Conte, Mourinho play down war of words
Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho played down their bitter war of words on Friday ahead of Manchester United’s potentially feisty meeting with Chelsea at Old Trafford.
Blues boss Conte has clashed numerous times with United manager Mourinho since arriving at Stamford Bridge in 2016.
The feud deepened this season when the United boss said he did not need to “act like a clown” on the touchline, a comment perceived to be aimed at the animated Conte, who responded by claiming Mourinho must have “demenza senile” -- senile dementia.
When Mourinho then appeared to allude to a suspension Conte served in relation to matchfixing, the Italian, who was later cleared of any wrongdoing on that issue, responded by accusing his rival of being “fake” and “a little man”.
The recent row culminated in the pair saying they felt “contempt” for each other.
But Conte would not be drawn on questions about his relationship with his predecessor as Chelsea boss at his press conference ahead of today’s match.
“In the past, both of us said things. For me, it’s OK,” said Conte. “I’m not interested to speak about this topic.”
Asked if he intended to shake Mourinho’s hand this weekend, Conte replied: “I’m not interested in this. I’m not interested in this.”
Mourinho was also anxious to move on from the row.
“I don’t want to speak about it,” he said. “I told you before I’m not going to speak about it. Not at all.