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Tuesday, 23 August 2011

Mourinho Continues Controversy


Amidst rumours on Tuesday that Mourinho may resign if he fails to get the full backing of the Real Madrid board, his problems will not not been helped by recent comments from fformer director, Jorge Valdano, who believes that the recent actions of the Portuguese coach are bringing dishonour to the powerhouse club.

Valdano, who won three La Liga titles as a player with Real, commented after Mourinho was seen becoming involved in a sideline altercation with Barcelona assistant Tito Vilanova. The incident occurred after new Catalan recruit Cesc Fabregas was hacked down late in the second leg of the Spanish Supercopa.

Mourinho and Valdano have endured a shaky relationship over the years, with reports suggesting the latter left his post at the club after losing a power struggle with the Portuguese tactician.

"Let's say that what happened does not exactly honour Real Madrid or Mourinho," Valdano told ADN Deportes. "I am convinced no-one is proud about what happened.

"Mourinho came to a club with 109 years of history and of course he represents a club with a very solid culture. What happened is that in these moments the tension between Real Madrid and Barcelona is so high that everyone is overcome by the pressure."

Valdano admitted that Barcelona have recruited well this summer, as they claimed their first silverware of the season with a 5-4 aggregate triumph in the Supercopa. The man known as 'the philosopher of football' has been particularly impressed by winger Alexis Sanchez.

"He is very fast, he also recovers balls with such ease that it is not normal for a player like him and he demonstrated in the first match, practically without having trained with his team-mates, that he can unbalance things, which will be very important for Barca.

"I think Cesc Fabregas' arrival will be very important for Alexis, just like it will be for Lionel Messi," he said.

Meanwhile José Mourinho is not going to apologise for his behaviour during those ugly scenes which marred Real Madrid's meeting with Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup.

Eladio Parames, Mourinho's spokesman, told the Spanish newspaper El Mundo that "José will not ask for forgiveness. He firmly believes that he was defending the interests of Real Madrid".

The Madrid manager poked a finger in the eye of the Barcelona assistant coach Tito Vilanova after a wild tackle by the Madrid defender Marcelo on Cesc Fábregas sparked a scuffle between the sides at the Camp Nou last Wednesday. Marcelo's was one of three red cards.

Mourinho was also seen making inappropriate gestures toward Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Dani Alves. He made a derogatory remark about Vilanova after the match and accused Barcelona's ballboys of time wasting, saying the tactic was something a "small-time" club would do. Barcelona won the second leg 3-2 for a 5-4 aggregate victory.

Mourinho has not been swayed by criticism in the foreign and local media. "He [Mourinho] doesn't care what the press says, he only cares about what Madrid's fans think," Parames said.

Last season, Madrid and Barcelona played four matches in 18 days in April which were characterised by fights, diving and accusations of feigned injuries. That led to Mourinho being banned for five matches for alleging that referees and Uefa favoured Barcelona.

Neither club played this weekend after La Liga was postponed due to a strike by players seeking a collective bargaining deal with improved salary guarantees.


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