I did it for a great man and a great friend – Jose Mourinho speaks out for his counterpart
The terrible situation occurred on Sunday at Roma’s home stadium during Roma’s Serie A match versus Sampdoria. Sampdoria’s Serbian coach Dejan Stankovic reportedly reacted strongly to racial insults from Roma supporters when his team was reduced to 10 players.
Stankovic’s Inter Milan coach, Jose Mourinho, immediately asked Roma supporters to quiet down when he stood up for Stankovic. Stankovic played for Inter under Mourinho and was a part of the squad that captured the fabled treble of the Serie A, Coppa Italia, and Champions League in the 2009–10 campaign.
After the game, José Mourinho discussed his actions with media and stated that:
“I did it for a great man and a great friend. He has kids and a family and it’s not pretty. Our fans are great, but my friends are not being touched.
Stankovic told Football Italia after the game:
“I thank Jose, because I didn’t even notice, but for chanting, I’m proud of who I am. I’m proud to be a gypsy.”
Racists à l’encontre de Stankovic slogans put quiet ses propres fans at Mourinho est intervenue en plein match:
“Je l’ai fait pour un Grand homme et un Grand ami. Il a des enfants et une famille et ce n’est pas beau. Nos fains sant géniaux, mai on ne touch pas a mes amis.” pic.twitter.com/tjRwprwyzY
– The Jose Mourinho Show (@Jmshow10_) April 2, 2023
Roma’s first goal of the match was scored by Georginio Wijnaldum in the 57th minute. Paulo Dybala then converted a penalty, and Stéphane El Shaarawy added another goal in stoppage time to give Jose Mourinho’s team a 3-0 victory. After the victory, Roma is now tied for fourth position in Serie A with Inter as they look to advance to the Champions League. Sampdoria, on the other hand, are now in 19th place and will need to put up a strong effort to go up.
Dejan Stankovic, a 44-year-old Serbian who took over as Sampdoria manager in October, played for both Roma’s crosstown rivals Lazio and Mourinho’s Inter. And as a player, he frequently encountered hate shouts when he was there.
But on Sunday, Jose Mourinho stepped in and asked the audience to stop yelling, showing tremendous sportsmanship. He swiftly asked the crowd to cease yelling in the above video, which was captured as he left the technical area.