Jose Mourinho will face no action over his bizarre celebration after Marouane Fellaini’s injury-time winner for Manchester United on Tuesday night.
The goal prompted Mourinho to pick up a crate full of drinks bottles and throw them to the ground, as his team secured a 1-0 Champions League win over Young Boys at Old Trafford.
In November 2016, Mourinho was sent off and had to serve an additional one-match touchline ban after deliberately kicking a water bottle during a Premier League game against West Ham.
Mourinho has sought to explain his over the top water bottle throwing celebration and reaction to Marcus Rashford’s glaring miss during their last-gasp UEFA Champions League victory last night.
MarouaneFellaini’s late goal saw United pick up three points at Old Trafford against Swiss side Young Boys – which qualified them for the knock-out stages of Europe’s elite club competition.
However, there was a sense of angst amongst the crowd and the manager before the Belgian’s goal sparked wild celebrations from Mourinho on the sideline.
While his actions has attracted widespread criticism, the former Chelsea boss has attempted to set the record straight.
“Relief,” he said when asked about the celebration, according to Fox Sports.
“Frustration before that and relief with the goal. I think we didn’t play for that, we didn’t play for 0-0.
“We didn’t play to be in trouble until the last minute, so frustration. I was not unhappy with the players. Not at all.”
He went on to defend his shake of the head gesture towards the crown when Rashford missed a chance.
“We don’t score enough goals but is not about Marcus,” Mourinho said. “Is about us as a team, is very difficult for us to score goals. But Marcus makes the movements, makes the runs, works hard when the team has the ball and doesn’t have the ball.
“And I can never, never blame a player because of missing chances.”
Can I have on the touchline, where not a lot of the ones that comment [on] football, they were there? Not many of them were there, can myself or another manager have a reaction of frustration? I would invite that people to sit on the bench as managers.
“But I think maybe is better to have lots of holidays in Barbados and go to television screen and touch the electronic dummies, is much more comfortable than be on touchline like we managers we are.
“So I’m pretty sure that a proper football manager would never criticise another one for emotional reactions on the touchline because it’s deja vu for them. For the ones that have a nice life, is different.”
Source: AFP
