Jose Mourinho says he experienced an important period of the Negreira case while managing Real Madrid, despite the allegations being unknown to the public at the time.
The former Real Madrid manager was speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport about his relationship with referees and the controversy surrounding the case. Mourinho said refereeing was not the issue, but that he had repeatedly been affected by bad luck at the clubs he managed.
His comments followed the Madrid derby controversy, after Real Madrid were beaten 1-2.
“I was here, at Real Madrid, during a significant phase of the Negreira case,” Mourinho said. “No one knew about it then, but we experienced it. That’s just how things happened.”
He added: “Then I left, and now everyone knows. But I was thinking about other things at the time. This kind of thing often happens to mein Turkey, after a major Turkish scandal.”
Mourinho also discussed speculation linking him with a return to Real Madrid. He said the usual sequence of events had been reversed, with public interest developing before any contact had taken place.
“Normally, there’s contact first, and then the hype starts when things are already substantial,” he said. “But this was completely the opposite. There hadn’t been any contact yet, but the hype had already begun.”
At the time, Mourinho was managing Benfica and said he was content with the club, which held particular significance for him. He also noted that Benfica was only 10 minutes from his home, something that had not been the case for 20 years.
“The club needed a complete overhaul,” Mourinho said. “I thought I would stay for a three-year contract. Then the hype started. I was surprised and didn’t pay much attention. I told myself: this is just a rumor.”
Mourinho on the coaching speculation
Mourinho said the rumours intensified after Real Madrid changed managers during the season, before Carlo Ancelotti took charge.
“Real Madrid changed coaches mid-season, and then Ancelotti took over,” he said. “The results weren’t out yet, but the hype began. But no one said anything to me.”
He said he initially believed the reports could not be accurate and never expected the proposed move to become a reality.
When asked about the incident involving Preciado and Vinicius, Mourinho described it as a difficult and sensitive matter. He said Preciado was eventually suspended, but not for racism, and argued that public reaction had made the situation impossible to discuss fairly.
“One player said it wasn’t true, and no one could provide evidence that it was true,” Mourinho said. “You can’t take sides. Whatever you say, public opinion will consider you wrong.”
He said the positive aspect of the affair was that it involved two young men he regarded highly.
“The one thing I really liked about this story is that on one side there’s a great young man, and on the other side there’s another very good young man,” he added.
