This is a feud that really shows no sign of slowing up.
With Manchester United and Chelsea in FA Cup action this weekend, both Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte have continually escalated a war of words that seemed to have started off in a pleasantly ambiguous manner.
After their disappointing 0-0 draw with Norwich City this evening however, Chelsea's Conte seemed to take serious exception when asked about Jose Mourinho's "match-fixing" comments made the night before.
Conte infamously served a four-month ban in the 2012/13 for failing to report a match-fixing incident while manager of Siena.
Later cleared in court of any wrongdoing whatsoever, Mourinho's comments led Conte to suggest in his BBC interview that the Manchester United manager should not be commenting on such things when you do not know the "truth":
I think when there are these kind of comments, and you try to offend a person and you don't know the truth, I think that you are a little man.
[Mourinho] was a little man in the past, a little man in the present, and maybe, he will be a little man also in the future.
Having long since left all elements of ambiguity at the door, the escalation in this feud over a manner of hours is truly remarkable.
Going on to discuss the Portuguese further in an interview with BT, Conte cited Mourinho's comments regarding Leicester City's title-winning manager, and Conte's fellow Italian, Claudio Ranieri as evidence that Mourinho is indeed "a fake."
While he believes that life will go on irrespective of whether Mourinho feels the need to comment again, Conte did concede that he is looking forward to Chelsea's upcoming tie with United when both can "clarify in a room" what has happened, "me and him."
You can watch the whole of Conte's interview with BT below.
"When the target is to offend, to insult, I think that you are a little man"
"It's not a surprise for me"
"This is his way"
Antonio Conte speaks honestly and openly about Jose Mourinho with @DesKellyBTS ?
Wow. ? pic.twitter.com/xR6W9VE3Gi
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 6, 2018
