Jose Mourinho sent off after furious outburst as Benfica fans throw objects at Real Madrid stars
Jose Mourinho found himself banished to the stands during Benfica’s Champions League encounter with Real Madrid on Tuesday evening.
The 63-year-old Portuguese manager was dismissed in the 85th minute following a heated exchange with match official Francois Letexier.
Mourinho’s fury stemmed from the referee’s refusal to brandish a second yellow card to Vinicius Jr after the Brazilian forward committed a foul on Richard Rios.
The Real Madrid winger had already been cautioned earlier in the contest, meaning a further booking would have resulted in his expulsion from the fixture.
Jose Mourinho was positively seething with the referee before earning a red card
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The Benfica boss made his displeasure abundantly clear to the French referee.
The fixture was marred by deeply troubling scenes during the second period.
Play was halted when Vinicius appeared to allege that he had been subjected to racist abuse from Gianluca Prestianni.
The incident cast a shadow over what had been a memorable individual performance from the Brazilian attacker.
Prior to the controversy, Vinicius had opened the scoring with a spectacular strike that earned him widespread acclaim.
Vinicius Jr earlier alleged that he was racially abused during the tie
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That brilliant goal also brought with it a yellow card, setting the stage for the later flashpoint involving Mourinho.
Alan Shearer, speaking on Amazon Prime, remarked: “It has been an ugly second half. What we should be talking about is a special goal. I suspect the headline will be very, very different.”
Despite his dismissal, Mourinho provided a moment of levity by positioning himself in the front row of seats directly behind the Benfica bench.
“He’s never one to go quietly!” 😬
Jose Mourinho is SENT OFF vs Real Madrid 🔴 pic.twitter.com/UxAjLCKn8T
— Prime Video Sport UK (@primevideosport) February 17, 2026
Those in his vicinity were reportedly amused by the veteran manager’s defiant choice of seating.
However, former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg raised questions about the arrangement during Amazon Prime’s coverage.
He observed: “It will be interesting to see what Uefa’s delegate does because he [Jose Mourinho] is still in the technical area where the Benfica technical staff are, and he should be further away, so he can coach his team from that technical area.”
The incident may yet attract further scrutiny from European football’s governing body.
