Mourinho refuses to discuss Negreira case ahead of Real Madrid meeting

According to Goal, Benfica head coach Jose Mourinho told reporters in Lisbon he would not dwell on the 'Negreira case' or Barcelona’s alleged payments to referees ahead of his Champions League reunion with Real Madrid.

The pre-match press conference turned to the scandal involving payments to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, and reporters noted some alleged payments occurred during Mourinho’s 2010–2013 tenure at Santiago Bernabeu. Mourinho shut down the questioning, saying: "It’s something that doesn’t interest me. Honestly, it doesn’t interest me. I live my career in the present, not in the past. What happened has happened, and that’s it."

He was more forthcoming about former players, paying tribute to Alvaro Arbeloa as "one of my favourite players of all time" and "one of the best men who ever played for me," and predicting a bright future for Xabi Alonso after his sacking, calling him one of his "boys" and saying "his career will take another path, because he has shown the level of coach he can become."

Benfica must win at the Estadio da Luz and rely on other results to stay in the competition, while Mourinho warned of Real Madrid’s squad depth and ruthlessness: "They have top players... if you don’t take your chances, Madrid punish you." He stressed the need for a compact, disciplined team and that his focus remains on current performance rather than past controversies.