Mourinho acknowledges ‘nobody has called me’ as he considers his future at Roma

ROME (AP) — Almost as quickly as he was awarded it, Jose Mourinho took off the silver medal that had simply been hung round his neck by UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, walked towards the stands and handed it to a younger fan within the entrance row.

“I only keep the gold ones,” Mourinho mentioned later, nonetheless furious after his Roma squad was overwhelmed by Sevilla in a penalty shootout to determine the Europa League remaining.

After teaching his crew to the trophy in 5 consecutive European finals over twenty years, it was Mourinho’s first defeat at this stage and the 60-year-old Portuguese coach was fast accountable the referee for not awarding a penalty kick to Roma for a perceived handball in the course of the second half — in addition to a bunch of different choices that he thought English referee Anthony Taylor mishandled.

“The referee seemed like he was Spanish,” Mourinho mentioned. “The result was not fair and there are a lot of instances to re-examine.”

Mourinho was additionally seen insulting Taylor within the storage of the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary, as his crew ready to depart the stadium.

Having additionally obtained a yellow card in the course of the match, Mourinho might be hit with a multi-match ban from future European video games by UEFA.

But whether or not these video games include Roma or one other membership is an open query.

Mourinho has another season remaining on his three-year contract with Roma however has been obscure about his plans.

“On Monday I’m going on vacation and vacation is vacation. But until then we have time to meet and to talk,” Mourinho mentioned. “Right now I can’t say objectively that I’ll stay. But I would like to. I want to stay at Roma. But my players deserve more and I deserve more, too.”

Mourinho additionally hinted that he wasn’t proud of the silence of Roma’s American homeowners, Dan and Ryan Friedkin, who’ve by no means spoken publicly since shopping for the crew three years in the past from a way more vociferous American proprietor, James Pallotta.

“I’m a bit tired of being a coach, of being the communications man, of being the face that says, `We were robbed.’ I’m a bit tired of all this,” Mourinho mentioned. “But I want to stay with conditions to offer more.”

Having led Roma to the Europa Conference League title in his first season with the Giallorossi, Mourinho is broadly revered within the Italian capital. It’s been a profession revival after dressing-room apathy and rising disillusionment at his techniques value him his job at Tottenham barely greater than two years in the past after 17 months on the London membership.

Mourinho’s defensive techniques don’t make him such a sexy candidate for jobs on the world’s greatest golf equipment anymore.

“When I’ve been contacted, I’ve said so. Now nobody has called me,” he conceded.

Winning the ultimate was the one route Roma had left to qualify for subsequent season’s Champions League.

“It seems paradoxical but we’re better off not playing in the Champions League next season, because we’re not ready,” Mourinho mentioned.

Roma enters a match in opposition to relegation-threatened Spezia within the remaining spherical of Serie A on Sunday in sixth place, one level behind Atalanta and one level forward of Juventus. Fifth place qualifies for the Europa League spot and sixth place for the Conference League.

The remaining, which Sevilla received 4-1 on penalties after the match ended 1-1 after additional time, lasted 146 minutes — together with added time.

“We’re dead. Dead from exhaustion and disappointment,” Mourinho mentioned. “But I’m proud of my boys. We gave everything. We lost, but with dignity. Roma was up to the task.”

If he does keep, Mourinho will possible ask for a slew of recent gamers within the switch market.

He bought his want within the final offseason when Paulo Dybala was signed on a free switch from Juventus, Nemanja Matic rejoined Mourinho after spells beneath the coach at Chelsea and Manchester United, and Georginio Wijnaldum was loaned from Paris Saint-Germain. But Dybala and Wijnaldum struggled with damage for a lot of the season.

Still, Dybala’s first-half objective in opposition to Sevilla gave Roma hope of a second consecutive European title. Then Sevilla’s substitutions made a much bigger impression as the sport wore on.

“You played a great match in front of Europe,” Mourinho informed his crew. “We win and we lose together.”