LISBON, Portugal (AP) 鈥� Jose Mourinho claimed a rival coach 鈥渃alled me a traitor 50 times鈥� after being sent off in the final minutes of the latest frenetic 鈥淥 Cl谩ssico鈥� between fierce rivals Benfica and Porto on Sunday.
The 63-year-old Mourinho, a 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鈥檚 substitutes鈥� bench.
In quotes carried by Portuguese daily A Bola, Mourinho said that wasn鈥檛 his intention.
鈥淢any times 鈥� I kick the ball toward the stands to give a lucky fan a chance,鈥� Mourinho said in the post-match news conference.
鈥淚 know I鈥檓 not very good technically but it was meant for the stands.鈥�
Mourinho, who led Porto to the Champions League title in 2004 in the final season of his 2陆-year coaching spell there, added that it was an 鈥渁ttack on my professionalism鈥� to have been accused of being a traitor by Porto assistant coach Lucho Gonzalez as they clashed after the match.
鈥淗e called me a traitor 50 times 鈥� I鈥檇 like him to explain to me (who I鈥檓 a) traitor to?鈥� Mourinho posed. 鈥淚 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鈥檚 called professionalism.”
Last month, Mourinho attacked the character of Vin铆cius J煤nior after the Real Madrid winger during a Champions League match.
Mourinho suggested Vin铆cius had incited Benfica鈥檚 players with his celebrations after scoring the only goal in a 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:
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
