LONDON, England, February 26- Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has hit out at those responsible for taping what he claims was a private conversation in which he was critical of his strikers, Samuel Eto’o in particular.
On Tuesday, a French broadcaster released quotes from Mourinho that were recorded at a sponsor’s event in which the Blues manager bemoaned his lack of striking options and questioned Eto’o’s age.
The Portuguese tactician was not in an apologetic mood when he faced the media ahead of his side’s Champions League clash against Galatasaray on Wednesday, instead taking aim at those who made the recording.
“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,” he added.
“I’m not defending what I’m saying. I’m attacking something that is, I think, fundamental in your professional area (journalism) and that person showed exactly what he is or what he does not know about the job.
“From my perspective, the comment is not obviously a good one, not one I would do in a serious way, not something I would do in an official way in an interview.”
However, Herve Mathoux, editor and anchor of the programme which aired the recording, Canal +. insists that there was no way Mourinho could not have been aware that he was being recorded.
“We are very surprised by Jose Mourinho’s comments, claiming it was off the record,” Mathoux told CNN.
“The camera was located 50 centimetres, maybe one meter away from him. It was a tight close up.”
-TEAMtalk Media