New footage clears José Mourinho over Benfica v Porto red card | OneFootball

New footage from Benfica’s match with Porto on Sunday eight March shows José Mourinho did not kick a ball towards the Porto bench, despite being sent off for the alleged act.

Glorioso 1904 reports that a close-up video of the flashpoint has emerged. The Benfica head coach was dismissed by referee João Pinheiro after celebrating Leandro Barreiro’s equaliser at Estádio da Luz.

The clip focuses on the moment and shows the ball travelling towards the stands rather than the visiting bench. Lucho González was the first from the Porto bench to approach the fourth official, and he was later dismissed and exchanged words with Mourinho in the tunnel.

Mourinho told his press conference that the referee said he had been sent off for kicking the ball at Porto’s bench, which he described as completely false. He said his intention was to celebrate by sending the ball into the crowd, something he has often done at the Luz, adding that while his technique is not perfect, the aim was the stands.

He also said a member of Porto’s staff repeatedly called him a traitor in the tunnel, a characterisation he rejected by pointing to the work he had given Porto. He noted subsequent spells at Chelsea, Inter, Real Madrid and Fenerbahçe as part of a professional career, later identifying Lucho González as the person involved.

Source: Glorioso 1904