Jose Mourinho has been at the center of controversy again, this time for reportedly booing a Lazio Under-14 player and telling Roma’s youngsters to feign injuries during the Roma-Lazio U14 derby. According to Italian newspaper Il Messaggero, Mourinho was seen behind the benches booing Alexandru Milou as he stepped up to take a penalty. He also allegedly instructed the Roma academy players to dive and pretend to be hurt or cramping in order to waste time while leading 2-1 in the closing stages.
The incident has caused Lazio to become furious with Mourinho’s behavior, with coach Tobia Assumma confronting the ex-Chelsea and Manchester United boss and telling him “No mister, this is not done.” Despite the allegations, Mourinho posed for photos with the victorious Roma youngsters in the dressing room.
Two days later, Mourinho was sent off for the third time this season as his side lost to Cremonese. He was furious with the officials and was seen blowing his top before being sent to the stands after Cremonese’s 17th-minute opener. Mourinho is now considering legal action against fourth official Marco Serra, who is alleged to have told the Roma boss to “mind your own f***ing business” and “go home” during the explosive touchline bust-up.
The fiery Special One expressed his emotions, saying “I am emotional, but not crazy. In order to react the way I did, something had to happen first. I need to understand if I can take any legal action.” He continued, “At the end of the game, I went to speak to them. Piccinini, who was the fourth official in the last game when I was sent off, told me to apologize to Serra. I told Serra he should have the courage to explain what happened, but he had memory problems.”
SunSport has contacted Roma for a response to the allegations of Mourinho’s behavior. The Portuguese manager has never been far from controversy throughout his 23-year managerial career, and this latest incident is just another example of his fiery nature.