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Khaled Mahmoud

'We have to be lucky to still be here!' - Jose Mourinho mocks Man City trial while opening up on Real Madrid & referee scandals

J. Mourinho
Real Madrid
Manchester City
Barcelona
LaLiga
Premier League

Jose Mourinho has taken a characteristic swipe at the pace of Manchester City's legal proceedings, suggesting he might not be around to see the final verdict. The Real Madrid boss also reflected on his return to the Santiago Bernabeu and the officiating controversies that have shadowed his career.

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  • Mourinho targets City legal delays

    Manchester City find themselves engulfed in an unprecedented crisis after an independent commission found the club guilty on 114 of 115 financial charges. The Premier League allegations, spanning from the 2009-10 to 2017-18 seasons, center on artificially inflated sponsorship revenue and failing to provide accurate financial records. While City firmly maintain their innocence and have officially launched an appeal, the club still face the threat of severe penalties.

    'I prefer to laugh a little, because I think we will have an end. But we two, who are in our sixties, have to have the luck to still be here when the final sentence arrives, because now a sentence will arrive and then an appeal...' Mourinho told Corriere dello Sport. His comments highlight a growing frustration within the game regarding the time it takes to process major disciplinary cases involving elite clubs.

  • Atletico de Madrid v Real Madrid - LaLiga EA Sports 2026/27Getty Images Sport

    Reflecting on the Negreira scandal

    During the interview, Mourinho also revisited the Negreira case - which stems from Barcelona paying over €7.3m between 2001 and 2018 to former refereeing vice-president Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira - linking it to his first tenure at Real Madrid between 2010 and 2013. While Barca maintain the payments were for legitimate technical reports, Real Madrid joined the legal action as an injured party, further deepening the institutional crisis in Spanish football.

    'I arrived and lived here, at Real Madrid, the important times of Negreira. Nobody knew it, but we lived it,' Mourinho stated. He further expanded on his history with controversial refereeing structures, noting similar patterns elsewhere. 'I then left and now it is known. But in Turkey the big scandal... afterwards this type of situation happened to me often,' he added, referencing how the head of Turkish officiating was eventually imprisoned.

  • A homecoming at the Bernabeu

    The Portuguese manager also discussed the unusual circumstances surrounding his return to the Spanish capital this summer, stepping in to take charge of Real Madrid following a trophyless campaign for the club last season. Mourinho holds fond memories from his first tenure at the Bernabeu, during which he lifted a La Liga title, a Copa del Rey, and a Supercopa de Espana.

    'Normally first there is the contact and then the rumor starts. Here it was exactly the opposite: the rumors started when there were zero contacts,' he explained. Mourinho revealed he was settled at Benfica when the speculation intensified, eventually leading to his emotional return to a club he spent three years with previously. He noted that he maintained a strong relationship with president Florentino Perez even during his decade away from the club.

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    The evolving role of the manager

    In a final reflection on the modern game, Mourinho lamented the changing landscape of football coaching. He observed that the era of the long-term 'career coach' is fading, replaced by a faster, more volatile cycle of appointments. He contrasted his current surroundings with his early days attending UEFA meetings alongside legendary figures like Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger.

    'Today the career of a coach is much shorter; they arrive fast and they leave fast. That prototype of a career coach no longer exists as much,' he remarked. Despite the shifts in the industry and the massive expansion of backroom staff, Mourinho insists his fundamental approach remains the same. He concluded by asserting that while football undergoes constant transformation, his professional identity is permanent, stating: 'The DNA does not change. Many things can change, but the DNA does not.'