“I can’t breathe! Get me out!” – When Jose Mourinho sneaked into Chelsea’s dressing room despite a Red Card
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On the Redknapp’s Home Fixture programme on Sky One, John Terry revealed the incredible story of how Jose Mourinho cleverly avoided a 2005 UEFA ban. “He was suspended for the Bayern Munich game, he’s obviously not allowed in the stadium,” he explained.
“The kit man had to bring him through all the security… and about halfway to the dressing room, he’s banging on the top going: ‘I can’t breathe! Get me out! Get me out!’ So the kit man had to speed up and get him in. We’re all thinking that the assistants, Mick McGiven or Andre Villas-Boas, are going to give a speech at half-time.“
“All of a sudden, he just gets wheeled in a skip – and out he pops. Still looking a million dollars! He still looks unbelievable – his hair has not moved or anything.” Jose Mourinho officially confirmed the long-circulated rumour, going into great detail about how one of the greatest managers in history wound up concealed in a sweaty laundry trolley.
He confirmed Terry’s assertion that he was having trouble breathing. “The UEFA guys were following and desperate to find me,” Jose told beIN Sports in 2019. “So he [the kit man] closed the box and I couldn’t breathe! When he opened the box I was dying! I am serious. I was claustrophobic, I promise!”
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Chelsea’s Jose Mourinho was known as the ‘Special One’
It’s hardly surprising to hear John Terry comment on how impeccable his boss looked because this was at a time when Mourinho was unquestionably the classiest man in football. But it’s noteworthy that not even his dependable skipper Terry was complicit in the plot.
Chelsea improved on their 1-0 halftime advantage to take a 4-2 victory in the quarterfinal first leg at Stamford Bridge thanks to Mourinho’s unexpected team talk. The Blues “overcame the absence of their manager,” according to the media at the time, to secure the victory. They were in the dark.
Jose evidently had a tight hold on the locker room because the conspiracy wasn’t revealed until two years later; otherwise, UEFA would have extended Jose’s suspension. In the end, Chelsea won the match 6-5 overall, but Liverpool eliminated them from the semifinals thanks to a famous ‘Ghost’ goal by Luis Garcia.
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Sujeeth Shetty
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