Roma coach Jose Mourinho gave a cryptic response when asked why Italy had failed to qualify for the World Cup. ‘It would not be ethical to share it.’
The Azzurri won UEFA EURO 2020 last summer, yet also missed out on both the 2018 World Cup in Russia and lost the play-off to North Macedonia to skip Qatar 2022.
Portugal beat North Macedonia to secure their place at the tournament, which begins in November.
“I am sorry that Italy aren’t there. If it had been a head-to-head with Portugal, obviously I’d have cheered on my own team, but as a person who works in Italy and loves this country, I am very disappointed,” said Mourinho in his press conference.
When asked why the Nazionale had failed to reach the World Cup, amid discussion over the stadiums and inability to give youth a chance, the Special One gave a cryptic response.
“I have my opinion, but I don’t want to share it. I worked abroad in Spain and England, but I don’t want to talk about it. It would not be ethical to share it.
“If someone with responsibility asks me in private, I am happy to answer. This is my third year in Italy and I am very happy in this country.
“If someone asks for my experiences, I will discuss them in private, but I will not fuel the public discourse.”
Mourinho has been critical of everything from the stadiums in Italy to how the fixture list is organised and the standards of the refereeing.
Italy remain sixth in the FIFA World Rankings after this month’s results.
#Roma, #Mourinho: ‘#Zaniolo out, non c’è storia. #Veretout non si è allenato. A tre dietro più sicuri’ https://t.co/fgxCEFeiwV pic.twitter.com/SWkPOnJn0z
— calciomercato.com (@cmdotcom) April 2, 2022
Italian football needs a complete overhaul. They’ve been sitting on their hands for years and haven’t evolved and are now paying dearly for it. Sad state of affairs
Maybe he should coach Italy
A shame.
One of the few times I’d want to hear his opinion.
Italy is still reigning Euro Champs… let’s not throw out the baby with the bathwater