WAR OF WORDS
PARKER: Scandalous we’re forced to play at short notice MOURINHO: I expect an apology if Fulham are full strength
Jose Mourinho has claimed Fulham should apologise for jeopardising the completion of the Premier League if they turn up at Tottenham with a full-strength team.
‘ Do you want to finish the season or not?’ snapped spurs boss Mourinho as angry accusations flew from both sides ahead of tonight’s hastily rearranged London derby.
Fulham boss scott Parker said it was ‘scandalous’ and ‘blatantly wrong’ for his team to be forced into a game at such short notice — to ease Tottenham’s congested fixture list.
‘i’m angry, i’m disappointed,’ fumed Parker. ‘Do i believe this would happen if it was a top-ofthe-table clash? no i don’t. i don’t think it should happen to anyone. it is very unfair.’
Fulham have players only just back from isolation and claim they would have taken a different approach to saturday’s FA Cup tie at QPr, won in extra time, had they known they were at spurs four days later.
‘ We’re not making this up,’ insisted Parker as he stressed the ‘integrity of the game’ and the ‘welfare of the players’ but there was little sympathy from spurs.
Mourinho said: ‘We’ve played, if i’m not wrong, 11 more matches than Fulham since the beginning of the season.’
Although his numbers were one out — unless he counts the Carabao Cup tie forfeited by Leyton orient because of a Covid outbreak — his point was clear. This is Tottenham’s 30th game in 122 days since the season started. it is Fulham’s 20th. ‘ We played every week three matches a week,’ said Mourinho. ‘We played in one week, four matches. They played saturday against QPr. They have sunday, Monday and Tuesday to prepare for the game.
‘if they come with half of the team, i will be the first one to apologise to them, and i will be the first to say we played this game with an advantage.
‘if they come with their best team, i think they should apologise to all of us.’
The original fixture due for December 30 was called off on the day of the game, at Fulham’s request when they recorded positive Covid tests within the camp. it still rankles with Mourinho. Asked if it was acceptable for Fulham to be given only 48 hours’ notice, he replied: ‘Are you serious? They had 48 hours to prepare for this game. i had the news i was not going to play them two hours before the game.’
Parker said the postponement in December was ‘an irrelevance’ and the issue was being ordered to play a Wednesday game at 9.30am on Monday. ‘ Tottenham knew they had a fixture,’ he said. ‘Mourinho’s team selection at the weekend suggested that. he will have planned for that.’
spurs were expecting to go to Aston Villa tonight but that was called off because of Covid issues at Villa. And Dean smith’s side are believed to have asked the league for sunday’s game against everton to be postponed, too, amid fears they will not be allowed back into their training ground until the day before the match.
‘We had cases almost every week,’ said Mourinho. ‘one coach, one player, one medical staff. We had it all the time but we went in the direction of doing the best we can.
‘We have to play football no matter what because if you have 14 players you have to play. We never tried to take advantage of it.’
his focus on the league’s vague 14-player directive hinted at a feeling at Tottenham that some rival clubs were using the testing protocol to gain an advantage. TV: Tottenham v Fulham LIVE on Amazon Prime, kick-off 8.15pm.