mourinho seeks calm over referees ahead of Roma reunion

Jose Mourinho has expressed confidence in referees across domestic and European competitions ahead of Real Madrid’s UEFA Champions League clash against Roma, despite his recent criticism of officiating decisions in Spain.

The Real Madrid coach sought to avoid further controversy on Tuesday, insisting he had no negative feelings towards the officials ahead of Wednesday’s encounter.

“I trust all the referees… whether it’s the league or Champions League, before the game I always have the best feelings about the referees,” Mourinho told reporters.

“I have confidence, and I hope everything goes well for all three teams (both sides and the officials); I don’t have any negative feelings.”

Mourinho’s comments follow a series of disputes over refereeing decisions in La Liga. He refused to attend his mandatory post-match press conference on Saturday after Real Madrid’s 1-0 victory over Villarreal, protesting a decision to disallow a goal scored by Vinícius Júnior and the subsequent sending-off of the Brazilian for hair-pulling.

Following Real Madrid’s derby defeat to Atlético Madrid, Mourinho also presented printed photographs of challenges he believed should have resulted in disciplinary action against Atlético players.

However, the Portuguese tactician declined to prolong the debate ahead of the Roma fixture, saying he would address the subject after returning to the Spanish capital.

“There are Italian media here that are more interested in the match than in that kind of thing,” he said.

“You’ll have me (speaking) again on Saturday; I think it’s best if we move on to something else.”

Real Madrid midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni acknowledged that the squad remained frustrated by recent officiating decisions but also avoided an extended discussion about refereeing.

“I don’t want to speak about the referees… right now we have a lot of frustration with the decisions,” Tchouaméni said.

Mourinho previously managed Roma from 2021 to 2024, winning the UEFA Europa Conference League in 2022 before leading the Italian club to the Europa League final in 2023, where they finished runners-up.

The Portuguese coach described Roma supporters as “special people” and reflected fondly on his time in the Italian capital.

“It’s not as if we won the Champions League… but we did win a European competition, we played a second European final in two years, and I think everything came together,” he said.