Connect with us

Lazio

Mourinho locks horns with Lazio president after derby loss

Roma boss Jose Mourinho was caught in a tense altercation with Lazio president Claudio Lotito following his side’s 1-0 loss in Sunday’s Derby della Capitale.

An ill-tempered atmosphere from the pitch transferred to the tunnel and the dressing room as the ‘Special One’ clashed with Lotito in a seething row, according to Italian newspaper Il Messaggero.

Known as a sore loser, Mourinho couldn’t stand going down in both seasonal league meetings with Lazio in after Mattia Zaccagni’s second-half strike fired Maurizio Sarri’s team to a pivotal win.

It was an explosive derby collision from the get-go as Roma defender Roger Ibanez received his marching orders less than 30 minutes into the game after two bookable offences.

However, the confrontations picked up momentum as the match progressed, with the Giallorossi being denied an equaliser by the VAR intervention moments after Lazio’s deadlock-breaker.

Tensions escalated close to the final whistle as referee Davide Massa had to send off Lazio right-back Adam Marusic and Roma midfielder Bryan Cristante at full-time.

The explosive scenes on the field fuelled Mourinho’s anger, who couldn’t cope with the disappointment of losing a crucial top-four six-pointer to bitter rivals.

As he was storming down the tunnel, the former Manchester United manager turned to Lazio bigwig Lotito and asked him what he was looking at.


Per Il Messaggero’s report, the Biancocelesti owner immediately replied: “I am the president of Lazio and you are a guest. This is my home and I go wherever I like. And you can’t be here.”

With frustration hitting its climax, Roma coach Salvatore Foti and Lazio midfielder Danilo Cataldi reportedly had to interfere to prevent the nasty argument from moving to the next level.

Lazio playmaker Luis Alberto looked back at the incident and said: “They went off the field and continued what they did in the match.

“When you talk before a game, you should keep quiet afterwards. They talked too much, as they always do.”

Mourinho and his players seem to be losing their temper frequently in recent times, with Roma’s last five outings witnessing as many as six red cards, half of which were shown to the Giallorossi.

But with the international break waiting in the wings, they’ll have a fortnight to cool their heads.

More in Lazio