BARCELONA: While Real Madrid may trust in Jose Mourinho to bring trophies to the club, players from arch rival Barcelona believe the Portuguese coach is ruining Spanish football with his abrasive attitude and tactics.
Mourinho jumped into the mele and seemed to put a finger into Tito Vilanova’s eye, then made a derogatory reference to the Barcelona assistant coach in the post-match news conference.
Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez labeled Madrid’s tactics as “pathetic” and “shameful for football in general” while Gerard Pique went even further.
“Mourinho is destroying Spanish football,” Pique said after Barcelona clinched its 10th Super Cup with a 5-4 aggregate victory in the home-and-away series.
“It’s not the first time and it’s always a number of players and the same ones so there has to be some way of stopping them. I hope they adopt the necessary sanctions.”
While tensions are always high in the matchup between the Spanish giants, on a hot, humid night it spilled out onto the field after Marcelo’s brash tackle on new Barcelona signing Cesc Fabregas, which drew the first of three red cards during injury time. (Agencies)
