Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger wouldn’t ever be described by Premier League fans as best friends, in fact most would say that the two can’t stand each other. However, the latest reports of a flare-up between the pair have now been revealed to be false.
There is indeed no love lost between the Arsenal manager and his Manchester United counterpart, and there was a report doing the rounds that their latest tiff had taken place at a UEFA managers conference last week.
Spanish publication Marca reported that Wenger had refused to let Mourinho sit next to him at the UEFA conference in Nyon, Switzerland. Mourinho had reportedly been the last person to enter the hall as Sir Alex Ferguson waited to start his speech. The seats were not booked in advance, so the Portuguese manager asked if anyone was sitting in the empty space opposite Zinedine Zidane and Unai Emery.
“No, it isn’t possible,” was the surprise reply by none other than Arsene, without a moment’s hesitation, according to the Marca report.
However, Daily Mail chief football writer Robert Draper has since looked into the story. He has now stated that the claims are false and no such incident took place at the conference.
I’d love to believe the story about Wenger refusing to sit next to Jose was true but sadly a manager present says not…
— Rob Draper (@draper_rob) September 8, 2016
Apparently every manager has named seat, based on no. European matches you’ve managed. So Fergie is always at top + seating plan v organised
— Rob Draper (@draper_rob) September 8, 2016
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 05: Managers Arsene Wenger of Arsenal and Jose Mourinho manager of Chelsea clash during the Barclays Premier League match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on October 4, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Mourinho had once famously labelled Arsene Wenger as a ‘specialist in failure’, after the latter had made comments about his Chelsea team. The usually calm Frenchman also had a physical alteration with the Portuguese coach in 2014, where the two had to be separated by their staff after a round of shoving.
All the onus has been on the upcoming Manchester derby, where Mourinho faces off against his bitter rival from his La Liga days, Pep Guardiola. However, the former Chelsea manager’s frigid relationship with Wenger is also another enduring rivalry between two Premier League managers that will come to a head when their teams face off in November.