THERE will be many football followers who have fallen for the line that Jose Mourinho is one of the cleverest managers we've had in this country.
Mourinho is no such thing. He's an idiot. And a dangerous idiot at that. Because he clearly has not got the nous to understand that with the power and the fame he has acquired since taking charge at Chelsea comes responsibility.
And now we have seen what Mourinho's total irresponsibility leads to - the resignation of Anders Frisk, a man quite rightly regarded as one of the world's top half-dozen referees.
After a weekend when football has again shown its ugly side with a flare being thrown on the pitch at Southampton and Bolton's El-Hadji Diouf being sent off, Frisk, a referee for 27 years has resigned.
Having worked his way up from the youth leagues in his native Sweden to World Cup level, death threats aimed at him and his family shortly after he had officiated in Chelsea's Champions' League match against Barcelona triggered the decision.
It was after that match in Barcelona Mourinho attempted to cast doubts on Frisk's integrity by claiming he chatted to Barca manager Frank Rijkaard in the referee's room during the interval.
Mourinho's slur on Frisk's character was widely publicised in this country and right across Europe - as he must have known it would be from the moment he opened his mouth.
And the resulting death-threats to Frisk and his family from lunatic fans has now cost the game of football one of its most capable and respected referees who said simply: "It's not worth continuing when it comes to this."
In the light of Frisk's unbearably sad decision to stand down, Volker Roth, the chairman of UEFA's referees' committee has branded Mourninho "an enemy of football".
Who could argue against that? Referees have a tough enough job to perform as it is without the likes of Mourinho raising completely unfounded questions about an official's honesty and integrity.
And both UEFA and FIFA have a duty to referees everywhere to throw the book at a manager who has yet to learn to engage his brain before putting his mouth into gear.
What rankles me intensely is that in his short career in this country Mourinho is already being widely perceived as the second Brian Clough.
The legendary Clough will be turning over in his grave at that comparison. For all his outrageous comments, Clough never publicly criticised a referee throughout his entire career. He knew responsibility came with power.
For all his smart-Alec remarks, Mourinho doesn't possess one ounce of Clough's common sense.
Mourinho, and other managers like him who go out of their way to destroy a referee's reputation, have got to be silenced because the plain truth is that without men like Anders Frisk there would be no football for the rest of us to watch and enjoy.
Chelsea can start by telling Mourinho to keep his poisonous mouth shut when it comes to referees, while UEFA and FIFA should hand him the heaviest of fines.
Thanks to Mourinho, football has lost one good man following Anders Frisk's resignation.
Let him be the last.
Do you agree with Hince? Have your say.
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i think this hince guy is a fool for believing his own poisonous comments.....anders frisk has been a thorn in footballs side for many years and this is not the first time he has been subject to attacks by fans and if he cont. it wouldnt have been the last i dont condone death threats but he has unfairly treated teams before and got his just desserts
Yawn, Yawn, Yawn. It might not have been a consideration that Frisk was in the wrong, and therefore resigned?? The ref scandel currently on going in Germany, and previous never ending 'odd' decisions for Uk clubs in Europe suggest that Refs can be bought.
This way he avoids an inquiry, and UEFA can take the moral high road.
If he has been threatened why wasn't it raised as a Police issue, how many threats did he receive, and basically where is the evidence.
There is always 2 sides to a story.
According to chelsea, Steve clark (assistant manager) stood outside the refs dressing room for several minutes waiting for Rijkard to come out!
I suggest Paul Hince needs to be even handed in his views.
A Palace fan.
At least try thinking about glass houses before throwing stones.
Do you really maintain that Fergueson has never commented negatively on a refs performance?
Do you also maintain that the people of Manchester could never send death threats to a referee?
How many referees worldwide do you think receive such threats every single week?
It must be very nice to stand on the moral high ground and totally ignore the fact that its at the bottom of a very deep valley.
Written with all the eloquence and bias of an angry schoolboy. Do your credibility some good MEN and stop commissioning rubbish such as this.
You ignorant man. I don't recall any managers vilifying Urs Meier for his disallowing of Sol Campbell's "goal" against Portugal in Euro 2004, and yet the Swiss ref still had death threats, and plenty of them.
