José Mourinho attacked Sky’s coverage of Diego Costa’s two “accidents” against Liverpool as another symptom of the football community campaign to bring him down – including quiet fans, time-wasting ball-boys and fat referees. But it is the media’s role in the conspiracy that Mourinho has been trying to expose for a decade.
On idle scoundrel parasites – 2005
Asked how he rated the role of professional TV pundits, Mourinho told the Sunday Express: “The best job in the world is to be a sacked coach. You get up at 10.30am, take breakfast, go for a jog followed by a sauna and a calm surf of sporting sites on the net.
“Lunch with friends, a siesta, a walk, a meeting with your adviser to see how the markets are doing, a visit to the bank to weigh up the interest rates, or to see if the salary the club is still paying you has cleared the account. Return home, have a great meal with the family. That still leaves you time to criticise people you don’t know.
“There are so many coaches in this world who want to work but can’t and there are those dashing blades who, through their quality and prestige, could work but don’t want to, because life as a parasite fulfils them professionally and economically. Get to work you idle scoundrel! And if you don’t want to, let others work in peace.”
Concerted, organised intellectual manipulation – 2009
Four years later, the pundit problem had become more sophisticated, involving current and former coaches using the media to undermine his Internazionale side. “There has been the greatest amount of intellectual manipulation. There was a concerted, organised effort to manipulate public opinion.
“It was fantastic work but it is unrelated to my world – I work in football. I don’t like intellectual prostitution, I like honesty.
“Over the last few days nobody has mentioned that Roma have great players but will end the season without a title. Nobody has mentioned that Milan have 11 fewer points than us and will end the season without a title. Nobody has spoken about Juventus, who have won so many points thanks to refereeing mistakes. We have only won one game thanks to a mistake and that was the Siena match …
“Every time I turn on the TV I see Luciano Spalletti, who is everyone’s friend, but I don’t like prime-time television. I don’t know whether these people pay to be interviewed. I know that they offer me money for interviews and I refuse because I don’t manipulate reality.”
The English disease – 2013
Back at Chelsea, it was getting personal. “There are lots of people on TV, but nobody is a Chelsea man. Carragher, Liverpool. Thompson, Liverpool. Redknapp, Liverpool. Neville, Manchester United. We don’t have one. When I retire, 75 years old, I go as a pundit to defend Chelsea on television.”
Redknapp’s in charge – April 2014
Sky’s Geoff Shreeves asks Mourinho to weigh up Chelsea’s win over Liverpool at Anfield, and to talk viewers through his tactical plan. “You speak with Jamie Redknapp and he tells you everything about it. You have your pundits like Jamie Redknapp, who is a brilliant football brain they can explain you everything.”
Joining the dots – Dec 2014
After identifying a refereeing conspiracy against Chelsea this season, Mourinho identified what was driving it: a media conspiracy. “The media, commentators, other managers are all doing it [putting pressure on referees]. There is a campaign against Chelsea. I don’t know why there is this campaign and I do not care.”
Diego Costa’s accidents – Jan 2015
But deep down, he does. “I don’t know what you understand by a stamp,” Mourinho told the print media after Tuesday’s Capital One Cup win. “Maybe you are already influenced by the campaign on the television with the certain pundits saying that Costa has crimes – they must be nuts the guy who says that. I saw the incident and about the penalty I didn’t speak. If I comment about that I will be in trouble.
“Sky calls it a crime, I have to say that it was absolutely accidental. He goes to the ball, he chases it, the opponent goes to the floor and he puts his foot there when he is looking at the ball.
“It is a great campaign, we know how much that pundit loves Chelsea and particularly loves me. When you are there and you are paid, and you are very well paid, much more than some managers that have to put their ass for 90 minutes every week on the bench. You have a very good seat, very good money, no pressure.
“They are always right, they never lose, they always win and they have to be fair and they have to be honest.”
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