Mourinho blasts Pinheiro: "Sending off a World Cup winner boosts his CV"

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·8 January 2026

Mourinho blasts Pinheiro: "Sending off a World Cup winner boosts his CV"

In addition to harshly criticizing Benfica’s players, José Mourinho also contested Otamendi’s sending off, which will prevent him from playing in the classic against FC Porto in the quarter-finals of the Portuguese Cup.

“We are going to play against the strongest team in Portugal at the moment, the points show that. I’m not sure if João Pinheiro acts the same way with all the team captains he referees. I have serious doubts, it almost seemed like there was a desire to send Otamendi off. Maybe it looks good on his résumé to send off a World Cup champion. One thing is an insult, another is an argument. To me, it seems completely unreasonable,” said the Benfica coach.