Barcelona sports vice president Marc Ingla confirmed earlier this week in an interview with Catalan radio station Catalunya Ràdio that Barcelona had met with new Inter Milan manager José Mourinho at the request of the Portuguese: "We've always worked with the Guardiola option, but we know that the Barcelona bench is one of the most desirables ones. Mourinho was interested in explaining us his project for the club and we listened."
In a statement to Portuguese news agency Lusa, Mourinho now denies that he was the one who had been asking for the meeting: "I don't want to lose my time with things I'm not interested in, and now I'm only interested in Inter, but mister Ingla lies because it was he and mister Begiristain who asked for a meeting in Lisbon, about which I don't want to give any comment. Barcelona should try to reach its own fortune, like I'm doing for Inter and myself, but I will not allow that a certain Ingla will injure my honour."
Barcelona reacted with an announcement on the official website reading: "FC Barcelona regrets the comments made by José Mourinho contained in today’s Portuguese press in which he discredits the club’s vice president for sport, Marc Ingla, and insists that a meeting in Lisbon to discuss his sporting deals was called by initiative of the club.
Mourinho has claimed that Marc Ingla lied in a radio interview last Tuesday, when he said it was the Portuguese manager who had offered himself as a candidate to coach the club’s football first team.
FC Barcelona wish to make it clear that at no time did Marc Ingla make such a statement, as can be proved by a literal transcript of the interview. The Barça vice president of sport confirmed the meeting, but made it clear that the first option for the position was Josep Guardiola. As for the meeting with José Mourinho, Ingla textually replied that “when two parties speak, it is very hard to say what percentage of interest each one has.”
Therefore, FC Barcelona wish to make it clear that the meeting between the vice president for sport and director of football, Txiki Beguiristain, with José Mourinho, was called at a time when two issues coincided: the need to make provisions for the club’s sporting solutions and the indirect signals received by some club officials that Mourinho would be interested to return to Barcelona.
FC Barcelona is profoundly sorry to hear these statements, which disprove themselves, and considers the matter closed."
Read more on the meeting here:
Meeting with Mourinho
Meeting with Mourinho (report)
Mourinho checkmate
Thursday, 19 June 2008
Mourinho and Barcelona: who invited who?
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6 comments:
Hmm, my opinion was that Mourinho stalled and bulked on offers in hope of a Barcelona oppurtunity in which Barca showed no urgency to replace Rikaard there and then, I would trust Barcelona in this, Barca werent obsessed with reserving him, I can imagine Mourinho getting the ball rolling and sending feelers.
Hello pep,
I have one question... In a post from a few days ago, you said that Guardiola when presented, presented his project... What is it? Did he explain what type of play will Barca be playing?
Thanks.
He gave his first insights. As for the type of play: 4-3-3 it will be.
Read the Tuesday post "A first look at the Guardiola project" (search at the left of the screen) for more information.
I agree with the first comment. I think Moutinho wanted the Barcelona job very badly. That was his first choice all along. And to that end I'm sure he did everything in his power to make his interest known. That's why I believe he's lying when he says he wasn't the one to approach the club but that it was the other way round. Cleary Barcelona had no interest in him, (with the exception of a couple of members on the Board) so why would they bring him in for an interview? Doesn't make any sense. Mourinho's just a very image concscious person that doesn't want to see his pride hurt being spurned by the club.
Ooops, sorry meant to say Mourinho in the comment above.
Note:
The English translation on the official site is wrong.
Where the original Spanish version says "las muestras indirectas recibidas por los responsables deportivos del club del interés de Mourinho para volver a Barcelona" (so: officials receive signs of the interest of Mourinho to return), the English translation says the opposite: "the indirect expressions of interest by some sporting authorities within the club in Mourinho’s return to Barcelona."
Someone should get fired...
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