José Mourinho, the Benfica manager, has accused Porto coach Lucho González of calling him a “traitor 50 times” during the 2-2 draw between the two sides. The Portuguese tactician was sent off in the second half after allegedly kicking the ball towards the Porto bench, though Mourinho denies the charge.
“The referee said he sent me off because I kicked the ball toward the Porto bench, which is completely false… I don’t know if it was three, four, or five times, but I’ve done it many times at the Estádio da Luz: after scoring, the ball goes into the stands. It’s a way to celebrate and give the ball to a lucky fan. I know I’m not technically very good, but it was for the stands,” Mourinho said in his post-match press conference.
Regarding his dismissal, Mourinho added: “The Porto bench called me a traitor 50 times in the tunnel.”
“‘I would like Lucho González to explain to me: traitor to what?'” Mourinho emphasized. “I was at Porto, I gave my soul to Porto. I went to Chelsea, Inter, Real Madrid, Fenerbahçe, I changed things. I gave everything to everyone, my soul, my life every day. That’s what professionalism is. The insults from the fans are one thing. That’s football. They are the same fans who, years ago, couldn’t walk through the city without kneeling at my feet. Now they insult me. No problem. But a colleague calling me a traitor? Traitor to what? To giving everything for Benfica?”
Mourinho continued: “If tomorrow I leave Benfica and go somewhere else, I’ll do the same. Traitor to what? I didn’t like it. I was unfairly sent off. The fourth official did a terrible job throughout the match and continued doing so when I told the referee.”
The 63-year-old clarified that Lucho González called him a “traitor” multiple times: “It wasn’t just once; it was 20 or 30 times. When Lucho González went to Olympique Marseille, was he a traitor? Traitor to what? He could have insulted me in a way I would have accepted better, but I think it was an attack on my professionalism, something I value highly.”
Mourinho admitted: “Lucho González disappointed me a little because he’s a professional like me, he’s played for different clubs. I didn’t understand the ‘traitor’ thing.”