Mancini dismisses Mourinho jibes on Champions League exit

Nov 24, 2012 8:19:00 AM

The Manchester City boss defends himself after the Real Madrid coach notes that he would be sacked if he, like the Italian, had failed to reach the last 16 of the competition

Roberto Mancini has defended himself against Jose Mourinho after the Real Madrid coach observed that he would have been sacked if he had failed to progress to the knockout stages of the Champions League.

City's 1-1 draw at home to the Spanish giants confirmed their failure to reach the last 16, a development which shocked the Portuguese and prompted him to comment about the Italian's position.

But Mancini told reporters: "Mourinho is not my chairman, he is not my owner. What Mourinho said is for me not interesting. Mourinho wants to talk about everything. For me, it is not important."

When asked if the comments came from the Madrid coach's jealousy of his position, the Italian suggested: "Sometimes it could be. But I will not stay here 20 years. In this moment I am here and we are working well."

	ONE IN THE EYE FOR MOURINHO
45/1	Manchester City are 45/1 with PaddyPower to beat Chelsea 4-1

Despite their exit from the Champions League, Mancini insists that the City board are understanding of the situation.

"They know it is impossible to win every game," he remarked. "When we lose, they are disappointed, like me or the players. We can't be happy; we went out of the Champions League.

"All I can say is I am happy to work with my owners and chairman. They are good men, they understand.

"But we are not Real Madrid, Manchester United or Bayern Munich, who used to win every year for 100 years. We are Manchester City. For 35 years we didn't win; in two years, we won three trophies."

Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25
Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200
Sign up to Paddy Power for £250 in free bets
Sign up today with Coral and get a £50 FREE bet - no strings attached!
Sign up today with BetVictor and get a £25 FREE BET!