In a surprising display of creativity, José Mourinho used an unusual approach to communicate with his players during a match suspension.
Mourinho confessed that he once circumvented a two-match ban by concealing himself in a laundry basket to deliver a team talk to Chelsea.
Mourinho, who was dismissed by Manchester United in December, revealed to beIN Sports how he evaded a touchline ban on the eve of the 2005 Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich by enlisting the Chelsea kit man to help him hide in the basket.
Although newspapers covered the incident in 2007, Mourinho waited several years to openly recount how he managed to avoid UEFA’s scrutiny.
“I went to the dressing room during the day, arriving there by noon for a game that was scheduled for seven o’clock. I just wanted to be in the dressing room when the players showed up,” the 55-year-old explained on beIN Sports.
Once, José Mourinho was suspended by Uefa ahead of a Champions League knock-out match at Chelsea, meaning he couldn’t even be in the locker room.
But he went to the locker room anyway, and he had to leave hidden in a laundry basket.
What an amazing story???? pic.twitter.com/K3vasFDcN7
— IM???????? (@Iconic_Mourinho) July 20, 2024
“I managed to get there without being noticed. The challenge was leaving afterward. Stewart Bannister, the kit man, put me in the basket. It was slightly open so I could breathe.
“However, when he was carrying it outside the dressing room, UEFA officials were closely following and desperately searching for me. So he closed the box, and I couldn’t breathe! When he finally opened it, I was suffocating! I’m serious! I felt claustrophobic, I promise! It’s true!”
Chelsea won the first leg 4-2 at Stamford Bridge and advanced to the semi-finals with a 6-5 aggregate before losing to Liverpool and the notorious Luis Garcia ‘ghost goal’.
In 2007, Chelsea issued a statement regarding the reports, suggesting that they were intended to undermine the team before their Champions League semi-final that year against Liverpool.
The statement read: “The situation is very clear. Both matches were overseen by UEFA, and they were fully satisfied that their decisions were upheld, as indicated by the statements issued by UEFA at the time and afterward.
“The only motive for publishing this so close to a major match is to advance an agenda aimed at undermining our team.”
