Luis García Plaza praises Mourinho and criticises refereeing decisions

Luis García Plaza combined praise for José Mourinho with criticism of refereeing. The Sevilla coach also set out the decisions he felt had gone against his team against Levante at the Ciutat de València.

Speaking about Mourinho, he praised the Portuguese coach’s record and personality, and said they had enjoyed a good relationship for years. “His résumé speaks for itself,” García Plaza said, also recalling the reception Mourinho received in Rome. He believes Mourinho gives his teams plenty of character and that this influence can be seen at Real Madrid.

On refereeing, García Plaza said he wanted to be understanding towards officials without holding back his concerns. He recalled that coaches could give their opinion on an incident as long as they remained respectful, and said he did not want to comment on decisions involving Vinícius. He also referred to an incident in the Levante match in which Miguel Sierra had to undergo surgery after an injury, with no foul given, in his account. “We are all human; I make mistakes often,” he acknowledged.

The coach then revisited the incidents in the latest match against Levante that, he said, had left his team feeling hard done by. He claimed his side had faced 70 minutes of added time across eight games when leading, except for the match against Rayo, when the score was level. He also cited Isaac’s sending-off, Miguel’s serious injury and an intervention by the fourth official as a player came on, followed by a booking for Castrín. García Plaza said Castrín was affected for the remainder of the second half.

Finally, he declined to comment on Real Madrid’s decisions regarding its television channel. He said referees would find him a coach willing to help them, while also wanting to focus on football: “We play 11 against 11, they are very good, and we will see if we can get the better of them.”