By David Gold
September 21 – José Mourinho and Real Madrid are taking legal action against a journalist for the Madrid sports daily Marca after comments he made about the Portuguese coach this week.
Marca’s editor-in-chief Roberto Palomar criticised Mourinho (pictured top) in yesterday’s version of the newspaper by describing him as “the type of person who would flee after knocking someone down”.
Mourinho’s lawyers claimed that this was degrading and unnecessary, and it is not the first time this year that Mourinho has been incensed by the influential Marca.
In January, the Portuguese was angered by the revelation in the newspaper of a dispute between Mourinho and two key members of his squad, Spanish World Cup winners Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas.
Mourinho is reported to have a strained relationship with Spanish members of his squad, with Ramos dropped from the squad for the Manchester City game this week after the club’s defeat to Sevilla last weekend.
After that defeat, Mourinho uncharacteristically turned on his players, and reports suggested that the Spanish members of the squad were particularly upset that he was targeting them.
The Portuguese coach has not enjoyed a good relationship with the media in Spain since his arrival in 2010 as Real Madrid coach, with his egotistical personality antagonising the press.
Mourinho also struggled to match Barcelona, who dominated world football when he arrived, and he only won two matches against them out of 11 during Pep Guardiola’s remarkable tenure at the Catalan club.
Mourinho also infamously poked then Barcelona assistant Tito Vilanova in the eye after a Spanish Super Cup match a year ago.
He did, however, lead Madrid to the La Liga title last year, but two defeats and a draw in four games this season already have left them eight points behind Barcelona, now managed by Vilanova.
In most leagues that would not be cause for panic, but in Spain such is the dominance of Barça and Madrid that such a deficit can be terminal to either’s chances of the title even this early in the season.
Meanwhile, Real is also issuing former Barcelona board member Alfons Godall with a lawsuit over comments he made this week.
Godall attacked Mourinho after he celebrated Real Madrid’s late winning goal against Manchester City in the Champions League this week, saying: “It is lamentable the psychopath celebrating goals as if he was a player.”
The club said in response that they will not “allow attacks of this kind and will always take action against those who question the honour of people who form a part of this club”.
Godall was a director of Barcelona during the tenure of their former President Joan Laporta.
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