Jose Mourinho has insisted he wants ‘justice’ as the former Man United boss continued his back and forth with Pep Guardiola over Manchester City’s 115 Premier League charges.
Guardiola had stirred Mourinho last week after comparing himself to the Portuguese manager, after raising six fingers to the Liverpool crowd during Man City‘s Premier League defeat at Anfield.
Mourinho had held up three fingers near the end of his Manchester United reign in 2018 in response to mounting criticism. And Guardiola said: ‘Maybe we are similar, but he won three and I won six.’
That provoked Mourinho who referred to the 115 Premier League charges of financial impropriety that City are facing.
‘I want to win, but I want to win cleanly and fairly,’ said Mourinho, who led Chelsea to the title in 2005, 2006 and 2015 under the ownership of Roman Abramovich.
‘If I can’t win cleanly, I’d rather lose. He won six trophies and I won three, but I won fairly and cleanly. I don’t want to win by dealing with 115 cases.’
Jose Mourinho has demanded ‘justice’ in his latest comments over Man City’s 115 charges
Pep Guardiola had claimed Jose Mourinho is among those who want Man City to be relegated
Guardiola has led Man City to six Premier League titles, including claiming four in a row
Guardiola later stressed that he had been joking, before adding Mourinho to ‘a huge list who want the team in League One or the Conference.’
Mourinho has now offered his latest response to Guardiola, with the now-Fenerbahce boss insisting he does not want to see Man City relegated, but insisted he is seeking ‘justice’.
The 61-year-old also claimed he and Guardiola ‘love each other’, despite their clashes as bosses of Real Madrid and Barcelona, as well as at Man United and Man City.
‘Pep and I worked together for three years, we know we love each other,’ Mourinho said, as per Turkish outlet Fanatik.
‘It is not true that I want them to be relegated, what is true is that I want justice. Small teams can sometimes be penalised by FFP when they exceed their limits by 5-10 euros.
‘I also suffered due to the limits when I was at Roma. I don’t think this is fair.
‘We love each other, he knows it. Words are one thing, feelings are another.
‘All I want is justice, but we have no ill feelings towards each other.’
Mourinho said he wants to win ‘cleanly and fairly’ in an ongoing back and forth with Guardiola
Guardiola had referenced winning six titles to Mourinho’s three following his gesture at Anfield
Mourinho insisted that he and Guardiola ‘love each other’ and have ‘no ill feelings’
Mourinho had previously quipped in October that he wanted Man United to pay him a bonus for winning the title, should Man City ultimately be punished by the Premier League.
Man City had beaten Mourinho’s Man United side to win the Premier League in 2018.
‘As you know, we won the Europa League and we finished second in the Premier League,’ Mourinho said in October.
‘I think we still have a chance to win that league because if they punish Man City with points maybe we win that league and then they have to pay me the bonus and give me the medal!’
Mail Sport revealed on Monday that closing arguments in a case with huge ramifications for English football were completed on Friday – with a three-man panel now considering evidence before delivering a verdict in the coming months.
Proceedings began on September 16 at London’s International Dispute Resolution Centre and have been shrouded in secrecy. However, following a brief pause, both sides delivered their final shots last week in what has been a high-stakes battle.
The Premier League have accused its champions of multiple breaches of financial rules and of failing to co-operate with a subsequent investigation.
Should City, who strongly refute any wrongdoing, be found guilty of some of the more serious charges, they could be hit with huge financial penalties, points deductions or even relegation.
Guardiola’s side finish 19 points clear of Mourinho’s second placed Man United back in 2018
However, as Mail Sport previously reported, it is highly likely that – should an agreement not be reached – each side would launch an appeal against the forthcoming verdict.
Should that be the case, a final decision may not be delivered until the end of next season, with a state of damaging limbo continuing.
City’s alleged rule breaking is claimed to have taken place over a 14-year period.
The original 115 charges have been extended to a total of 130 after an administration issue.
Guardiola is currently in the midst of his toughest period of his tenure, with City having won just one of their last eight games in all competitions.
However, Guardiola penned a new deal until 2027 last month, which will take his time with the four-in-a-row Premier League champions past a decade.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Spanish chef Dani Garcia, Guardiola provided a major update on his future and revealed he will not lead any other teams in the future once he leaves City.
‘I’m not going to manage another team,’ he said. ‘I’m not talking about the long-term future but what I’m not going to do is leave Man City, go to another country, and do the same thing as now.
‘I wouldn’t have the energy… The thought of starting somewhere else, all the process of training and so on… No, no, no! Maybe a national team, but that’s different.’