There will always be ignorant, misguided people who do this sort of thing. For you to lay all this at Mourinho's door is not only irresponsible: it is lazy journalism. It should probably also be defamatory. If this constitutes top comment in Manchester, I dread to think of the depths you're capable of plumbing.
Look you sour northerners stop trying to find anyway to detract away from the main issue that your team are being comprehensively beaten this season by a manager whom u call an 'idiot' If he's an idiot, whats ferguson? He wont even talk to the bbc! How about you all stop making pathetic articles and accept that you're a shadow of the side you used to be! OH YEAH and remember that its OUR PLAYER who kicked you out of the champions league!! our 'idiot' manager has already masterminded two victories over you this season and beaten you in the only domestic semi final you've everlost! I still hate arsenal alot more than you lot, but be real guys and stop moaning.
I'm with the all the others on this one. A bit silly all this Mourinho bashing isn't it?
Read the article below, and then state that you think the pompous Swede is a great referee.
Frisk a magnet for trouble
By Gabriele Marcotti
THERE USED TO BE CLICHE THAT maintained that if you did not notice the referee, it meant that he had done a good job. That may have been true for a long time, but it is clearly no longer the case. Now that most top officials are either professional b " or de facto professionals, who earn the bulk of their income from football b " it has become a career like any other. Except it is a career in the public eye, which means that image is paramount.
That Pierluigi Collina is routinely called "the best referee in the world" and managers actively lobby to have him officiate their matches gives him a distinct edge. He is an easy choice for Uefa's selection committee, which knows all too well that if he is picked for a top game, no one will complain. His reputation, combined with the famous bald head and steely eyes, makes his job easier on the pitch because players are less likely to question his decisions and more reluctant to try to get away with things.
Of course, Collina's image would not mean all that much if it did not go hand in hand with his ability on the pitch. Talent must accompany perception. Otherwise, you get situations such as that of Anders Frisk, who announced his retirement from the game on Friday after allegations that he had received death threats and harassing phone calls from Chelsea supporters.
Whenever a person feels compelled to abandon their livelihood because they fear for their safety and that of their families it is sad and should give cause to reflect. Yet Frisk's situation is as much the result of the dysfunctionality of the world of refereeing and the choices that Frisk made to advance his career. He was fast-tracked through the system from an early age, becoming a top-flight referee in Sweden at 26 and for Uefa at the unconscionably young age of 28. Critics suggest that his rapid rise was fuelled by Lennart Johansson, the Uefa president and fellow Swede. From the beginning, he worked on his image, from his bleached hair to his fake tan. He even took acting classes to learn tips on body language and to appear more assertive.
The problem is that you cannot manufacture a star referee unless he also happens to be a good referee. Wherever he went, chaos and controversy followed. In 1995, he lost control of a match in the normally placid Swedish league and was karate-kicked by a pitch invader. In 2002, the Champions League match between AS Roma and Galatasaray that he was in charge of erupted in a mass brawl involving police, players and officials. That same year, in Sweden, Bengt Madsen, the MalmC6 chairman, ran on to the pitch during a match and accused Frisk of "ruining football" by needing to "always be the centre of attention".
It takes a special person to drive the usually placid Swedes over the edge, but Frisk seemed to have a way of attracting trouble. In September, he was forced to abandon a Champions League match between Roma and Dynamo Kiev after he sent off Philippe MexC(s. Frisk was then struck in the head by a coin thrown from the stands at half-time. In his next match in charge, the Swedish league game between Helsingborgs and Landskrona, he again had to leave under police escort as enraged supporters pelted him with coins and bottles. In December, he lost control of the Valencia versus Werder Bremen match in the Champions League, a game that ended in a brawl.
All this was the prelude to events at the Nou Camp, where his officiating so upset JosC) Mourinho, and he was accused of entertaining Frank Rijkaard, the Barcelona coach, in his dressing-room at half-time. Frisk consciously chose the limelight, opting for a certain look and style, but it was not enough to paper over his shortcomings as a match official, which is why the way he left the game is far more tragic than the fact that he is gone.
