Chris Maduewesi
Member
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has blasted the media for publishing a private conversation where he took a swipe on the age of Samuel Eto'o.
Mourinho was initially said to have criticised his strikers for their poor returns of goals,but branded it a "disgrace" that such found its way out in the public.
The Portuguese coach said that he was joking when he made the comments,adding that French broadcaster Canal Plus should be "embarrassed" for publishing it.
He was initially reported to have said: "The problem with Chelsea is I lack a striker. I have Eto'o but he is 32 years old, maybe 35, who knows?"
Speaking in a press conference ahead of his side's Champions League game against Galatasaray in Istanbul,Mourinho maintained that he was only joking when he made the comments.
"It was a funny conversation with somebody that doesn't belong to the football world," Mourinho said.
"It is a disgrace that someone is taping a private conversation."
I'm not defending what I said, I'm attacking something that is in your [the media's] area and that person showed exactly what he is and doesn't know about the job," Mourinho he added.
"The comment is not a good one, it's not one I would do in a serious way, in an official way in an interview, first because I don't make fun and second because if there are managers who defend their players, then I am one of them.
"With [Eto'o] I had the best season of my career [at Inter] and he is one who is working with a manager for a second time and a manager doesn't do that unless he likes the person or the player. He doesn't have reason to be upset. There is no story."
Mourinho was initially said to have criticised his strikers for their poor returns of goals,but branded it a "disgrace" that such found its way out in the public.
The Portuguese coach said that he was joking when he made the comments,adding that French broadcaster Canal Plus should be "embarrassed" for publishing it.
He was initially reported to have said: "The problem with Chelsea is I lack a striker. I have Eto'o but he is 32 years old, maybe 35, who knows?"
Speaking in a press conference ahead of his side's Champions League game against Galatasaray in Istanbul,Mourinho maintained that he was only joking when he made the comments.
"It was a funny conversation with somebody that doesn't belong to the football world," Mourinho said.
"It is a disgrace that someone is taping a private conversation."
I'm not defending what I said, I'm attacking something that is in your [the media's] area and that person showed exactly what he is and doesn't know about the job," Mourinho he added.
"The comment is not a good one, it's not one I would do in a serious way, in an official way in an interview, first because I don't make fun and second because if there are managers who defend their players, then I am one of them.
"With [Eto'o] I had the best season of my career [at Inter] and he is one who is working with a manager for a second time and a manager doesn't do that unless he likes the person or the player. He doesn't have reason to be upset. There is no story."