José Mourinho's words after the Madrid derby went far beyond the frustration of a beaten manager. They have become part of a unified message Real Madrid have adopted on the refereeing file, with the Portuguese coach emerging as the voice carrying the club's position to the outside world. Between him and every level of the institution, there is complete agreement over what happened against Atlético Madrid.
According to Spanish newspaper "AS", Mourinho's words and gestures at the post-match press conference reflected Real Madrid's stance on the refereeing decisions in the derby rather than a knee-jerk reaction to defeat.
The club, it seems, have chosen their coach as the chief spokesman for the first team's position, so that the message inside and outside the stadium reads identically.
Defeat against Atlético laid that agreement bare. During the game and after it, the same line emerged from within Real Madrid: "The refereeing decisions affected the team and took it out of the mood of the match", a point Mourinho drove home afterwards when he said his side were "taken out of the match" and that the decisions "did not allow us to play".
Real Madrid didn't wait for the final whistle to state their case. The club had already announced, on Sunday morning, their objection to Ortiz Arias officiating the match, citing his previous dealings with Barcelona players.
The club's official channel carried that stance, proof the refereeing file existed inside Real Madrid before kick-off and wasn't merely a product of what unfolded during the derby.
The message that is no longer separate from the club
Right now, Mourinho holds a pivotal role in conveying Real Madrid's position to the outside world. The club, according to "AS", are clear that the first-team coach is the primary reference when it comes to expressing the team's stance in press conferences and commenting on the issues that concern them.
Here lies a striking difference from Mourinho's previous spell at Real Madrid. Back then, the messages the coach delivered in press conferences didn't always match other positions issued from within the club, including what Jorge Valdano used to voice from the stands.
Now the picture looks clearer. Mourinho speaks, and the club send no different message. Seven rounds into the Spanish league, the accumulated refereeing incidents, from Real Madrid's point of view, have become a file that demands a declared position. Nowhere did that show more clearly than after the Madrid derby.
This went beyond Mourinho's statements. Audio recordings later published by the Spanish federation revealed details of the review of several controversial incidents, including Cuti Romero's challenge on Bellingham and the penalty awarded and then upgraded to a red card against Dean Huijsen, while Kang-in Lee's challenge on Valverde remained among the cases the coach raised for discussion afterwards.
Real Madrid's position has not been settled
Escalation of the file coincides with the Spanish federation's annual meeting with coaches from the first and second divisions, set for tomorrow, Tuesday.
Organised by the coaches' group, the meeting offers a chance to raise concerns and observations about refereeing at the start of the season, and Mourinho was expected to be among the voices putting forward a vision after the controversy of the Madrid derby.
Yet the Portuguese coach's attendance had not been confirmed. Real Madrid, too, have shown little enthusiasm for taking part after the Atlético match, and the meeting, according to the report, will not be dedicated to discussing referees directly as on previous occasions.