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Jose Mourinho sits in stands after pink card chaos as followers say he is ‘doing a Wenger’

Benfica boss Jose Mourinho has been accused of “doing a Wenger” after he was shown a red card in the Champions League clash with Real Madrid.

Mourinho was shown a red card after a heated argument with the ref and instead of going down the tunnel, went at sat behind the dugout.

Calls from commentary on TNT Sports were surprised to see the referee allow him to stay there, alongside Benfica technical staff, as he was still close to his bench.

Users on social media said he looked to be paying tribute to his rival Arsene Wenger, although a little less dramatic than his famous sending off during Arsenal’s clash with Man United at Old Trafford.



French referee Francois Letexier shows a red card to SL Benfica's Portuguese head coach Jose Mourinho during the UEFA Champions League knockout round play-off first leg football match between SL Benfica and Real Madrid CF at Estadio da Luz in Lisbon on February 17, 2026. (Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA / AFP via Getty Images)
French referee Francois Letexier shows a red card to Mourinho

One user simple said: “Mourinho doing a Wenger”. Another added: “This move by Mourinho was inspired by Arsene Wenger at Old Trafford.”

The worst part for Mourinho will be that the red card means he will miss the second leg of the game against Real Madrid as he will serve a touchline ban.

The red card for Mourinho came after one of the Benfica coaching staff was sent off doing a clash between both teams following an incident of alleged racial abuse.



Kylian Mbappe talks with Mourinho
Kylian Mbappe talks with Mourinho after Vinicius Junior was upset by alleged racial abuse during the game

Vinicius Júnior appeared to have been angered by some words said to him from Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni.

What was said is currently unknown but Vinicius was incensed, sparking both sets of players to get involved. Mourinho appeared to try calm the situation while having words with Vinicius.

The game was delayed for around ten minutes as Vinicius appeared to sit on the Real Madrid bench while both teams were getting ready to kick off the game again.

speaking after the game, Real Madrid defender Trent Alexander Arnold spoke out on the incident with Vinicius and called it a “disgrace to football”.