How Jose feels: Unperturbed, bemused, blameless
Jose Mourinho feels ‘blameless’ in the supposed war of words with Chelsea manager Antonio Conte and insists he will not escalate things further.
The Manchester United manager has briefed The Guardian that he is ‘unperturbed’ by a dispute that the Italian pledged on Tuesday not to forget anything Mourinho has said.
The issue began when Mourinho said he did not have to “behave as a clown on the touchline” to show his passion at United; he claims that those comments were not directed at Conte but at his younger self.
“I was asked about my passion and you know I was speaking about myself and then the question to the Chelsea manager was that I said he behaved like a clown. Probably the journalist wanted to say that but didn’t have the courage so he said Mourinho said you behaved like a clown.
“I understand his reaction,” said Mourinho on Friday night after Conte had suggested that his Portuguese rival had been suffering from ‘demenza senile’.
But of course Mourinho did not simply deny he was referring to the Italian with his ‘clown’ column but continued: “What has never happened to me and will never happen is to be suspended for match-fixing. That never happened to me and it will never happen.”
An angry Conte then called him a “little man” and a “fake”, but Mourinho has pledged not to respond. Except through Jamie Jackson of The Guardian, of course.
