Jose Mourinho says a lack of respect led to his famous ‘cupped ear’ reaction to Juventus fans while he was in charge of Manchester United, as the Portuguese prepares to return to Turin in charge of AS Roma on Sunday.
Mourinho walked into the centre of the Allianz Stadium pitch with his hand cupped over his ear towards Juve fans after his United side won a Champions League game there in November 2018.
The 58-year-old was asked what reaction he expected to receive from the home crowd when his Roma side, who are fourth and four points clear of Juve in seventh, take to the pitch.
“Maybe the same as always, or different, I don’t know,” Mourinho told a news conference.
“People remembered the 10 second emotional reaction and forgot 90 minutes of the game. Today we talk about respect but in those 90 minutes that was all forgotten.”
Mourinho and Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri have clashed in the past, and the Italian called his counterpart “pathetic” on Italian television in 2011, but the Roma manager insisted there is no bad blood between them.
“It is not a game between him and me. It is Juve-Roma and in the past it was Manchester United-Juve,” he said.
