Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho found himself engulfed by controversy once again on Monday after television microphones apparently caught him calling referee Mike Riley a ”son of a whore” in Portuguese during Sunday’s FA Cup tie against Tottenham Hotspur.
Mourinho accosted Riley in the tunnel at half-time of a heated encounter, and newspaper reports suggest he could be heard calling him a ”filho da puta.”
It remains to be seen whether Riley will include the incident in his report, which could lead to charges being brought against the Chelsea boss, but Mourinho insisted he had not meant to insult the official.
”If you listen to me speaking, I say the kind of word you mention 10 times in every 15 words,” he said.
”If you have a microphone on the dug-out I say that during the game 20 times easy. The word can be abusive if you understand it as an abusive word.
”I tell the word to my players and myself when I am not happy. It is something I say when the ball hits the post. I say it 50 times in a game, 50 times in training and I don’t want to be offensive.
”I can be emotional but I am polite. I never want to be offensive with somebody. It is the same word I use to criticise the ball when it goes out.”
Chelsea came from 3-1 down to draw the game 3-3. It will be replayed next Monday.
Mourinho also insisted he was not concerned by reports of a breakdown in talks between the club and captain John Terry on a contract extension. — Sapa-dpa