Chelsea boss Antonio Conte called Jose Mourinho
a "little man" with a "very low profile" and a
"fake" as he continued his extraordinary public
war of words with the Manchester United
manager after Chelsea were held to a goalless
draw by Norwich City in the FA Cup on Saturday.
Chelsea face a replay at Stamford Bridge later
this month after a tepid performance against their
Championship opponents at Carrow Road, but the
real entertainment was provided by Conte's
postmatch comments as he responded to
Mourinho's reference to his past implication in a
match-fixing scandal.
Before coming to Chelsea, Conte was implicated
in a 2011 fixing scandal while boss of Italian side
Siena and served a four-match ban, but he was
ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing five years
later.
After already calling Mourinho "a little, little man"
in his postgame TV interview, Conte explained in
his news conference: "I think when there are
these types of comments, before [making them]
you have to know very well the truth.
"The truth is that I was banned for four months
from the sporting justice, for failure to report
[match-fixing]. Then I asked for a real trial by
court and they declared my innocence.
"Before you make this type of comment, before
[you try] to hurt another person, you must pay
great attention. You show you are a little man.
You don't know very well which is the situation.
"But I know him very well in the past. In the past
he was a little man in many circumstances, he is
a little man in the present and for sure he will be
a little man in the future. Also if he wants to try
to change his behaviours. But the person is this,
Mourinho is this. You know him very well. The
level is very low."
Before his news conference, Conte spoke to the
BBC and said about Mourinho: "He was a little
man in the past, he's the little man in the
present, maybe he will be a little man also in the
future."
Mourinho sparked the latest hostilities with Conte
earlier this week by referring to some managers
who are "a clown on the touchline," and the
Chelsea coach responded by suggesting that his
United rival might have a memory problem that
has made him forget his own past behaviour on
the pitch.
Mourinho in turn took exception to that and said
after United's FA Cup win on Friday night: "What
has never happened to me and will never happen
is to be suspended for match-fixing."
Asked about the feud on Saturday, Conte added:
"This is not my problem. I consider him a little
man, a man with a very low profile. There is a
story to speak for him and for me. You can
change the story. But you have to know the story
very well before hurting another person. In the
last period he's suffering a bit of amnesia.
"When you become to be older, there is this type
of risk. Also for me, and for you. For [everyone].
The problem is if you show this. He must pay
great attention. He's doing this with regularity."
Asked when Mourinho had proven himself a "little
man" in the past, Conte replied: "I remember, for
example, a stupid example with [manager
Claudio] Ranieri. When he was in Italy he
offended Ranieri for his English. Then when
Ranieri was sacked [by Leicester City] he put on
a shirt [with initials on it in support of] Ranieri.
This shows you are a fake.
"I think you have good consideration for a person
or not. It doesn't change your opinion to be more
sympathetic. If you want to fight a person, you
try to kill this person. And then after two years
you try to help this person, because maybe it's
good for you, for your profile."
This spectacular escalation in tension between
Conte and Mourinho means all eyes will be on the
Old Trafford touchline when Chelsea visit United
in the Premier League on Feb. 25, and the Italian
insisted he will relish the occasion.
"The situation is very clear," he continued. "I
don't have anything to clarify. It will be the
opportunity [to clarify things] in the game against
United when we go to Old Trafford. Me and him,
face to face. I'm ready. I don't know if he's
ready."
a "little man" with a "very low profile" and a
"fake" as he continued his extraordinary public
war of words with the Manchester United
manager after Chelsea were held to a goalless
draw by Norwich City in the FA Cup on Saturday.
Chelsea face a replay at Stamford Bridge later
this month after a tepid performance against their
Championship opponents at Carrow Road, but the
real entertainment was provided by Conte's
postmatch comments as he responded to
Mourinho's reference to his past implication in a
match-fixing scandal.
Before coming to Chelsea, Conte was implicated
in a 2011 fixing scandal while boss of Italian side
Siena and served a four-match ban, but he was
ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing five years
later.
After already calling Mourinho "a little, little man"
in his postgame TV interview, Conte explained in
his news conference: "I think when there are
these types of comments, before [making them]
you have to know very well the truth.
"The truth is that I was banned for four months
from the sporting justice, for failure to report
[match-fixing]. Then I asked for a real trial by
court and they declared my innocence.
"Before you make this type of comment, before
[you try] to hurt another person, you must pay
great attention. You show you are a little man.
You don't know very well which is the situation.
"But I know him very well in the past. In the past
he was a little man in many circumstances, he is
a little man in the present and for sure he will be
a little man in the future. Also if he wants to try
to change his behaviours. But the person is this,
Mourinho is this. You know him very well. The
level is very low."
Before his news conference, Conte spoke to the
BBC and said about Mourinho: "He was a little
man in the past, he's the little man in the
present, maybe he will be a little man also in the
future."
Mourinho sparked the latest hostilities with Conte
earlier this week by referring to some managers
who are "a clown on the touchline," and the
Chelsea coach responded by suggesting that his
United rival might have a memory problem that
has made him forget his own past behaviour on
the pitch.
Mourinho in turn took exception to that and said
after United's FA Cup win on Friday night: "What
has never happened to me and will never happen
is to be suspended for match-fixing."
Asked about the feud on Saturday, Conte added:
"This is not my problem. I consider him a little
man, a man with a very low profile. There is a
story to speak for him and for me. You can
change the story. But you have to know the story
very well before hurting another person. In the
last period he's suffering a bit of amnesia.
"When you become to be older, there is this type
of risk. Also for me, and for you. For [everyone].
The problem is if you show this. He must pay
great attention. He's doing this with regularity."
Asked when Mourinho had proven himself a "little
man" in the past, Conte replied: "I remember, for
example, a stupid example with [manager
Claudio] Ranieri. When he was in Italy he
offended Ranieri for his English. Then when
Ranieri was sacked [by Leicester City] he put on
a shirt [with initials on it in support of] Ranieri.
This shows you are a fake.
"I think you have good consideration for a person
or not. It doesn't change your opinion to be more
sympathetic. If you want to fight a person, you
try to kill this person. And then after two years
you try to help this person, because maybe it's
good for you, for your profile."
This spectacular escalation in tension between
Conte and Mourinho means all eyes will be on the
Old Trafford touchline when Chelsea visit United
in the Premier League on Feb. 25, and the Italian
insisted he will relish the occasion.
"The situation is very clear," he continued. "I
don't have anything to clarify. It will be the
opportunity [to clarify things] in the game against
United when we go to Old Trafford. Me and him,
face to face. I'm ready. I don't know if he's
ready."
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