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Inter Milan's Jose Mourinho branded 'pathetic' by Serie A rival managers
Jose Mourinho’s bitter season-long feud with his adversaries in Serie A took its sourest twist when the Inter Milan manager intimated that Italian coaches were influenced by their presidents in selecting their teams.
By Oliver Brown
Last Updated: 9:00PM GMT 23 Mar 2009
Open mouth: Jose Mourinho's latest comments have come in for criticism from Serie A rivals Photo: GETTY IMAGES
The reaction of his rivals was unusually ferocious, with Massimiliano Allegri, the Cagliari manager, branding Mourinho “pathetic”.
Where Mourinho drew a fashionable notoriety in England for his candour while with Chelsea, the Portuguese has made himself something of a pariah in Italy with his regular provocations, both among the Press and his peers.
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Inter are close to securing their fourth straight scudetto in his first season in charge but still the manager found it necessary to stir the pot by saying: “When I mentioned coaches who lose their own dignity, what I wanted to state is that while I choose the team that goes out on the pitch, other coaches don’t do that – in the world of football it’s full of them.
Asserting the same autonomy that led to the breakdown of his relationship with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, Mourinho added: “If anyone told me what to do with my line-up, the next day my office would be empty and I would have my suitcases packed.”
But there was a swift counter-offensive from Renzo Ulivieri, president of the Italian Football Coaches Association, who said: “Mourinho is a member of our association and we are happy that he is but this time, he has gone too far. Ask [Fabio] Capello, [Marcello] Lippi, [Luciano] Spalletti…to name a few, if their teams are selected by someone else.”
Carlo Ancelotti, the AC Milan manager, sustained his own hostility towards Mourunho with this barb: “If I am the one he is referring to, then I can only say that I have won two cups under [Milan owner Silvio] Berlusconi as a player and the other two as assistant coach.” Allegri said: “To step on other coaches shows a lack of respect.”
Jose Mourinho’s bitter season-long feud with his adversaries in Serie A took its sourest twist when the Inter Milan manager intimated that Italian coaches were influenced by their presidents in selecting their teams.
By Oliver Brown
Last Updated: 9:00PM GMT 23 Mar 2009
Open mouth: Jose Mourinho's latest comments have come in for criticism from Serie A rivals Photo: GETTY IMAGES The reaction of his rivals was unusually ferocious, with Massimiliano Allegri, the Cagliari manager, branding Mourinho “pathetic”.
Where Mourinho drew a fashionable notoriety in England for his candour while with Chelsea, the Portuguese has made himself something of a pariah in Italy with his regular provocations, both among the Press and his peers.
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Inter are close to securing their fourth straight scudetto in his first season in charge but still the manager found it necessary to stir the pot by saying: “When I mentioned coaches who lose their own dignity, what I wanted to state is that while I choose the team that goes out on the pitch, other coaches don’t do that – in the world of football it’s full of them.
Asserting the same autonomy that led to the breakdown of his relationship with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, Mourinho added: “If anyone told me what to do with my line-up, the next day my office would be empty and I would have my suitcases packed.”
But there was a swift counter-offensive from Renzo Ulivieri, president of the Italian Football Coaches Association, who said: “Mourinho is a member of our association and we are happy that he is but this time, he has gone too far. Ask [Fabio] Capello, [Marcello] Lippi, [Luciano] Spalletti…to name a few, if their teams are selected by someone else.”
Carlo Ancelotti, the AC Milan manager, sustained his own hostility towards Mourunho with this barb: “If I am the one he is referring to, then I can only say that I have won two cups under [Milan owner Silvio] Berlusconi as a player and the other two as assistant coach.” Allegri said: “To step on other coaches shows a lack of respect.”
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