Jose Mourinho left Chelsea after a chance meeting with Roman
Abramovich in which he dared the club's owner to sack him.
Although his departure had been brewing for almost a year, with
Mourinho threatening to quit and Abramovich considering when to
sack him, events unravelled in a matters of hours last week. It
shows just how low and how petty relations between the two men
had become.
According to sources, Abramovich and Mourinho are believed to have
simply passed each other in a corridor at Stamford Bridge after the
disappointing 1-1 Champions League draw with Rosenborg. Words were
then exchanged in English. Abramovich is understood to have told
Mourinho that he was disappointed with the performance and hoped
the team "could do better" .
The Portuguese bridled at the comment and challenged Abramovich to
get rid of him if he was displeased with what he was doing. "If you
are not happy with me, then just sack me," Mourinho is believed to
have said. He was told that if he wanted to go he could go with
the manager then agreeing.
The sudden sequence confirms that Mourinho did indeed leave by some
form of " mutual consent", even if sources close to Abramovich also
claim that the Russian had decided to dispose of the manager after
the equally disappointing league draw at home to Blackburn Rovers
the previous Saturday.
