Mourinho and the controversy: "Many people don't know the rules"

Mourinho defended the referee's decisions after Real Madrid's 3-0 win at Racing, saying many fans don't understand the rules on penalty calls.

Real Madrid manager José Mourinho held his post-match press conference following a 3-0 victory at Racing Santander, addressing controversy over two penalty decisions in the match.

Mourinho defended the referee's handling of the game, particularly the disallowed Tchouaméni penalty. He explained that many spectators don't understand the rules: "People don't know that it's never a penalty for Tchouaméni because the ball comes from a rebound, from the body. It's never a penalty." He noted that when the referee initially awarded it, he remained calm from 60 metres away, but after reviewing it on the iPad, he was confident VAR would overturn it if the system was working properly.

On the broader performance, Mourinho praised his team's defensive commitment, highlighting how attacking players like Bellingham and Diomande were working hard to defend even at 3-0 up. He acknowledged the team is still growing but expressed satisfaction with their progress, noting they should be scoring more from their chances. He also praised Trent Alexander-Arnold's performance after his return from injury, saying his technical quality was crucial against Racing's high press.