Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
I’m treated differently says frustrated Jose
JOSE Mourinho cut short interviews and suggested he was treated less favourably than Jurgen Klopp and Arsene Wenger after Manchester United were held by Hull.
The United boss got increasingly agitated on the touchline as his side failed to break down the Premier League strugglers at Old Trafford last night and had to settle for a goalless draw.
Mourinho was angered by a number of decisions as well as what he appeared to perceive as time-wasting by Hull.
He would not highlight particular incidents after the game but instead turned on the officials with what appeared to be veiled references to incidents involving rival bosses Klopp and Wenger.
The previous night, Liverpool manager Klopp shouted at a fourth official at close quarters, while Arsenal boss Wenger was recently hit with a four-game touchline ban for pushing an official.
Wenger’s ban was two games fewer than the one handed to Mourinho’s assistant Rui Faria in 2014 for using insulting and/or abusive words towards the fourth official and improper conduct.
Asked what infuriated him so much, Mourinho said: “Well if you don’t know football, you shouldn’t be with the microphone in your hand.”
At this point he walked away from the interview but he did elaborate further in his press conference.
Mourinho, who has served two touchline bans this season and a stadium ban last term, told reporters: “Don’t ask me questions that I cannot answer. You know clearly I am different. The rules for me are different.
“I am different in everything, I watch my team play in a hotel, I was forbidden to go to the stadium, my assistant (Faria) had a six-match stadium ban and he didn’t touch anyone.
“On Tuesday one fourth official told a manager, ‘I enjoy very much your passion, so do what you want to do’.
“Yesterday I was told, ‘Sit down or I have to send you to the stands’. So everything is different for me.”
He left the media room having answered just three questions.
Mourinho’s abrupt interviews took attention away from what had been a lacklustre display by United and a result which prevented them making significant ground on the top five.
On the game, Mourinho said: “Of course I’m not happy with the result. I won’t criticise the opponents because they are fighting for their lives. Every point for them is golden, they have to fight with everything they have.”
Hull manager Marco Silva said: “Our team showed big character in some moments and big personality in the game, which is important for me.”