Jose Mourinho, getty images 06 November 2025, 13:27

The head coach of Lisbon Benfica Jose Mourinho spoke after the defeat by Bayer Leverkusen (0:1) in the framework of the 4th round of the general stage of the Champions League. His words are quoted by the Record.

“I don’t want to talk too much about the referee.

I don’t like to protest just like that, but all this unsportsmanlike behavior… I usually say that when a team behaves excessively unsportsmanlike, there is only one man to blame – the referee. It is rare to see a referee show a yellow card to a goalkeeper in the first half – this only happens in the 89th minute. Perhaps nothing special happened and there were no glaring mistakes.

We all have a responsibility in the match. And in this disgusting aspect of the match, those who allow it are to blame. The referee, whom, unfortunately, I know well and know that he does not feel much sympathy for me, and neither do I for him. But I don’t think we lost because of the referee. We lost because we didn’t score goals,” Mourinho said