JOHANNESBURG - It looks like there are no dull moments in the English Premiership.
In a season in which football fans might be suffering from the hangover of seeing one of the greatest managers, Alex Ferguson retiring from coaching, re-enters yet another robust character in the form of Jose Mourinho.
The former Porto, Inter Milan and Real Madrid mentor is having his second stint at Stamford Bridge and true to his character, has stirred a number of emotions across the globe with his sharp tongue.
This week, the Portuguese told a French journalist that Chelsea’s problem was lack of a sharp-shooting striker, adding that he only had Cameroonian Samuel E’too whom he said at 32 was already in the twilight of his career. He then further told the journalist in a private conversation that not only E’too was 32 but maybe even 35 – three years older than his listed age evoking the issue that most African players reduce their age to prolong their football careers especially in Europe.
The man who arrived at Chelsea in July 2004 calling himself the Special One, was though not impressed by what he called unethical journalism from the French journalist and urged his contemporaries to question such a conduct.
“I think you should be embarrassed as a media professional, because from an ethical point of view, I don’t think you should be happy – not you, but a colleague – is able to record a private conversation and make it public. You should all be a bit embarrassed because it’s against the ethics you have in your work. From an ethical point of view, it’s a real disgrace,” he lectured the journalists in the aftermaths of the scandal in his defence.
Journalism ethics aside, Mourinho has always not shied away from controversy and with the ubiquitous British media searching for every bit of scandal, we are yet to hear the best from the 50-year old.
Only last week he called Arsenal manager Arse Wenger a specialist in failure in what he says was in response to the Gunners boss’ first salvo that Mourinho was afraid of failing for continuing to talk down his club’s chances of winning the title despite topping the log table.
He said for failing to win any silverware in almost a decade, Wenger should have walked away from Emirates but because he was a specialist in failure, he would not.
This is not the first time Mourinho has taken a dig at the reserved Frenchman. He once called Wenger a voyeur during his first spell at Stamford Bridge after he accused the Arsenal manager of talking too much about the Blues players insisting he should talk only about his club.
Only a couple of months ago when Chelsea was held to a goalless draw by West Ham, Mourinho accused his counterpart Sam Allardyce of playing 19 Century football.
At Real Madrid, during one of the ill-tempered El Classico in 2011, he took it on himself to poke Barcelona then assistant coach Tito Vilanova in the eye as tempers reached boiling point.
During his successful spell at Inter-Milan, he was once banned for five games after he accused officials of ganging up against his club.
That is Mourinho for you. There are no dull moments when he is around.
Alex Ferguson might be retired from the touchline, but Mourinho’s dramatic antics are likely to keep us entertained. We await more drama from the fiery Portuguese.
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