Jose Mourinho was at the centre of a melee towards the end of the game between Porto and Benfica
Benfica boss Jose Mourinho defended his integrity after claiming he was called a traitor by Porto assistant Lucho Gonzalez towards the end of yesterday’s explosive Primeira Liga clash.
The game finished 2-2 with hosts Benfica hitting back from a 2-0 half-time deficit to claim a point thanks to Leandro Barreiro’s 88th-minute equaliser.
The goal prompted a fracas on the touchline with Mourinho accused of kicking a ball into the Porto dugout. When the dust had settled both he and former Argentina midfielder Gonzalez were dismissed.
The argument continued in the tunnel and Mourinho, who led Porto to the Champions League title in 2004, was unhappy at Gonzalez’s choice of words.
He said: ”He called me a traitor 50 times in the tunnel. I’d like him to explain to me, a traitor to what? I went to Porto, I gave my soul to Porto, I went to Chelsea, I went to Inter, to Real Madrid, I travelled around the world and gave 24 hours of my life every day, gave my life, my soul. That’s what professionalism is about.
“Insults from the fans are one thing. But a fellow professional calling me a traitor, why? A traitor to what? Giving everything to Benfica? A traitor to what? I didn’t like it.
“If tomorrow I leave Benfica and go to Amadora, Leiria or Moreirense, I’ll give the same. I was incorrectly sent-off. The fourth official did a terrible job throughout the game.”
Mourinho says the ball he kicked was meant for a fan
Mourinho also dismissed the claim he had deliberately kicked a ball towards the Porto staff.
He added: “The referee says he sent me off because I kicked a ball towards the FC Porto bench, which is completely false. I don’t know how many times I have done it, three, four or five but after many goals at the Estadio da Luz I have kicked a ball into the stand. A way to celebrate and give a lucky fan a ball.
“I know I am technically not very good but it was for the stands.”
The stalemate left Benfica seven points behind table-topping Porto with just nine games remaining and Mourinho feels the gap is too great to make up.
“I think it’s difficult to make up seven points,” he said. “I’ve been saying this since the start of the season – it’s very easy to identify how Porto play but still very difficult to play against them. It doesn’t seem likely to me that Porto will lose more points.”
