The verbal sparring between two of football's greatest managers shows no signs of easing this week. Jose Mourinho has countered Pep Guardiola's assertion that he wishes to see Manchester City relegated to League One by insisting he seeks only "justice in football."
Fenerbahce coach Mourinho, who forged a fierce rivalry with then-Barcelona boss Guardiola during his time in charge of Real Madrid between 2010 and 2013, reignited hostilities with Guardiola by saying he had won three Premier League titles "fairly and cleanly" after the City manager had responded to taunts from Liverpool supporters by raising six fingers to signify the number of titles he has won at the Etihad during last week's 2-0 loss in the Premier League.
Guardiola later claimed Mourinho’s comments stemmed from being part of "a long list of people" who wish to see City demoted to League One or even the Conference if the club fails to defend itself against an increasing number of Premier League financial misconduct charges—now up to 130. The saga continues, with neither coach seeming poised to emerge victorious in this battle of wills.
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Jose Mourinho Takes Fire At Pep Guardiola Again
He has said he wants justice for football
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola
Doubling down on his initial comments, Mourinho defended his initial criticism of Guardiola ahead of Fenerbahce's Europa League meeting with Athletic Bilbao. As per ESPN, the former Chelsea, Manchester United, and Tottenham head coach insisted he only said what he said as he's an advocate for fairness.
"It's not true that I want Man City to be relegated," Mourinho said. "It's true that I like justice, and many times small clubs are punished by going €5, €10 over budget and the rules for Financial Fair Play." He continued:
"For example, I suffered in Roma three years with great limitations about it. I don't think it's fair that the big sharks - when I say sharks, I say financial sharks -- they always find a way to escape the rules. I'm just a football man, a man that loves football, more than being a professional football man I am very passionate, I just like justice in football. But apart from that, no bad feelings."
During his pre-match press conference prior to Wednesday's Champions League encounter against Juventus in Turin, Guardiola was not questioned over Mourinho's remarks. But by claiming that there are "no problems" between the two men, Mourinho tried to downplay rumours of a fresh conflict with Guardiola following his explanation.
"In relation to Pep, let me say something -- we were together for three years [at Barcelona]," Mourinho said. "I was an assistant and he was a player. "I like him a lot and he knows that. He likes me and I know that, there are no problems between us. One thing are words and another thing is deep feelings."
As Manchester City gears up for the Manchester derby this weekend, Guardiola will aim to quell the off-field drama. With both he and Mourinho now managing teams thousands of miles apart, their latest disputes can't be resolved through a fiery on-pitch showdown as in years past—a fact that many fans will be disappointed by.