So it was true! Legend has long surrounded Jose Mourinho and the famous laundry basket story, with varying accounts as to its accuracy. Some swore it was true, others said he could never get away with it. Well now we have confirmation from the man himself.
For those unfamiliar with the tale, it essentially goes like this: Jose Mourinho was serving a touchline suspension for Chelsea's Champions League quarter final meeting with Bayern Munich in 2005, ruling him out of both legs. He was not even allowed in the stadium. Insisting that he speak to his team before the vital home leg, he hid in a laundry basket in order to sneak into the stadium without alerting UEFA officials. Or so the story went...
That's almost exactly what happened. Mourinho was asked about the incident today when appearing as a pundit on beIN SPORT, and was only too happy to delight Andy Gray, Richard Keys and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (what a quartet by the way) with the tale.
Have a listen:
A stunning admission from José Mourinho - The infamous laundry basket story was true! Here's how he got away with it...#beINMourinho #beINPL pic.twitter.com/2mhn0MUn3m
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) January 19, 2019
Yes I was. I don't remember the idea, I remember the fundamental thing of it. The fundamental thing of it was Chelsea versus Bayern Munich, a big match in the Champions League. I need to be with my players, and I did it yeah...
I go to the dressing room during the day, so I was there. I'm there since midday, and the game isn't until seven o'clock. I just wanted to be in the dressing room when the players arrive. So I go there, and nobody sees me.
The problem was to leave after. Stuart (the kitman) put me in the basket, a big metal one, and I got in with a little bit left open so I could breathe.
But when Stuart is taking it outside the dressing room, the UEFA guys were following him. They were desperate to find me, so Stuart closed the box. I couldn't breathe!
When he opened the box I was dying! Im serious, I was claustrophobic, I promise you.
That is a cracker in fairness. We seem long removed from the days that a charismatic Mourinho would attempt such a feat, and it is easy to forget what a charming character he was when he first arrived in England. Stories like this one provide with a timely reminder.
