José Mourinho took another dig at Barcelona in an interview with an Italian TV channel: ‘Congratulations, because it’s the only country where Calciopoli was truly Calciopoli.’
Mourinho will face his former club, Roma, at the Stadio Olimpico tonight, returning to the Italian capital for the first time since his sudden sacking in January 2024.
The Portuguese tactician spoke to Amazon Prime in Italy on the eve of the game, but part of the interview wasn’t about the upcoming match.
Mourinho: ‘Congratulations’ to Italy for Calciopoli
“I’ll just tell you one thing. Congratulations to Italy,” Mourinho said.
“You know why? Because it’s the only country where Calciopoli was truly Calciopoli. The only one. Because what happened in Spain, everyone knows what happened, and still, you don’t breathe well. Until now, nothing happened, nothing happened.”
Mourinho referred to the so-called ‘Negreira case’ in Spain, which concerns Barcelona allegedly paying millions to the company of Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, former president of the Spanish football referee committee, between 2001 and 2018.
The Catalans have denied any wrongdoing, while UEFA confirmed on October 2 that it had received “a large quantity of documents” from Real Madrid relating to the ongoing investigation.
“If nothing happens, then it may be the biggest referee corruption scandal in world football,” Mourinho concluded.
“There’s nothing else to say.”
Mourinho’s return to the Stadio Olimpico to face Roma is one of the biggest storylines of the Champions League Round 2.
The Portuguese coach led the club to win the 2021-22 Conference League and reach the Europa League Final in the following season.
“There surely was love for Mourinho from our fans, so he’ll deserve all the recognition he’ll receive,” Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini said on Tuesday.
“Those are things people feel, and you can’t stop them. At the same time, I’m convinced that when the game begins, all emotions will be set aside and people will support Roma exclusively.”