❌ The ref had a note? Why Mourinho lost it and was sent off | OneFootball

Benfica coach José Mourinho received two yellow cards in quick succession during the highly emotional duel with former club Real Madrid in the Champions League, resulting in his dismissal. Afterwards, "The Special One" provided a provocative explanation for his outburst. 

In the 85th minute, there was a clear foul by Vinícius Júnior, who was already on a yellow card, on Richard Rios. Referee Francois Letexier did penalize the foul but gestured towards Eduardo Camavinga, as if he had committed the foul.

He didn't issue a card in this situation either way. Mourinho raged on the sidelines, demanding a second yellow card for Vinícius Júnior. This led to a heated discussion with Letexier, and then Mourinho suddenly saw a yellow-red card. In the mixed zone, he explained his dismissal. 

"I received a red card because I said something very obvious. The referee had a note that said: 'Tchouaméni, Carreras, and Huijsen must not receive a yellow card.' He didn’t want to give a card to Carreras and Tchouaméni. I just told the referee that. We know how it goes," said the Portuguese with a smirk, making it clear that he felt Benfica was disadvantaged by the referee's decisions throughout the match.

In his view, apparently no important Real player should be suspended for the return match. Mourinho's words can certainly be interpreted as an accusation of bias or even bribery, as he accused the referee of deliberately favoring one team.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

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