Mourinho’s friend: They act like sending off Benfica boss earns a medal | OneFootball

On the same day that Benfica will decide with Real Madrid, at the Bernabéu, the passage to the Champions League round of 16, in a match where they will not have José Mourinho on the bench, due to suspension, Eládio Paramés, former spokesperson, advisor, and friend of the coach, considered that sometimes the "Special One" is expelled by referees without deserving it.

"For the referee, it seems like it's something: a badge of honor for expelling José. Sometimes it seems like they earn a badge for expelling José", he said in an interview with the program La Tribu, on Radio Marc. Eládio worked with Mourinho during the coach's time at Real Madrid, between 2010 and 2013.

On a more personal note, Paramés described him off the field as a "very friendly, very supportive guy," noting that "José the coach and José the person are absolutely different things". He also highlighted how "he often stands up to defend the players," attributing many of the controversies in the coach's career to this characteristic.

Regarding Vinícius Júnior's accusation of racism against Gianluca Prestianni that marked the first leg of the playoff between Benfica and Real Madrid, he did not want to elaborate, but made it clear: "Something happened. I am not able to condemn him without knowing what really happened".

It is worth remembering that Eládio Paramés revealed, after the duel at Luz, that this case stirred his emotions. "What I saw in the stands of the stadium made me cry seeing part of the audience tarnish the name of a club like Benfica, where its greatest stars had dark skin, like Eusébio, the Black Panther. But it made me laugh to see, hear, and read many condemning Prestianni", he said.

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