Controversy erupted after Barreiro’s 89th-minute equaliser, with Mourinho seen clashing with the Porto bench. The former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss was subsequently shown a red card, and used pushed his thumb and index finger close together in a gesture appearing to call someone small as he made his way down the tunnel.
Speaking after the game, Mourinho said of why he was sent off: “The referee said he sent me off because I kicked a ball towards the FC Porto substitutes’ bench. That’s completely false. Many times, in our goals, I kick the ball towards the stands to give a lucky fan a chance. I know I’m not very good technically, but it was meant for the stands. I was wrongly sent off. The fourth official did a terrible job throughout the game and continues to do so when I told the referee that.”
The 63-year-old then confirmed that Gonzalez was the man who drew his ire from the Porto staff, adding: “He called me a traitor 50 times. I’d like him to explain to me, a traitor to what? I went to FC Porto, I gave my soul to FC Porto, I went to Chelsea, I went to Inter, to Real Madrid, I went around the world and gave 24 hours of my life every day. That’s called professionalism. When he went to Marseille, was he a traitor? A traitor to what? He could have insulted me in a way that I would have accepted better, but I think it was an attack on my professionalism, which is something I value so much.”
