Mourinho: Let Roman sack me if he
dares
Jose Mourinho may be living on borrowed time at Stamford
Bridge, but the brazen Chelsea chief is showing no signs of stress
as he prepares to face Porto on Tuesday evening. Mourinho has been
shadow boxing with Roman Abramovich since the summer, but on Monday
night he taunted the man who will decide his future at the end of
the season. The Chelsea boss is in bullish mood ahead of Tuesday
night's Champions League clash which stands at 1-1 after the first
leg. He invited Abramovich to "make me a millionaire" if he decides
to sack him.
Despite winning the Carling Cup - his fourth major trophy in less
than three seasons at Chelsea - success in the Champions League
appears to be the only way Mourinho can safeguard his future at
Stamford Bridge. Mourinho said: "If the club decides to sack me
because of bad results, that's part of the game. If that happens,
I'll be a millionaire and I will get another club a couple of
months later.
"There is no pressure on me. I don't accept pressure from other
people. I've won a lot of things in my career, but I cannot win
every time, every year or every week. "I have a happy family, my
kids are healthy, I have a lot of friends and I live a good life.
The pressure I put on myself is the pressure I put myself under
since I was a kid.
"One day I will play against Chelsea. You cannot make your career
thinking about I was in this club or that club. You have to play
the game without special emotions. It's just another game.
Mourinho has a contract with Chelsea until 2010 and although it is
worth £20m, he will have to accept a fraction of that figure if he
takes up another position. That prospect is increasingly likely and
it is known that Abramovich, who is an intensely private
individual, has not been impressed with Mourinho's frequent public
outbursts.
Abramovich will take a view on Mourinho's future at the end of the
season, but if their season implodes against Porto this evening, he
is unlikely to survive much beyond May 13.
