Mourinho: I experienced a key phase of the Negreira case when nobody knew about it

In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Mourinho discussed his relationship with referees and the Negreira case.

Mourinho stated that his relationship with referees was not the problem, but rather that he always encountered bad luck whenever he managed a club. These remarks came after the Madrid derby controversy, in which Real Madrid ultimately lost 1-2.

Mourinho said: "I was here, at Real Madrid, during a significant phase of the Negreira case. No one knew about it then, but we experienced it. That's just how things happened."

He continued: "Then I left, and now everyone knows. But I was thinking about other things at the time. This kind of thing often happens to me—in Turkey, after a major Turkish scandal."

Speaking about his potential return to Real Madrid, Mourinho said: "Normally, there's contact first, and then the hype starts when things are already substantial. But this was completely the opposite. There hadn't been any contact yet, but the hype had already begun. I was at Benfica, very happy. Benfica is special to me, and it's only 10 minutes from my home, which hadn't happened in 20 years."

He pointed out: "The club needed a complete overhaul. 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 stated: "Real Madrid changed coaches mid-season, and then Ancelotti took over. The results weren't out yet, but the hype began. But no one said anything to me. When the rumors first appeared, I felt it couldn't be true. I never thought it would actually happen."

Regarding the incident between Preciado and Vinicius, Mourinho said: "That's a sensitive and very difficult topic, because Preciado was ultimately suspended, but not for racism. I became a victim of public opinion and many opportunists, because the whole thing got completely out of hand."

He added: "One player said it wasn't true, and no one could provide evidence that it was true. You can't take sides. Whatever you say, public opinion will consider you wrong. 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."

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