Jose Mourinho has admitted it hurt to be sacked by Tottenham days before a cup final but says he has no hard feelings towards the club.
Mourinho was dismissed by chairman Daniel Levy six days before Spurs faced Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley in April 2021.
Spurs, who were aiming to win silverware for the first time since 2008, lost 1-0 with interim head coach Ryan Mason in the dugout and became the first club where Mourinho failed to win a trophy.
The Portuguse quickly found employment again with Italian club Roma and has led them to the final of the Europa Conference League, where they will face Feyenoord.
Last week, Mourinho appeared to take aim at Levy for sacking him days before the final but insists he does not hold a grudge.
“I am in the maturity of my career and also my life where I don’t have bad feelings. I just try to accept things the way they are,” Mourinho told Sky Sports News. “Yes. Yes it hurt [being sacked by Tottenham].
“I react in a funny way when I speak with some English journalists at press conferences. I always say the joke about qualifying for the [Conference League] Final, I hope not to be sacked this time, because it’s something that doesn’t happen to too many coaches.”
“This time I cannot say I’m the privileged one, because it happened to me. Of course I would love to be in a position of fighting to win titles or to be in the Champions League where I played 160 or 170 games there.
“But I am loved here [at Roma]. I love the people here. I feel very much a part of the empathy created between the fans and the club and myself and the players. I’m very happy here.”
(London Evening Standard)
