Manchester United came within one minute of a landmark victory at Stamford Bridge today, but the game will likely not be remembered for events on the pitch. Jose Mourinho took exception to the way a member of Chelsea's staff celebrated Ross Barkley's late equaliser. But who is Marco Ianni, the man who sparked the events?
Ianni emerged from the tunnel after Barkley's goal, and seemed to goad the United bench. Mourinho tried to confront the Italian, but was prevented from doing so by stewards standing in between the two benches.
Who Is Marco Ianni?
Marco Ianni is a 32-year-old Italian. He spent two years working under Maurizio Sarri at Napoli as a technical director.
He followed Sarri to Stamford Bridge during the summer, where his official title is 'second assistant coach.'
This would imply that Ianni has no previous links or feud with Mourinho. You might have assumed this was a member of the staff left over from Mourinho's Chelsea stint, but the fact that he has no apparent link to the Portuguese manager makes this incident all the more bizarre.
The Reaction Of The Managers
The Chelsea boss was clearly upset with his assistant during his post-match interviews, when he had this to say.
I didn't see anything on the pitch. After the match I spoke with Jose. Immediately I understood that we were wrong.
I then spoke with the member of my staff and brought him to Mourinho to say sorry. I think it is finished.
Mourinho himself seemed ready to move on from the incident. He said that Sarri and Ianni came to him to apologise directly after the game, which he accepted.
Mourinho has behaved in a similar way on the sideline in the past, something he acknowledged in his comments.
I'm not annoyed with anything. What happened was with Sarri's assistant, and Sarri was the first to come to me to say he would resolve the problem internally. After that, his assistant came to me in Sarri's office and apologised.
I told him that if that is how he really feels, and wants to apologise, I accept apologies and forget it, because I've made mistakes in my career. I'm not going to kill him because of one.
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