Mourinho takes swipe at Sporting over Portuguese Cup win

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·16 de octubre de 2025

Mourinho takes swipe at Sporting over Portuguese Cup win

On Thursday, October 16, José Mourinho previewed Benfica’s match against Chaves in the third round of the Portuguese Cup and took a jab at Sporting, saying that the Reds have one fewer trophy in the competition than they should, in a reference to last season’s final.

J. Mourinho: "Benfica have one Cup fewer than they should; they should have won it last season"

"Benfica have one Cup fewer than they should; they should have won it last season. Benfica have a Cup tradition, I went to Jamor countless times with my father; it still stirs something in me. I’ve never coached Benfica in a Portuguese Cup final... I would love to. Today, the Portuguese Cup is more important than the Champions League", he began.

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J. Mourinho: "Last year’s Cup final was an unfortunate piece of work by the refereeing team"

The coach speaks of an "unfortunate piece of work" by the referees in 2024/25: “I limit myself to being a coach and looking at games with a coach’s eyes; even when I’m not coaching the teams involved, I can’t look without a coach’s eyes. And last year’s Cup final was an unfortunate piece of work by the refereeing team, including the VARs, who are more important—sometimes more than the referees on the pitch,” he said.

José Mourinho downplayed the controversies between directors: "The problems between the presidents are already historical, but when emotions fade, there comes the feeling that they have to be united for the sake of Portuguese football and in solving some problems. It’s nothing new or alarming. It’s good for you, it helps you in your work. Sometimes referees make mistakes, and sometimes decisively. I look at it from a coach’s perspective: we all make mistakes, but when the errors lead to significant changes to the truth of the game, it’s harder to accept. But I look at it with a coach’s eyes," he concluded.

As for Sporting, they return to action on Saturday, October 18, against Paços de Ferreira. The match, part of the third round of the Portuguese Cup, against Filipe Cândido’s side, will be played at the Estádio Capital do Móvel at 8:15 p.m.

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