The Tom and Jerry fight between Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte will not end time soon the handwriting on the wall clearly suggests.
Mourinho intensified his war of words with Chelsea manager in bizarre fashion after his team’s FA Cup victory over Derby on Friday, apparently referencing a match-fixing scandal in Italy.
The Manchester United manager was responding to comments made by Conte earlier in the day in which he appeared to make disparaging statements about Mourinho.
The Italian was even interpreted as suggesting that the United manager may be suffering from “dementia” after Mourinho had made a reference, 24 hours earlier, to his own behaviour
and the fact that he no longer acts “like a clown.”
Initially, Mourinho appeared to be backing Conte following the furore
caused by his words on Thursday – only then to make the reference to match-fixing.
“What has never happened to me and will never happen is to be suspended for match-fixing. That never happened to me and it will never happen.”
Conte was acquitted of sporting fraud charges in 2016. Prosecutors had requested a six-month suspended sentence following accusations he failed to report episodes of match-fixing while in charge at Serie B side Siena in 2011.
The former Italy manager – who has always denied any wrongdoing – served a four-month ban in relation to the affair in 2012.
But when mention was made of the accusations against Conte, Mourinho said: “Did he? Not me.”
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