LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Jose Mourinho claimed a rival coach “called me a traitor 50 times” after being sent off in the final minutes of the latest frenetic “O Clássico” between fierce rivals Benfica and Porto on Sunday.
The 63-year-old Mourinho, a magnet for controversy in soccer, was shown a red card in the 90th minute of the 2-2 draw in the Portuguese league, with the Benfica coach saying after the game he was sanctioned for kicking a ball toward Porto’s substitutes’ bench.
In quotes carried by Portuguese daily A Bola, Mourinho said that wasn’t his intention.
“Many times … I kick the ball toward the stands to give a lucky fan a chance,” Mourinho said in the post-match news conference.
“I know I’m not very good technically but it was meant for the stands.”
Mourinho, who led Porto to the Champions League title in 2004 in the final season of his 2½-year coaching spell there, added that it was an “attack on my professionalism” to have been accused of being a traitor by Porto assistant coach Lucho Gonzalez as they clashed after the match.
“He called me a traitor 50 times — I’d like him to explain to me (who I’m a) traitor to?” Mourinho posed. “I went to Porto. I gave my soul to Porto. I went to Chelsea, I went to Inter (Milan), to Real Madrid. I went around the world and gave 24 hours of my life every day. That’s called professionalism."
Last month, Mourinho attacked the character of Vinícius Júnior after the Real Madrid winger accused Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni of racially insulting him during a Champions League match.
Mourinho suggested Vinícius had incited Benfica’s players with his celebrations after scoring the only goal in a playoff match between the teams.
Those comments were widely criticized, including by Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany.
The draw on Sunday left Porto in first place in the Portuguese league, four points ahead of Sporting Lisbon and seven clear of third-place Benfica.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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