José Mourinho delivered a press conference today at Benfica’s training ground, addressing a range of controversies that have swirled around the club this week.
At the heart of the session were his words about Gianluca Prestianni. Mourinho made it clear that Benfica’s standards — and his own — are non-negotiable.
“If it is proven that my player did not respect these principles, which are mine and Benfica’s, his career with me is over. If he is indeed guilty, I will never look at him the same way again,
and he is finished with me.
“I’m not a lawyer, but I’m not ignorant either. Is the presumption of innocence a human right or not?”
Shirt Swapping, Real Madrid, and Context
Another talking point from the week involved Sidny and Vinicius exchanging shirts after a recent match. Mourinho dismissed the outrage, but thought the timing may not have been ideal. Sidny was the brunt of lots of abuse from his own fans for his embrace with Vinicius after the game.
“Sidny and Vinicius swapping shirts after the game is not something to criticize. It’s normal in big matches and with players of stratospheric quality. It was avoidable, given what happened during the week.”
He also addressed criticism over his media hiatus in Madrid as well as remaining on the team bus rather than appearing publicly.
“Not speaking at press conferences is something I always do. If it were the first time… but staying on the bus is normal because I had four screens and I saw the match differently. Besides, who knows, maybe in the future it could be like in other sports where the coach is in a different position.”
Real Madrid Rumors: “Do You Think I’m Stupid?”
“When they said the match against Real Madrid was an opportunity for me to return, they missed something important. In this room, I said it was possible to say no to Florentino Pérez. Do you think I would say that if I wanted to leave Benfica for Real Madrid? Do you think I’m stupid?”
“I was very objective. I said I didn’t want to go to Real Madrid and that I wanted to stay. I have many flaws, but I’m not stupid.”
On Álvaro Arbeloa and “Balanced” Positions
Mourinho also touched on comments involving Álvaro Arbeloa, maintaining affection while defending his own stance.
“I love Álvaro (Arbeloa) and I will continue to do so, but I believe that I was the one who took the right position, not him. One must have a balanced stance. If being balanced means not defending my own side, then I didn’t attack the other.”