On the pressconference after the second leg against Barca, both Ronnie and Frank said that the ref was to blame for their loss. Carvalho fouled their goalkeeper at CFC's fourth goal. I donB4t hear any complaints on Barca's comments.
By the way, I've read Mr Hince before, and recall a piece he wrote last season about Rooney and Ronaldo.
"Can you imagine what it would be like to have the world's two greatest teenage talents in the same team next season?".
Now we all know, Paul. Let's hope you get past the Champions' League last 16 next year.
Never let the facts get in way of a good story. You site in your story the actions of suspected Chelsea supporters being the responsability of Mourinho but in the same breath you do not draw thge same conclusions when it comes to the action on a Manchester fan at Southampton being the responsibility of the Man U manager. I suggest that you head your own advise and think before you write
Let the truth be told....After reading your article i cannot not help but agree with you. It is high time for the press to come out hard on people like Murinho for their selfish idiotic comments against referees.
To clear your confused mind JMourinho IS one of the best managers! He has certainly proven that a lot of people just don't like his tactics and will to win! He deserves a bit of respect as we have for Sir Alex Ferguson and other great managers NOT SILLY comments as yours ..do a bit of surfing through the news chanels to find out the truth and don't just blame him for this ref. issue! Also surf through any decent news channel to find out more ... you'd be surprised how many people do not agree with what you say!
...that's what I'd do anyway!
From:The Observer's Kevin Mitchell
"...Wenger and Ferguson have earnt the right to be taken seriously. Their long-term achievements tower above those of others in the Premiership. But they are not gods. They are experienced campaigners coming to terms with a fast-shifting landscape towards the end of their distinguished careers. And they are on sometimes shaky legs.
In stark contrast, Mourinho is young at heart. He talks to his flash young squad not just in Portuguese or Spanish or French or English but in the language of the time. He's cool, not frozen. He encourages his players, as well as leading them, and the key elements in their understanding are respect and discipline, very grown-up concepts."
I think this article brings disrespect to the profession of journalism and the art of sports commentary. Surely, the issue here is not whether Mourinho opened his mouth or that Mr Frisk retired; the question is: was Frank Rijkaard in the referee's dressing room as Mourinho alleged? Why is Mr Johansson, like Hince, now calling for heavier and stiffer penalties for coaches and players without considering the issue in front of us? Mourinho and Chelsea have made a claim; you cannot begin to attack Mourinho or Chelsea before looking at these claims.
And on Volker Roth, who is going to punish him now for branding a coach "the enemy of football"? Can anyone imagine if it was a coach or player that branded a referee "the enemy of football"?
I think Mr Hince is dangerously prejudiced. Until Mourinho is proved to be lying about his claims, no blame lies with him. He's doing football great service by raising issues that have been routinely ignored in the game and by challenging the governing bodies to live up to their responsibilities. Mr Frisk's retirement is entirely his choice and whether indeed he's been threatened or not is for the police to determine.. What must not be allowed is this seeming attempt to cover up the whole thing and canonize Mr Frisk. Retiring or not, we must know what happened at the Nou Camp.
Mr Hince, I'm afraid, is a sorry excuse for a commentator.
What is wrong with questioning a referee chatting with another manager at half time? If you saw that match, what is wrong with questioning the decision of sending Drogba off? Now Frisk are saying that he feels this is very sad as long has he is a Chelsea supporter and has been since he was a kid. Think about it, should he really have been the referee of that match? Is that ethically correct of a top ref today to do? Who is now the idiot? Maybe Paul Hince and Anders Frisk. Certainly not Mourinho.
That's a pretty damn big statement to make that due to Jose Mourinho's comments, and his alone, Anders Frisk retired. This certain referee has been criticised time and time again by player, pundit, manager, commentator and contless other persons in the European game. To say that it was only Mourinho's comments that made him retire is utter lunacy. Add this this the fact that he recently admitted to being a Chelsea fan, surely he should not have been allowed to referee in one of Chelsea's matches.
