Mourinho absent as La Liga coaches gather for annual meeting

The Real Madrid boss excused himself ahead of time from the yearly coaches' assembly in Las Rozas, joining Simeone and Flick among those missing.

Jose Mourinho did not appear at Monday's yearly assembly of coaches from Spain's top two divisions, an event staged at the City of Football in Las Rozas and organized by the Coaches Committee. According to Mundo Deportivo, the Real Madrid manager was one of numerous no-shows, a group that also included Atletico Madrid's Diego Simeone and Barcelona's Hansi Flick.

The Portuguese boss had let organizers know well before the session that he would not come, pointing to personal scheduling conflicts. His club was informed of the plan ahead of time, so the empty seat raised no eyebrows. The skip was unrelated to any tension lingering from the recent Madrid derby.

Two subjects have regularly taken center stage at this gathering: money troubles and officiating. Payment disputes involving some coaches, which once drew strong criticism from Carlo Ancelotti, are believed to have been settled through La Liga's intervention. Disagreements over refereeing, however, persist despite talks between coaching staffs and federation officials, a friction highlighted again this past weekend when Mourinho and others criticized match officials publicly.

With club play paused for the international break, Mourinho's attention turns to reversing Real Madrid's form after two significant losses that leave the side six points adrift of Barcelona. League action resumes for the club with a fixture against Villarreal on October 10.