The coach of Roma, the Portuguese José Mourinho, assured today that he was the first and only choice of the president of the Portuguese Football Federation to be the new coach, but understood that he should reject it, because he was happy in Italy.
“I’m going to say something that probably won’t interest you, but I take the opportunity to thank the president of the Portuguese Football Federation, because what he said to me makes me proud. The fact that he said that I was not his first choice, but the only choice. That makes me proud, but I decided not to go. I refused, because I’m right here”, revealed José Mourinho, after Roma’s triumph (1-0), against Genoa, towards the quarterfinals of the Italian Cup.
The statements by the Portuguese coach end up not corresponding to what the president of the FPF, Fernando Gomes, said when he presented the Spaniard Roberto Martínez, at Cidade do Futebol, in Oeiras.
“After defining the profile, we spoke with many people, but I can say that the only concrete proposal we made to be a coach was Roberto Martínez”, said Fernando Gomes, then, in a press conference, on Monday.
The Spanish coach was made official as the new national football coach, succeeding Fernando Santos, having signed a contract valid until 2026.
