Rabat – Jose Mourinho refused to give a direct reason for skipping his post-match press conference following Real Madrid’s 1-0 victory over Villarreal.
Instead, he told journalists to review the opening minute of the match to understand his decision.
Although Real Madrid secured all three points in Saturday’s La Liga clash, the match was overshadowed by a controversial second- half incident.
Vinicius Junior had a goal disallowed after VAR spotted him pulling Villarreal midfielder Saliba’s hair. The Brazilian was ultimately shown a straight red card.
The Real Madrid manager maintained total media silence following the match, keeping reporters waiting for an explanation.
Journalists questioned him on the decision during Tuesday’s pre-match press conference ahead of Madrid’s Champions League encounter with Roma.
“This is a Champions League game. Nothing to say about the league game,” Mourinho said.
“I’d invite you just watch the first minute of the game against Villarreal. If you want, we can talk about it on Saturday. The first minute is enough, if you know,” he added.
When questioned about whether he had greater confidence in European match officials compared to those in Spain, Mourinho maintained a diplomatic stance.
“I trust in all of them,” the Real Madrid coach said, downplaying any suggestion that he views Champions League referees differently than La Liga officials.
“The only thing that smells funny to me is when everyone knows the name of a referee three weeks before, when it should be 24 hours. That’s the only thing that makes me uncomfortable. Apart from that I have faith. I don’t have any negative feelings,” he concluded.
Real Madrid face Roma on Wednesday at the Stadio Olimpico.
The Matchday 2 fixture kicks off at 8 p.m. Moroccan time.
