Star coach José Mourinho has left his future at AS Roma open even after losing the Europa League final to Sevilla on penalties. His contract runs for another year and that’s the situation, said the 60-year-old after the long football thriller in Budapest on Wednesday evening. From Monday he’ll be on vacation and then we’ll see, the Portuguese said.
Mourinho doesn’t seem averse to staying at the Italian top flight club. However, he was “tired,” he said after losing his first European Cup final as a coach. “I’ve won five finals, but I’ve never been prouder than today,” he explained, praising his players for “giving everything” and “working hard” in the intense game.
Mourinho was not only proud, but also deeply disappointed. He didn’t want the medal he got after the final whistle. Instead, he threw it to a young fan in the stands behind the dugout. “I want to stay, but my players earn more, I earn more,” said Mourinho about his future: “I’m tired of being a coach and spokesman for the club.” He wants to stay, “but under better conditions, so I mean can do my best”.
“I wouldn’t do anything in secret”
The Roma coach also criticized the performance of final referee Anthony Taylor. The Englishman “looked Spanish” and gave out too many yellow cards, according to Mourinho. Seville’s Erik Lamela, meanwhile, should have received a second yellow card and was ruled out of the penalty shoot-out. Overall, the defeat felt “unfair,” said Mourinho.
“The Special One” is associated with Paris St. Germain. When asked about his future, the 60-year-old assured that he had no contacts with other clubs in Europe. “My future? I’m serious, I said a few months ago that I would tell the owners if I had contact with another club,” Mourinho said on Sky Sport: “I wouldn’t do anything secretly.” Mourinho is still with the Romans under contract until mid-2024.
The Spaniards celebrated exuberantly. Together, captain Jesús Navas and his deputy Ivan Rakitic lifted the silver trophy at the award ceremony after Sevilla FC’s Europa League triumph again. The Spanish club has won the competition, including its predecessor, the UEFA Cup, for the seventh time. The 35-year-old former Schalke Bundesliga professional Rakitic was there for the first time, the 37-year-old Navas for the fourth time after 2006, 2007 and 2020.
“Incredible” felt this title win, said Navas after the highly intense final in Budapest, which the Andalusians only won on penalties against Rome late on Wednesday evening. Otherwise it has been a messed-up season for Seville so far. In the domestic league, the club is only eleventh before the last matchday. The Europa League is the “Sevilla League”, wrote the Spanish newspaper “Marca”.
“The story goes on”
“This night will never end. The story goes on. We have once again shown the football world what Sevilla can do,” said the stunning Rakitic after the 4-1 penalty shootout. The Moroccan national goalkeeper Bono became the match winner in the drama from the point. He saved the penalties of Gianluca Mancini and Ibanez. Gonzalo Montiel converted the decisive penalty for Sevilla – as in the World Cup final for Argentina.
After regular time and extra time, the score was 1-1 (1-1, 0-1). The Spaniards had already won the Europa League in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2020, in 2006 and 2007 there were triumphs in the UEFA Cup. Roma coach Mourinho, on the other hand, suffered his first defeat in his sixth appearance in a European final. In the semifinals, Rome knocked out Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen.
Mourinho’s colleague José Luis Mendilibar hopes he can stay on as coach after Sevilla FC’s remarkable seventh league title. It would be nice if you could agree on that, said the 62-year-old. “I think we did a good job,” said Mendilibar, who is the Andalusians’ third coach this season and whose contract expires in the summer.
“I’m grateful to the club for giving me this opportunity.” Should he have to leave, he would have to “leave a lot of friends”. Mendilibar was delighted with “the biggest trophy I’ve ever won”. However, the main part of Seville’s seventh Europa League triumph since 2006 has come from the players, he explained. “In the end, it’s them who have to play and win the games.”
The coach thanked his goalkeeper Bono for saving a shot on penalties. When asked by a journalist, the 32-year-old Moroccan pointed out that he was still involved in the second missed shot by the Romans. Overall, Bono had great confidence in his team-mates that they would score from the point. Ultimately, that made it easier for him. Winning the title in the end was “incredible,” said goalkeeper and coach in unison.
