The footballing world was stunned earlier this week as pictures emerged showing Jose Mourinho on a local park training four players from his Tottenham Hotspur squad. The picture quickly went viral, which forced the North London side to condemn their manager. Mourinho has replied to the backlash by admitting that training the players during the COVID-19 was a mistake and not ‘in line with government measures’.
The picture was captured by a passer by who was taking their dog for a walk in the local park. Mourinho was attempting to get a jump on the rest of the teams in the Premier League, as he tried to get Tanguy Ndombele, Serge Aurier, Ryan Sessegnon and Davison Sanchez up to speed.
Mourinho Critically Of Players
It’s no secret that Mourinho hasn’t been the happiest with those four players throughout the season so far. He has particularly issued strong words at Ndombele, as the manager hasn’t been happy that the record-signing has missed so many games this season.
Spurs brought in the midfielder from Lyon in the summer of 2019, with many fans hopeful that he could have been the signing of the season. However, things haven’t played out that way, as the Frenchman has struggled for form throughout the 2019-20 season so far.
The pictures showed a clear breach of regulations, as the British government have continuously told the public that they should only go out with people that live in the same household.
As well as that, they have said that all people must stand at least two metres away at all times to slow down the spread of COVID-19. The pictures showed that none of the Spurs players were following these guidelines, as Sessegnon and Aurier were running side by side despite not living in the same house.
Government Condemn Mourinho’s Actions
Tottenham were the first to issue a statement, where they said that they were going to remind the Portuguese manager of his responsibilities. Meanwhile, the Mayor of London also got involved in the discussion when talking on British radio. He admitted that he was concerned with the pictures that has been spread on social media, as they would send an unhelpful message to the younger generation.
Sadiq Khan admitted that if children would see their favourite Tottenham players not following the government regulation, then they would also believe that they can do what they wanted. Khan admitted that Spurs and Mourinho should be leading by example. Mourinho will be unlikely to breach these regulations again.
There is still no set date on when the Premier League will return, with the initial date of the 30th March already passed. Clubs in Germany are already back in training, but that could still be some way off for the English sides as the number of cases is continuing to rise on a daily basis. The FA are determined to finish the season, and they are still looking into every possible route.
