Jose Mourinho did not hold back in his criticism of Roma owners even on the club’s official channel, but his determination to attack referees is also causing a split with his bosses.
The Special One lost his first ever UEFA tournament Final, as after a 1-1 draw with Sevilla in Budapest last night, the Spaniards emerged victorious in a penalty shoot-out.
In various post-match interviews and press conferences, Mourinho openly criticised the Friedkins for not backing him both in terms of squad depth and his on-going battle against referees.
Unusually, he stuck to this point during the interview with the official Roma Channel as well, something that is generally avoided.
“As always, you ask the question to me,” Mourinho told the interviewer.
“And as always only I step up and show my face to talk about these things. I am a little tired, to be honest. I am the coach, but at the end of the day I am also more than this.”
The American family who own Roma, the Friedkins, have kept silent throughout their time in charge, despite their visible presence in the stands of the Stadio Olimpico.
Mourinho seemed to be particularly irritated that the club didn’t take a stronger stand during his row with fourth official Marco Serra, which resulted in a two-match touchline ban, even though Serra was found to have acted ‘unprofessionally’ in their discussion.
Now Mou risks UEFA punishment for hurling abuse at Europa League Final referee Anthony Taylor, and while the fans love this combative style, it doesn’t appear to sit well with the Friedkins or director Tiago Pinto.