"José Mourinho is the right person at the right time"

PRESENTATION

Rui Costa, President of Sport Lisboa e Benfica, considered, in José Mourinho's presentation, that the coach is "the right person at the right time", emphasizing that he fits the desired profile: "A winning coach".

PRESS CONFERENCE

How easy or difficult was it – we've already talked a little bit about the contract here – to sign José Mourinho, the coach with the most impressive curriculum ever to work in Portugal?

It's never easy to sign a coach of this caliber, but it was a huge privilege for me to realize immediately that coach Mourinho also wanted to come and train Benfica. That gave me and my team even more strength to believe that we had found the right person at the right time. We were very honored, in fact, to realize that a coach of such prestige wanted to coach this club. This obviously made the choice and final decision easier, and ended up being a quicker process as well. Benfica wanted him, and José Mourinho immediately wanted to coach this club, so that's another reason why we're here today and why he'll be coaching the afternoon training session.

Do you feel that this signing – I have already said that your intention at this point is to serve Benfica – will ultimately be an electoral asset?

An electoral asset? I have heard it a lot... I am here today as President of Benfica. And so, as President of Benfica, I am choosing a coach for the future of Sport Lisboa e Benfica. I already said this in my answers to the questions I was asked after the game against Qarabag, when it was already felt, or heard from your side, that José Mourinho could be a name coming to Benfica. It confuses me a little that these terms are used... In fact, José Mourinho has already explained how the contract was made. But regardless of how the contract is drawn up, or not, my responsibility as President of Benfica is to ensure what we believe is best for the future of the Club in all circumstances. It would be irresponsible, because Benfica is a month away from elections, to sack a coach and be left without a coach until the elections... Was that what it meant to not be thinking about elections? And so, I cannot understand the reason behind what has been said. José Mourinho is Benfica's coach because he is José Mourinho, because he is a coach who we believe has all the credentials to lead a team and a club of our dimension. That was the only view we could have at this moment because we felt we had to change the coaching staff. 

I would like to ask you what involvement the general director for professional football, Mário Branco, had in this signing, given that he has already worked with José Mourinho. The first initiative of your election campaign has already been announced. Is there any connection between the timing of the announcement of the new coach and the first initiative?

I will answer that question because it is direct and has to do with the presentation we are making here today. I am here as President of Benfica, not as a candidate in the upcoming Benfica elections. But, even so, just to clarify that point: my trip to Paredes had been planned well before the Qarabag game. If I had any intention of combining one thing with the other, it probably wouldn't have been the best week for it, so one thing has nothing to do with the other, absolutely nothing. What happened on Tuesday happened, and on Tuesday night we had to make a decision. Yesterday [Wednesday], we contacted José Mourinho so that he could be here today to lead training, in line with what I asked for and wanted, which was to have a new coach in charge of the team for the next game. Regarding Mário Branco and the entire structure: the decisions and responsibilities are mine, but the entire structure that is with me in football participates in all these decisions as well, and that is why they are here. 

You worked for the last four years with Jorge Jesus, Nélson Veríssimo, Roger Schmidt, Bruno Lage, and said at the end of last season that Bruno Lage was the least to blame for what happened. What is certain is that, just over a month before the elections, the coach is replaced and José Mourinho arrives. I ask you if, after all, these coaching changes don't place too much responsibility on the coaches? Putting yourself in the shoes of a fan, would you think that the coaches were solely to blame, or would you think that the blame lies higher up?

You just said whether it's the coaches' fault or not, when I said that the coach was the least to blame... That analysis doesn't add up. Even so, I have never shirked my responsibilities. I will always be the first person responsible, regardless of whether the coach is successful or not, because I am the one who chooses the coach and, therefore, the primary responsibility is always mine. I am grateful to the coaches who have worked at Benfica during my mandate over the past four years, but that's life in football. Unfortunately, especially in countries like ours, in Latin countries, in countries where football is lived with such intensity, it is not always possible to make long-term plans or have long-term coaches. We had Roger Schmidt, who was my first coach at the start of the season, who ended up winning the championship and the Super Cup the following year, but then didn't have the success we all expected and hoped he would have. Bruno Lage joined us after the season had already started. As I also said on Tuesday, I try to give coaches continuity until we reach the point where we understand that something is not working and we have to change. Unfortunately, and I say this very honestly, it is part of life in football. Certainly, Rui Costa and Benfica are not the only ones who have to make decisions to change coaches at the beginning, middle, or end of the season. Right now, José Mourinho will be coaching the team, and naturally, I hope and wish, as the coach just said, that we will reach a point where we have to renew his contract rather than terminate it. That is the goal whenever someone sits down with a president to work on a football team. But, unfortunately, it is not always possible; these are inevitable things in football, things that, unfortunately, are part of football.

You said that José Mourinho is the coach with the most impressive curriculum worldwide to arrive in Portuguese football. Given the times we live in, and even the project you announced some time ago regarding the renovation of the stadium, does the signing of José Mourinho also aim to take Benfica to an even higher level? Are there long-term prospects that Benfica can reach that level?

We always want the Club to evolve in all areas, as is natural. José Mourinho's arrival has nothing to do with a project for the Stadium. It has to do with the size of the club we are, and we want coaches, players, and to grow to the level of what the Club is. As I said earlier, we are very proud of this signing for that reason too. We are talking about a coach... The coach has already explained this a little – despite people wanting to divide his career into two parts, José Mourinho is one of the best coaches in the world and has the best image worldwide. Obviously, this is also important given the size of the Club. And, by the way, I would also like to mention something that was questioned a lot here at the press conference, about whether it was the best context for the coach to come to Benfica, partly due to the elections in a month's time. Even José Mourinho's decision, given his stature, shows his ability to face a moment like this. Therefore, even for Benfica, this decision also encompasses this aspect: having a coach who, given his stature and experience, can distance himself from everything that will happen in the coming month and focus on the club's objectives, which remain intact: to win everything at the national level and compete in the European competition the way we want to compete. All these aspects were important in choosing the next coach. And when it comes to bringing in José Mourinho, whether it's a gamble or not... The big risk this season was bringing in a coach without this experience, without this ability, without this quality, who would arrive at Benfica at a time like this, which is turning out the way it is, and who would not have enough experience to be able to distance himself from a situation like this.