Mourinho hits back at Varandas, brings Formula 1 into Sporting row | OneFootball

José Mourinho, coach of Benfica, was this Saturday, December 27, asked about the recent comments made by Frederico Varandas, President of Sporting. In the preview of the match between Braga and the Eagles, the coach made a comparison with Lewis Hamilton, the Formula 1 driver.

"I don't want to comment on the words of Sporting's President and I will try not to comment on the words of any of the presidents. Does it serve as fuel for us? No, it doesn't serve as fuel for us. Benfica's history shows that sometimes it arrives late, but most of the time it doesn't," he said, referring to the British driver.

"Lewis Hamilton arrived late in the last two F1 championships, but he won seven or eight. He is the F1 driver with the most championships. Benfica's history shows that yes, in the last two seasons it arrived late, but it is the club with the most trophies in Portugal and we don't need that kind of motivation. The motivation is our own pride, being professionals, fighting to our limits, believing that mathematics is what decides the chances of winning or not," he said.

Recall the words of Frederico Varandas - who wants to renew with Rui Borges - after Sporting's victory in Guimarães: "The president of Benfica jokes that he arrives 12 minutes late to the Christmas speech. It's nothing new, the championship ends and Benfica usually arrives late. That's normal..."

At the moment, the Lions have 38 points and remain in second place in the Liga Portugal Betclic standings. Porto (43) is in first place. Benfica is third with 35. The green and white team will be back on the field next Sunday, December 28, against Rio Ave, at 8:30 p.m., in Alvalade.

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