Your childish and partisan article makes no mention of previous instances of managers' comments affecting referees' private lives. Take for instance your own revered Alex Ferguson's comments about David Ellaray in 1999 that caused that man to have a panic alarm fitted in his home by the police following threats from ManU fans. That may even be considered a worse case as the chairman of the club went on to say that if Arsenal won the league then Ellaray should get a winners' medal.
So try not to be guilty of the same lynch mob mentality that you are accusing JM of.
Ferguson has readily blamed managers for defeats over the years. Just because the ones he has moaned about have had more balls than Frisk, doesn't make it any less of a crime. What amazes me is that were United top of the league none of these articles would appear anywhere. Jose did not send Frisk death threats. A few idiots did. Just like the United idiot who threw a flare at the weekend which could have hit a player possibly seriously injuring him. He is not being accounted for the whole of United, so why should the few sending threats to a ref be accounted for the whole of Chelsea.
As for football losing a great man? Exactly which games have you watched Frisk referee well. Name five and I will retract this statement.
It seems irrealistic that someone can call idiot to another person, even more when that charge is made in a public newspaper, doing that you're going much more down that Mourinho has ever went.
For me he is simply the best coach in the last years coaching in UK, is a pitty that you can't see that, I agree that he sometimes push a bit the rope, but is not that that give you the right to call him idiot.
Frisk won't resign you'll see.
It seems the only idiots are you lot believing he will in the first place.
It seems tome that it is you who has fallen into the trap baited by the press, UEFA and some Premiership Managers.
Before you talk about the Chelsea Manager acting responsible you may care to remind yourself of the times when SAF has shown himself to be little more than a child (kicking a boot in a crowded dressing room and hitting one of your favourite sons at the time as one example).
I don't condone at all the actions of those that have threatened Mr Frisk and his family but there seems to be an equal division in those that thought he was one of the best referees in the world and those that thought he was a self important egoist.
Mr Frisk will not be missed by anyone who saw him referee the Euro 2004 finals or any games since.
Obvious bias, this attack is akin to politicians citing Marilyn Manson as catalyst for Columbine. There will always be idiots out there who take things too far - It is not the fault of Mourinho, who is entitled to his opinion on what was a bad mistake by the ref. All managers criticize bad decisions. It is sad it has led to Frisk's retirement but to blame Mourinho is ludicrous.
What a venomous article! That Mourinho's comments (which were directed at Rijkjaard not Frisk) should be the straw that breaks the camel's back is very unfortunate, but Mourinho cannot be blamed for the culmination of everything else that has obviously weighed on Frisk. The death threats are totally unnacceptible. But it could just as easily have been someone else's comments that produced the same results. The real issue is just as much an indictment of all football supporters and lovers, not to take the game TOO seriously.
Hince really needs to get some perspective in life.
Mourinho is an excellent coach, about to win the Premiership with his chelsea side and already holders of the CC. youi don't get to do that by being an 'Idiot'.
Furthermore, it hasn't been denied by Frisk that he spoke to the Barca manager and the investigation has yet to be made so Hince may have an opinion on it but it isn't a valid one until the results of the inquiry are revealed.
Why shouldn't Mourinho voice his disatisfaction at the ref speaking to his counterpart at half time? It shouldn't be allowed and there is evident that he's done this before in big games and then gone and made important decisions in the second which favour the home side.
In my opinion, people like Hince have it in for Mourinho and have nothing better to do with their time other than take out their verbal venom on him.
hince is a blind fool not to admit how smart mourinho is. he's made a mockery out of the adage that teams need time to adapt, by storming in front of the league with no sign of abatement. he's beaten what the press described as the best team in europe. anyone would say he's done a smashing job.
his pathetic excuse that he caused frisk to retire is total bollocks. frisk retired because of threats from fans, not mourinho. everyone knew drogba didn't deserve to be sent off, and that was the view of most of the press and media. mourinho merely reiterated that fact. and he certainly has the right not to tolerate frisk and rijkaard's illegal meeting at half-time.
and frisk being one of the best refs in the world? i'm now convinced hince's never seen many matches officiated by him.
hince, when you get over your whining and fits of jealousy, i hope you open your eyes to see what a great manager mourinho is. and what a sad sod you were writing the article.