Fenerbahce boss Jose Mourinho unleashed a rant at the official who sent him off during their 1-1 draw his former club Manchester United. In what will surely go down as one of his all-time classic interviews, Mourinho spoke to the media to address his dismissal after being sent to the stands.
The Portuguese tactician, who spent two and a half years as United boss from July 2016 to December 2018 before his acrimonious exit, was the centre of attention – from reacting to Andre Onana’s remarkable double save to a penalty appeal on Bright Osayi-Samuel.
But the 61-year-old saved his best material for the media on live TV as he addressed his red card and the penalty appeal that was turned down, with some sarcastic praise for referee Clement Turpin.
Scroll down for every word from Jose Mourinho’s epic four-minute rant on live TV…
TNT Sports reporter: What are your thoughts on the red card incident?
Mourinho: “I don’t want to speak about it.
You’ve just been in to see the referee. What did he say?
“He told me something incredible! He told me at the same time, he could see the action in the box and my behaviour on the touchline.
“I congratulate him, because he’s absolutely incredible. His spherical vision during the game, 100 miles per hour… he has one eye on the penalty situation and he has one eye on the bench and my behaviour. That’s the explanation I am given, that’s why he’s one of the best referees in the world.”
Have you had a chance to watch the incident back, do you think it was a penalty?
“I watched the incident, I don’t speak about the incident.”
The game as a whole, you got a point against Manchester United. Are you happy…
“They got a point against us. They got a point against us… not us against them. We played amazing, I hope that if we play like this in the Turkish league we destroy everything. Because of course we played against a team that is a bigger level than us. Of course, the Premier League has more quality, more intensity, more pace, more everything.
“I think my boys did an amazing match. Probably in England, people speak about two or three players of Man United didn’t play, you don’t know how many of our players didn’t play. Because at the start, we had four players out of the Europa League, at least, and then we also had injuries. Then we had to finish the game with a centre-back playing left-back, a right-back playing left-back, we had to do a crazy puzzle. But our performance was extraordinary. I couldn’t ask for anything more from the players.”
(On the Onana saves)
Onana made two incredible saves in our fantastic initial period because we start the game so well. They score in a situation that we knew they could, because the pace of the wingers and the arrival of players. It was something we knew they could hurt us, but I think we have a phenomenal performance.
You talked to Andre Onana and called him man of the match…
“Come on! He saved the result! My goalkeeper didn’t make a save, he made two impossible saves in 10 seconds. I think he is the most decisive player in the result. Of course, he didn’t make 20 saves, but he made two saves… incredible.”
Were you surprised to see Noussair Mazraoui play as a No 10?
“He can [play there]. The coach [Erik ten Hag] knows him well, the coach coached him at Ajax in that position. I understood what he was trying. [Joshua] Zirkzee is a striker I know very well from my Italian times, he is a striker that drops back all the time, attracting defenders or not, then the wingers attack the space. Mazraoui is a guy who can run, a guy that can attack the spaces. I know.
(On United’s performance…)
“I know also the English media and I know they are going to say Manchester United did not play well. But I think it would be fair to say we did an extraordinary match and we were better than them. So a good result for Man United!”
Jose Mourinho was speaking to TNT Sports.
